[Fultonius]

Alright guys, first time on UKB so time to strap in and enjoy the ride!

I tweaked a the tendon in my left ring finger while bouldering on a "tweaky pocket" about a week ago.

I got some sharp pains about midway from my elbow to my wrist and I'm almost 100% sure it's where the flexor tendon joins the muscle.

I rested for around 5 days and did some gentle stretching and fist clenching (not so much that it hurt) and I've been down the wall once and did some easy routes (less than 5+) which didn't seem too much stress for it.

However, I am a bit worried that climbing is not controlled enough to make sure that I don't hurt it again, and this morning thought about using my fingerboard instead.

What I did was a gentle warm up then did some gentle hangs off first-joint edges (with my feet on the ground, to reduce the load)

This seemed to work quite well as I felt I could put just the right amount of stress on the fingers in a controlled way. (I used scales to work out how much load, I was taking about 40% bodyweight)


Has anyone else used a fingerboard for recovery? Anyone have any reasons why this is a bad idea?

[a dense loner]

no, and think it's only a bad idea if you've no discipline. what you're doing sounds good in theory, tho to be honest you're probably not pulling very hard at all (not meant as offensive) and you will soon want to make leaps of faith. this is where you will hurt yourself. if ned gives you any advice don't take it

[Fultonius]

Disclipline is key....I need some kind of electric shock if I'm pulling too hard!

I'm going to keep using the scales and try to build it up 5% of bodyweight at a time or something.

[Paul B]

Disclipline is key....I need some kind of electric shock if I'm pulling too hard!

I'm going to keep using the scales and try to build it up 5% of bodyweight at a time or something.

I think expecting gains like that every session might lead you to push yourself too far to soon, thats just my opinion though.

[SA Chris]

Mr Fulton ( I assume it's you). I think it sounds like a bad idea. Have you ever done anything by half measures? When are you up here again?

[Fultonius]

Alright Chris, your powers of observation are impeccable!

I have had many conflicting views on this......I need a finger specialist, anyone got a spare one lying around?

You'll be glad to hear my shoulder is 100% again, I can Gaston like the good man himself and it's not moving. It's all about the BIG weights! Olympic Snatch is the key!

But alas, I have another injury to add to my ever expanding list, this time due to being stoopid   - too little warm up and pulling too hard on a pocket when I should've let go!

My body is a temple.......and the cooncil just put a dereliction order on it!

[GCW]

I have had many conflicting views on this......I need a finger specialist, anyone got a spare one lying around?

I can't give you a proper answer on whether it is good or bad as I have not assessed the finger/arm.  All I can say is go to see someone that knows if you want an accurate opinion.
I, personally, would avoid fingerboards in the recovery-from-injury phase, if that means anything at all.

[Fultonius]

I'd love to go to someone who knows.....where is he/she?

I'm based in glasgow, my own physio is good, but no finger/climbing specialist. He's based at the hampden sports injury clinic.

[Houdini]

This thread cracks me up!





You want scientific proof that fire is hot? 





I hear guillotines are great for migraines...

[GCW]

I moved out of Glasgow 6 years ago, so I can't help there.  I'm sure your physio would know of somebody.

[GCW]

This thread cracks me up!

Why is that?  I think this has been a very useful thread on whether or not fingerboards may, or may not, possibly, maybe, might just be useful in rehab.
If you ain't got anything constructive to say, f*ck off and get a 30 second power score to be proud of.  Wimp.   

[Houdini]

This thread cracks me up!

If you ain't got anything constructive to say...

Too, too good!   

[a dense loner]

i think the great houdini is right to bring a little randomness into this thread, after all nobody has a clue. does everybody have a physio or a trust fund these days?

[BenF]

i think the great houdini is right to bring a little randomness into this thread, after all nobody has a clue. does everybody have a physio or a trust fund these days?

I have neither trust fund nor physio, but I think the randomness is worthwhile.  As it is in every thread.

[GCW]

Dense, threads like this always go the same way:

I've hurt myself and self-diagnosed it as a quaddrospazzed digit, can I do 1-5-9 on 5mm rungs as part of my training?
Ooh, not sure.  Bob says he did.
Sounds like a bad plan to me.
I agree.
I wouldn't go more for more than 1-4-7 myself.
Rest it for a year.
Use a PowerBall.
Cheers guys, I'll ignore what everyone has said anyway and do what I was already going to do.

I don't know of a study looking specifically at fingerboard usage in the recovery phase of a possibly-sprained-something.  
There's no real SCIENCE to guide us.  All I can say is common sense to me means:  injury= avoid fingerboard initially.
There's no evidence for it, but it is scientific fact.

And I'm not having a go at Houdini.  For once.

[a dense loner]

i agree completely. wibble

[Fultonius]

I aint got no effin trust fund boyo!

And if i go to the physio it'll be my own hard earned that's paying for it!


Might book an appointment this week to see what he says.

[Fultonius]

Just booked an appointment with the physio, at least now I'll be able to get a proper assessment.  No ones getting any christmas prezzies this year!

[Houdini]

Fuck fizzio's!

Doc Houdini recommends you bust the weightbelt out and get campussing sharpish.

[a dense loner]

don't be alarmed by my comments, just you saying "my" physio implied that you go a lot 

and like the boss said "i ain't a boy, i'm a man, and i believe in the promised land"

[Jim]

I'm a teapot

[SA Chris]

Fingerboarding for recovery sounds like fighting for peace to me.

[BenF]

Fingerboarding for recovery sounds like fighting for peace to me.

Sounds great, how do I join?

[Three Nine]

When I had a flexor unit problem (in ring finger after pulling way too hard on a pocket), I took two weeks out then just climbed outdoors (routes not bouldering) and sacked the plastic, till it got better. I reckon you can do any amount of routes (even indoors) as long as you dont piss it off. Thats one of the good things about flexor unit probs -you can generally still climb. I would sack any nonsense with a fingerboard and go and focus on technique/milage and so on for a few weeks and you ought to gradually find you can put more and more stress on it. Sacking climbing is a bad idea imo. I made a full recover in about four months, but was back to full onsight level in two (just being careful). Do crimpy routes and avoid pockets?

[a dense loner]

well, says dense while collecting more wood for the fire. i tweaked a finger twice this year, seperate fingers. first one took 2-3 months to heal, second took about a month. first was overtraining, surely not. second was head making cheques my fingers couldn't cash. both were done on pockets, and the only thing i couldn't do in all my time off was crimp. by time off i mean no time off