j_ung
Aug 22, 2010, 12:35 PM
Views: 3443
Registered: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 18690
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pirateswin wrote: One of my instructors wrote a lesson plan and included the thumb-lock technique (in this case, crimping with four digits, then locking the thumb over the first two for more power). I have heard that this can damage tendons in your smaller fingers (most notably, the pointer and middle fingers) because it torques the tendons out of line. Any medical info on this? I do NOT want to be teaching it in class if it can injure patrons. Please let me know what you have experienced/read. Thanks! Lorena Wallace PSU Outdoor Program, Climbing Center Coordinator
I doubt the answer is so cut and dried. For me (and I suspect for a lot of climbers) bigger factors are the number of fingers involved on the hold and personal fitness level vs. fatigue. I think I'm far more likely to hurt myself in a shallow two-finger pocket my third day in a row climbing than on a small four-finger closed crimp, be it open or closed, after three days off... with a decent warm up behind me... blah blah blah...
Closed crimps do increase the amount of force you can exert on a hold, so it's possible that the increased force might pass some sort of threshold that an open crimp wouldn't have passed. However, this certainly doesn't preclude the chance of an injury occurring in an open crimp. Every person is different, as is every crimp and every tendon. Personally, I think you should teach it, but add the caveat that it might increase the chance of injury. Then include those things above that, for most climbers, just equal smart climbing.
(This post was edited by j_ung on Aug 22, 2010, 12:36 PM)
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