How to Fix Climbing's Most Common Injury
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- Finger injuries are very common in climbing and these types of injury are quite unique to the sport. For this reason we always recommend people seek advice from a climbing specialist. Luckily for us we know an excellent physiotherapist, James Walker from The Sheffield Climbing Clinic. James joins us today to talk about one of the most common finger injuries, a pulley sprain. Harley, our product manager recently had a pulley sprain and worked with James so we use this as a case study to explore James process through diagnosis, rehab exercises and return to training.
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I feel like I'm the only one who came here without an injured finger. Just trying to play it safe :)
Brilliant and important vid! I've been climbing with some discomfort in my right middle finger for just over a month now, and have consciously taken longer breaks between sessions and tried to lower the intensity as a form of rehab but noticed as much as this helps, the niggle returns after trying a harder session. I didn't expect that loading on a more regular basis would actually help rehab the finger, but will definitely be giving this a go after seeing this vid!
awesome! it's great to have this available to the public for free and not only the programming but the ideas behind them eg pain desensitizing etc
Brilliant! I've had an A2 ring tweak for a bit and feeling a little reluctant to get back in the gym.
Not a climber, but have been working on chin ups lately from a beam in the roof as I don't have anywhere to mount a pullup bar. Went to do them with a 10 Kg weight vest for the first time yesterday to vary my load a little. My finger popped like someone breaking a branch and my grip failed. Didn't understand what happened at all first as there really was very little pain compared to the dramatic sound effects. The pain came on gradually, but was never extreme. Thanks for a good informative video on this.
I had the very same injury happen about a month ago, and haven’t had much progress. Very thankful for this video!
Update?
Great video. On the subject of "when can I get back to deadhanging/hangboarding again?" I usually progressively increase the load on each hand until I'm nearing my current bodyweight and then transition to using a hangboard on a similar edge. For example: I'm 70kg, so once I'm rehabbed up to ~30kg on each hand comfortably I'll ease into some careful hangboarding and then slowly progress into my usual routine
Really excellent content all. Thank you! Might also be a good idea to put together a "safe climbing for beginners/intermediates" video with a focus on safe training and safe progression.
Great vid, for all of you who have access to a fingerboard at home I think it's possible to achieve similar results using a scale (checking the weight removed by hanging) rather than getting extra gear. It's easy and doesn't need a pulley system and extra weights
Went to see this guy yesterday for an ultrasound, would highly recommend, very insightful and as a climber himself he understands our mindset. Explained everything that was identified in the ultrasound and luckily I just have iteration at my A2 and no structural damage, thanks James. £45 quid for half an hour and peace of mind, worth every penny.
what does your recovery look like with a little irritation of the a2?
@@anthonyc6017 6-8 weeks of reduced climbing focusing more on 3 finger drag, can still have some decent sessions in doing circuits of a grade or 2 lower then your flash grade and still work some problems that don’t require crimping.
I had the flu as well during recover and thought the rest would do me good but it didn’t so I’ve found it’s definitely better to keep climbing on it to load the tendon for recovery but listen to your body, if you get on a particular problem they feels like it aggravates more then walk away. A good guide I found as well was when I completed a problem if the pain settled after 30/60 seconds or so back to how it was then I would crack on but if the pain persisted then I would back right off or end the session. Towards the end of a session I found it would linger longer so it was always I good indicator to finish up. You can also use the time to carry out all the conditioning stuff you inevitably put off 😬
I H tape mine as well, more as a reminder and to restrict my full crimp slightly kinda forcing me to open hand more.
@@kevedwards thanks man!
How do you book a session with him?
Where is he based?
Counterintuitive and reassuring. Thanks!
needed this video. thanks!!!
Great video. Thanks!
great explanations, great content!!! It is mind blowing that people just share high quality science-based stuff like this on the intrawebs for free
just a decade ago I used to think that the internet was only useful for checking cat pictures and "love-movies", clearly not the case anymore!
Thanks, I will try this!
Thanks for your sharing
would be great if these rehab workouts were on the crimpd app. great video
Great video. I have the pinch block, and it’s great to add rehab as another use case for this awesome tool. Can you recommend some grip types to exercise for a middle finger collateral ligament strain? Would the open 3/half crimp/wide pinch session be just as effective or should I add a sloper rep as well?
