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macchiatoe
Feb 14, 2011, 6:36 AM
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Hello all, I've been climbing in gym twice a week and have started doing some V4 bouldering routes along with some 5.10/5.10+ walls. I've noticed that my fingertips are pretty numb (lack of sensation) & tingly for 4 days or so after climbing. Do most people have this experience? Couldn't find much info on it, so I assume it is fairly common after doing crimpy V4 climbs.
Cheers.
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Kartessa
Feb 15, 2011, 4:59 AM
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Is it more the skin surface or within the fingers?
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macchiatoe
Feb 15, 2011, 7:02 AM
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Kartessa wrote: Is it more the skin surface or within the fingers?
It's more in the skin surface.
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cmagee1
Feb 15, 2011, 7:30 AM
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macchiatoe wrote: Hello all, I've been climbing in gym twice a week and have started doing some V4 bouldering routes along with some 5.10/5.10+ walls. I've noticed that my fingertips are pretty numb (lack of sensation) & tingly for 4 days or so after climbing. Do most people have this experience? Couldn't find much info on it, so I assume it is fairly common after doing crimpy V4 climbs. Cheers.
That seems kinda sketch. Its never happened to me, but that doesnt mean its not common. I think uber dry skin or extra gnarly calluses could feel something like that but this sounds different.
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dan2see
Feb 15, 2011, 7:38 AM
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macchiatoe wrote: Hello all, I've been climbing in gym twice a week and have started doing some V4 bouldering routes along with some 5.10/5.10+ walls. I've noticed that my fingertips are pretty numb (lack of sensation) & tingly for 4 days or so after climbing. Do most people have this experience? Couldn't find much info on it, so I assume it is fairly common after doing crimpy V4 climbs. Cheers.
After a day on rough rock outdoors, the skin of my fingers go numb for the rest of the day, more-or-less. I've always assumed that it's the aftermath of pain. Anyway I'm always OK for the next time.
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macchiatoe
Feb 15, 2011, 8:09 AM
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dan2see wrote: macchiatoe wrote: Hello all, I've been climbing in gym twice a week and have started doing some V4 bouldering routes along with some 5.10/5.10+ walls. I've noticed that my fingertips are pretty numb (lack of sensation) & tingly for 4 days or so after climbing. Do most people have this experience? Couldn't find much info on it, so I assume it is fairly common after doing crimpy V4 climbs. Cheers. After a day on rough rock outdoors, the skin of my fingers go numb for the rest of the day, more-or-less. I've always assumed that it's the aftermath of pain. Anyway I'm always OK for the next time.
This Is what I assume to, but just checking because it seems to linger more than 4 days--maybe it's just the calluses becoming more built up.
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Kartessa
Feb 15, 2011, 2:16 PM
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After a few hours of bouldering the skin on my fingers gets ridiculously painful too, but it's rarely an issue the next day and never a problem the day after that.... 4 days seems a bit extreme
Maybe try some moisturizer, a balm or salve? Lots of people swear by ClimbOn, I use Badger balm and it sure seems to help the fingertips recover.
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ilikepargo
Feb 16, 2011, 10:14 PM
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Happens to me all the time. Just lasts a day or two though. What's more fun is when you get the occasional little red/brown spot from broken capillaries there in the fingertips.
My best advice would be to climb outside. It won't change the fingertip thing, but outside is WAY better than inside.
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macchiatoe
Feb 16, 2011, 10:20 PM
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Thanks, good to hear this happens to other folks. Trust me if i lived in California i would climb outside all the time--but i live in Quebec, Canada and it's presently -20 C (and that's with no elevation!).
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Kartessa
Feb 16, 2011, 10:24 PM
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Pauvre Garcon... c'est le temps de demenager 
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MS1
Feb 17, 2011, 12:13 AM
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macchiatoe wrote: Hello all, I've been climbing in gym twice a week and have started doing some V4 bouldering routes along with some 5.10/5.10+ walls. I've noticed that my fingertips are pretty numb (lack of sensation) & tingly for 4 days or so after climbing. Do most people have this experience? Couldn't find much info on it, so I assume it is fairly common after doing crimpy V4 climbs. Cheers.
Just FYI, you might want to consult a doctor about this. Early on in my climbing, I started to get numb fingers as well, particularly my thumb, pointer and middle fingers. It would be at its worst during longer climbing trips, where the numbness would turn into aching while I slept and wake me up repeatedly. Well, it turns out that the combination of climbing, cycling, and lots of typing make for a killer case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and that if not treated surgically this can lead to permanent nerve damage in the hands (i.e. permanent numbness and potentially permanent loss of grip strength as well).
The surgery wasn't my favorite thing in the world but it wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. I couldn't climb for about four weeks, and I had to take it easy for a little longer. But all in all I think I dodged a bullet; the way the nerve doc described it, leaving it untreated for too long can get pretty ugly. And post-surgery, I never experience numbness after climbing, regardless of the terrain or type of holds.
There's an easy test they can run (involving little electric shocks to your hands) that will figure out if you have CDS or something else. I'd recommend getting it checked out, especially if the numbness is localized towards the thumb-and-pointer-finger-side of your hand.
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