[Bolderer]

After numerous searches amongst the UKB forums, I have yet to discover anything which relates to my current injury.  The history of the injury is as follows - There was no acute point where I felt anything "pop" or "give."  It is on my 4th finger, and the pain is located somewhat near the A2, however, full crimping does not hurt at all, nor does open hand climbing.  The pain is worst after pinching with the offending digit and also strangely when something with a sharp edge to it presses against that part of my finger (say, a dog leash).  Hard plastic climbing is totally out, so I have been focusing on endurance and technique in the gym.  After 3-4 days of not trying hard, the pain is 100% gone.  Yesterday I went outside for the first time since the injury and climbed quite well, did a 7B+, 7A and some 6Cs (note - not saying this to spray at all, just for reference purposes, I am a female so some of these climbs were quite hard for me).  I felt some pain on the 7A (crux revolved around right hand pinch) but sent despite it.  Took some IBU last night and it was ok, but this morning the pain is about 60% of what it was again.  My roommate, who is a massage therapist/osteopath type said he feels a small nodule along the tendon near where I am complaining about the pain but has few suggestions as to how to alleviate it. 

so...does anyone have any opinions/suggestions/directives for me?  I am scheduled to leave for a bouldering trip the day after Christmas...the weather looks fantastic....world class area, etc etc.  Any help much appreciated.

[Moo]

4th finger? when did the injury originaly happen? what were you doing a lot of when it happened? when you say the a2 do you mean the bottom or side of your finger?

[Bolderer]

pinky finger.  you know, the little one.

[Bolderer]

Yes, the bottom side of my finger.  I think the injury originally happened about 3 weeks ago, as I said, it came on gradually but was exacerbated by climbing hard on plastic.  Up to that point I had been bouldering quite a lot but always outdoors.  When the weather turned bad I was on plastic more and that's when I really began to notice it. 

[Moo]

well it sounds a bit like you've had a small strain or tear in your a2, probably through crimping a lot on plastic.  The advice would be pretty much always what it is, avoid pain ice it and take it easy there is no overnight cure and your finger won't be properly healed for a while yet, being impatient and over eager will only end with you having further woes. Also i would recomend reading basically everything in this link

http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/search/label/Injuries

[Bolderer]

thanks for the reply.  I've read all of Dave Mac's stuff.  I climb almost exclusively open handed and only crimp outdoors on reeeally small holds so I don't think it's the A2.  If I test crimp on a desk or whatever I get no pain.  I have run through the pulley injury tests you can do and none of them produce pain.  Only pinching hurts. 

[rodma]

thanks for the reply.  I've read all of Dave Mac's stuff.  I climb almost exclusively open handed and only crimp outdoors on reeeally small holds so I don't think it's the A2.  If I test crimp on a desk or whatever I get no pain.  I have run through the pulley injury tests you can do and none of them produce pain.  Only pinching hurts.

Still sounds quite like your A2.

Try crimping without your thumb, so that your fingers take the load. Pinching (not on wide grips) and crimping without thumb (ie proper half crimp) load your pulleys in a similar way. Does this produce any pain?

Anyways, RICE etc etc etc and you already seem to know what grip types you can get away with without aggrevating it, so go out and enjoy yourself, just pay attention to the feedback you get from your fingers. You can get away with quite a lot whilst injured if you pick your problems.

[duncan]

The precise diagnosis is less important than what you should be doing and not doing with it.  Coming back immediately to hard-for-you bouldering was an unfortunate mistake.  Its hard to reproduce the forces involved in climbing a 7A by crimping a desk, so this is not necessarily a all-clear sign.  Climbing often places lateral (bending sideways) forces on a joint, not tested by a straight downwards pull.  This may be why pinches are a problem.

Resume icing.  Put your projects on hold when you first arrive, spend several days just doing stuff you can flash easily, gradually building up the level of difficulty.  Easy (for you) climbing will promote good healing more-or-less whatever the diagnosis.  Decide what you think you can manage before starting the day ie X problems at fontYz.  Stop when you have reached this point and don't be tempted to try another problem, however attractive it looks. 

Avoid pinches.  Tape the finger straight so you can't use it much.  </the bleedin' obvious>

I would be particularly careful drinking tea.

[mrjonathanr]

I'm a great fan of taping it straight so you can't bend it. Not from a physio point of view, more from a 'I-recently-damaged-ring-A2-only-quite-a-bit-worse-than-you' point of view. It sucks.
I rested it for 2.5 weeks now pottering on easy ground, taped. And doing (not-so-easy) weights. Still sore to make a fist though.

Good luck.

[Muenchener]

This may not be directly relevant - or it may.

I hurt my left ring finger somewhere around the A2 position on a hard-for-me boulder problem laybacking on a pinch/sidepull where the edge of the hold was sharp and digging directly into that part of the finger. I assumed I had just bruised something and thought nothing of it.

*The next time out* a day or two later: very clear and obvious A2 pulley tear pulling on a crimp on a route.

Six weeks of daily icing and doing mileage on easy routes sorted it out.

[Bolderer]

cheers, thanks for all the suggestions, especially the one about proper tea-drinking technique...

I have been doing Dave Mac's cold water treatment and doing rehab exercises with soft putty.  two days after climbing, it feels about 90%.  I can make a fist with no pain.  I just think it's strange that the pain goes almost completely away in two days...I am of the mind this is some kind of cyst on my flexor tendon, which is why putting pressure on the fingertip in an open-hand position aggravates it more than crimping.  Oddly, incut jugs hurt quite a bit.

[Dexter]

as said before I think the best thing to do is if you do climb dont climb things that are going to hurt (in your case pinches) and dont do anything thats really hard for you. And redt it...... always rest it. Also endurance stuff sounds good as your not going to be doing extremely stressful moves (unless youre going for some 8's) but it will keep you climbing.

[Dexter]

my bad sorry laptop screwed up wrong thread

[Bolderer]

so update for those who are interested...finger pain is down to about 0 today, which is less than 5 days since climbing on it.  I did a hangboard workout with no problem whatsoever on Saturday, I can hang from the beastmaker slopers no problem.  I have determined it is likely a collateral ligament issue which has caused a small cyst on the same finger so I am going to tape it up and avoid tweaky holds.  I've been through this several times with other digits.  Dave Mac'c cold water treatment + theraputty has sorted it out before so I am thinking all will be well for a New Years trip.

[mrjonathanr]

Hi Bolderer glad your problem is healing well. My A2 is a bit more serious/slow so thinking of investing in some theraputty. Could you recommend any, and what strength you'd choose for a moderate A2 tear?
Thanks in advance
Jon

[Bolderer]

so theraputty comes in various densities, and is color-coded accordingly.  I think the softest is pink, then green and blue.  I use the pink until I am completely pain-free and then I move to the green.  I haven't really used the blue that much. 

[mrjonathanr]

Thanks I'll give that a go.