Thanks for the great video! Do you suggest still to do this daily routine in climbing days?
Thanks for the healing advice. Although I was wondering if I am still able to train on bars, such as doing front levers/pull ups but just without weight?
very useful video, is there a role for finger taping for A2 pulley injuries?
Thank you
idea for Next video..... I know you have a schedule but..
(Healthy Training Habits) or like a tips video about getting hard work outs in safely.
for example an intermediate climber 6a-7a range how many times can they do a special kind of training and for how long. when do we go to make our work outs harder? should we push through being sore to keep on our schedule? (light sore in muscles). and should we do rehab if we feel a certain area is sore over (x) amount of time.. awesome video's guys.
oh and More video's about perfect work out combinations we can find for free&paid on the lattice app. 💪 for marketing purposes right.. lol
Just suggested the same! Would love to see this. I'm still very much in the intermediate range, but I try to teach friends to open hand wherever possible and give the soft tissue a year or so to catch up to the relatively fast initial strength gains.
Hmm the symptoms definitely sound similar to what I’m feeling, but you mentioned that it’s important to get a correct diagnosis to distinguish it from other similar injuries, so I’m curious how I can do that.
If you feel like you're hitting a plateau in weight, might it make sense to temporarily bump up the duration to try to help get over the plateau?
It could have been in the video and I just missed it, but it is generally ok to continue climbing with an injury if this type? I have something very similar to what was described.
Also is it common for the finger joints to pop more often during this type of injury. I’ve noticed that my finger will temporarily feel better after I have popped it.
Can we get something like this for lumbrical/pocket injuries? My pain actually runs up the outside of my ring finger. Don't know if that is common?
What about chronic pulley injuries? I have examined my fingers and i most certainly have a pulley strain. The thing is, the pain started 8 months ago and i only started rehab about 1,5 months ago. Not only there is a rock solid small inflamation on the A2 region but i find it much harder to progress weight on that finger compared to oder recent injured fingers - wich logically doesn’t have that inflamation. I have come to 15kg feeling 2-3 pain without warming up but progress now is almost nonexistent. Should i go back to climbing? Rest more? I am struggling at the end of the rehab where my finger is already 75%, but doesn’t get much better. I would aprecciate some orientation in relation to my situation. Thank you!
My left middle finger at the bottom doesn’t hurt when I climb or after but it only hurts if i press on the spot, I dont know what to do because its been going on for a while but only if i press on it. any advice?
Hi! How does this rehab method relate to a tenosynovitis? I'd definately appreciate a video of the same sort on tenosynovitis, since I've been struggling with this injury forever. I tried density hangs in the past for rehab, but didn't work. Instead, doing 3-6sets of 7s hangs 2-3 times a week and increasing the load every 1 or 2 sessions helped.
The main issue is pain tolerance, once I'd start rehab it'd hurt for one or two sets, but pain would quickly go away and I could even hangboard with bodyweight or almost to my 90%1RM with no pain. It was the day after the session when the increased pain would kicked in, so finding an appropiate RPE for each session was tricky and had to start building from really low weight just to make sure.
I believe the rehab is very different. You are trying to break a chronic swelling response so more loading may not be the answer. You may need a significant deload, or even break from training to break the swelling response. It's worth asking a climbing physio that offers remote consultations.
I've had a nagging middle finger problem for months now. Just placed a order on the pinch block after watching this video and hope the road to recovery is coming soon 🙂. Love the content you guys provide, keep it up! 🦾
Awesome boulder at the end, it looks like snake’s skin on top!
Thanks for the video as well, very helpful!
Great content, thanks 👍🏻 Pity that I'm not UK based climber. How accurate are those rehab advice for completely broken A2 ring finger pulley?
Speaking purely from what we have seen with others, you likely need to splint the finger for some time before loading. Definitely worth reaching out to a physio. Even if it is a remote consultation to start with.
@@LatticeTraining Thanks for swift response. Finger is already better and it's tissue rebuild time. That's why I am asking about rehab exercises.
@@ArthurSiemce good to hear its better! The principles should be the same at this point. As James mentioned in the video you are essentially training but at a reduced capacity and paying attention to pain sensitivity, but its always good to get specific exercise advice from a physio ;)
So you are saying yes to quad bloc as a training device “with” a hang board?
