Hi guys,
Lots of post on A2 pulley injuries, some great info here and on Dave MacLeod's websites.
I think i have my first pulley injury, probably a partial tear. if i rub the affected area i can pin point it to the pinky side of my third finger, just below the bulge of the middle knuckle. it happened back in may, tried to ignore it which didn't work.. it has improved at times but then been set back again by my over enthusiasm.
Can anyone with experience of finger injuries tell me if my experience is common, some points don't make so much sense to me:
1. Open hand climbing does less damage than crimping (makes sense).
2. Doesn't hurt much when crimping.. notice it more after the climb when i've cooled down. Dull ache and stiffness around the knuckle rather than acute pain.
3. Climbing a sport route a few grades below my limit seems to do more damage than a boulder problem close to my limit.
4. Range of motion reduced when trying to touch palm of hand. Hurts when i apply gentle pressure to close towards palm, or especially to bend finger sideways. Pain much more apparent than when climbing.
5. I've noticed that the thin top layer of skin above the injury point has peeled off a couple of times. There's also a slight red area visible on the skin. I'm sure this is recent. I have done some very gentle friction massage but not enough to cause this.
I know that the first one is normal with an A2 or other injury. But how about the other points?
Also has anyone damage the A3 or C1/C2 pulleys before, and how can they differentiate?
cheers for your help!
jim