Nice cameo from Beta Blocker 🤙🤙🤙
what about not being able to feel any pain while climbing but can feel it if i apply pressure off the wall
Good thing I have both a quad block and 2 A2 chronic inflammations! I have been doing hangboarding training with 3 finger drag after hearing Dave MacLeod used it as a way to bypass pulley injuries, does this mean that this still puts strain on the pulleys? I was hoping that by focusing my strengthening on this hand shape I could ‘cheat’ my way back into maximal effort
While three finger drag is very safe, the problem with only doing it for rehab is you will lose the wrist extension strength needed for crimping. So at some point, add half crimp back to your training list.
Got back into bouldering after a year and a half off (circumstantial - not by choice!). I was climbing V4-5 when I stopped and now I’m getting lots of finger pain after every climb, even on V3’s
That’s completely understandable and I think everything said in this video can be apply to your case. But, in your position, I think it is also a question of global muscular ability. Rebuilding good strength and stability for your entire upper body (particularly shoulder, rotator and the back in general) is extremely important and will allow you to reduce stress on your fingers by a lot. Finally, try to be critical on your training load… did you restart like a lion because you were super motivated or have you been careful and tried to listen to your body as much as possible? I am clearly not a professional and I tried to advice you the best way possible thanks to my personal experiences but obviously if the pain got harder or persist even after several week of rehab-rebuilding strength-decrease number session, you should see a professional 😉👌
@@Romaing7 ah cheers mate! I left that comment three weeks ago, and I’d also gotten back into weightlifting. I’ve climbed 3 times since then - leaving about 5 days in between climbs. Fingers feel alright. Think was too much too soon type deal. You’re so right about taking a load of your fingers by getting stronger in back and shoulders too. Many thanks dude
Have you or anyone here developed persistent swelling and some tingling in their thumbtips or fingertips from high repetition weight lifting or climbing?
What did you do to recover from the problem?
I've had three of these in the last year, any comment on what the underlying cause for these is as just always rehabbing isn't really viable in the long term
Can you climb normally while doing this rehabbing? Or should this be the only “training” you do?
I crimped a hold really hard the other day and the joint of my pointer finger and thumb have been hurting/feeling a bit off ever since. If I don’t warmup I almost hear the joint click? Does anyone know what this is? It’s been bugging me for 2 weeks.
no stretchingg of the arms and hands at all?
I'm having a bit of pain at the base of my finger but it never bothers me while at rest, climbing, training. Only when I'm holding weights on it. That's just soreness right?
Yes. As with Harley's experience we would recommend you get it checked out if the soreness continues to be an issue.
I’m not sure if we have climbing specialists in the field here in the US, specifically Alaska where I am.
Worth seeing if any will provide a remote consultation. Many started doing this during covid lockdowns.
Best protection is to take your time when progressing in climbing. Tendons and ligaments take up to a year or more to develop. My rule is never use more than 80% of power...
(in contrast, muscles can repair and buildup in a matter of two to three weeks, because of their rich blood circulation. there is a bemefit to that though, even after quiting climbing for a year or, max, two, your fingers are quite ready to retake the loads)
This is something I wish I had considered. I'm into week 7 of climbing and the progress has come really quick I think, but I got a bit obsessed and that meant frequency was high and recovery was low. I ended up on a overhang 2 weeks ago and my middle finger made a really loud popping noise. It's looking like a torn extensor but I'll find out tomorrow. I live in Sheffield so I should have visited this guy but I'm only just seeing him whilst looking into my injury.
I can still actually climb but have to avoid certain types of climb, but I can no longer grip a barbell
@@craigchkw It will heal and be stronger. Keep doing any hang or climbing that gives you sweet pain of medium level that after some hours of rest does not feel worse than before. You need to keep the blood flowing so that it can heal. Let a psysician examing it but don't stop moderate training unless the pain is sharp. You can also hang with feet on the ground, gradually releasing weight.
@@constantinosschinas4503 I appreciate the reply thank you. I have still been climbing and can still manage a fair bit, they're sending me to someone else to take a look at it tomorrow, it sounds like they'll either put it in a splint or operate of its a full tear. I am having to tape it up though which I assume is preventing blood flow, maybe I should try going without tape?
@@craigchkw I have had the same. It took a month to heal. Most probably you have a pulley inflamation and not a severe tear. Consult doctors but give it some time. It is many times that doctors will auggeat an operation in fingers, wrists or elbows, mobody of us did it and will all healed properly. We were climbing up to 7c/8a boulder. Blood flow is the key if a complete rapture is not diagnosed. Medium intensity training and ice intervals before sleep is my personal suggestion, not knowing your exact diagnosis.
@@craigchkw I have had the same. It took a month to heal. Most probably you have a pulley inflamation and not a severe tear. Consult doctors but give it some time. It is many times that doctors will auggeat an operation in fingers, wrists or elbows, mobody of us did it and will all healed properly. We were climbing up to 7c/8a boulder. Blood flow is the key if a complete rapture is not diagnosed. Medium intensity training and ice intervals before sleep is my personal suggestion, not knowing your exact diagnosis.
Damm this is helpful: i am increasing the training load prior to a trip to font, and feeling the same pain on the same finger! 😂
This video really needs chapter markers
The base of my ring finger hurts slightly *only* when I push/pinch it. It doesn't hurt when I'm climbing or any other time. Is this just soreness or A2 pulley strain?
Same… did you get it checked out? From what I’ve been reading it is still an a2 strain
@@jaloodali5645 It was a light sprain. I avoided crimps and small holds and climbed slopers/jugs and stuff and it healed in 2 weeks.
what if the pain is only present after waking up and disappearing throughout the day? no problems while climbing either.
Sir my three fingers of left hand are stretched in opposite direction 5 months ago and my bones are not fractured but my fingers joints are very painful and swelling and in winter it is very painful i can't move my it orthopedics are just recommending me medicines but its not even little bit better even my middle finger ligament is producing tak tak sounds when i moving it please for god tell me the good treatment 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
I wish Swedish health system is more serious about these issues. I've been meeting physiotherapists in couple of years and they just try these and those exercises - I never managed to get to be properly examined - scanned or x-rayed :(
Agree about scans, but the rehab protocols help if you are observing how the body reacts to different excercises, loads and pain levels.
Nah bro this shit isn’t on the nhs 🥲
@@stevenstevens990 yeah this shit will never be covered by your local GP 😂
This pain desensitisation works well on toothache too. The nerve is feeling the world through 6mm of bone, and thus has become incredibly sensitive. When swelling occurs it cant expand further than the hard walls, hence toothache is one of the worst pains. If you desensitise the pain area by gently activating pain with a clean prodder, you'll thank yourself later. We tend to have a 'dont touch it' kind of mentality with these pains, but that will only.make it more sensitive and hence more painful
Can you use the block as a training device, pardon my ignorance if it “is” a training device, vice a therapeutic tool as presented here.
The Quad Block is a training tool. As with most training tools, they can be used for rehab. A dumbbell can be used for rehab as long as we programme the intensity and volume correctly.
I think I need to reconsider my position of "climbing is a safe, low impact accessory to other strength sports". Is this type of injury common on overhangs as well, or is it bigger with crimps?
Climbing is still relatively safe but it can be high impact on the body. It is common for these types of injuries to happen on crimps but progressive loading and listening to your body will mitigate much of the risk.
Yeah I got something going on, my feet cut on a crimp and my middle and ring finger were only on the crimp, my middle slipped off and I felt like qn elastic break in my arm. Now I can't even use my finger at all ooof
@@JustinCasey216 Sounds like a pulley tear. Sorry dude.
Climbing is relatively safe, but not everyone approaches it safely and the "try-hard" mentality can sometimes push people a little too far. As a very basic guideline, I try to downclimb wherever I can and open-hand wherever possible. I used to full crimp with abandon, but I'm a little older now and had to take most of the pandemic off and I'll give it about 10-12 months before I start full crimping again.
Just watching this is making my tendon feel sore haha
Posted right after I finished healing my pulley.... fuck
Have exactly the same thing xd
Got the worst torn blister today sending a v6 Dino fml
Kid names finger
Great video but wow 65 pounds for something you can make with a piece of wood and a drill in like 15 minutes haha!
Metal is the future!