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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 2:16 AM
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This may end up being an ignorant question, but I'd rather ask and find out than it end up being something bad. I just started climbing this week. I noticed today that my left arm is significantly more swore and strained than my right arm. Is this simply because I'm right handed and my left arm is just that much more weak, Or is there something more to it? If it is just that it's catching up, are there any exercises and stretches I can do to prevent this? It's keeping me from climbing as much as I would like to!
(This post was edited by angrybandnerd on Mar 12, 2009, 2:17 AM)
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angry
Mar 12, 2009, 2:24 AM
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Who do you think you are?
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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 2:35 AM
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Ha! Love the name!
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Myxomatosis
Mar 12, 2009, 3:06 AM
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Arm is a big thing... might want to be a tiny little bit more specific.
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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 3:18 AM
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Mostly forearm and wrist is in pain. The most pain is at the top of my forearm near the elbow area.
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Myxomatosis
Mar 12, 2009, 3:42 AM
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Sounds like a form of tendonitits.
Rest for at least seven days (at the minimum) before you climb again or else you risk four to six months out of climbing.
Also do a search on tennis elbow and golfers elbow stretches... I think they are on Nicro's.
If you get more pain after that climb... might want to think about seeing a PT. If you keep climbing on it you will end up with unrepairable damage and there is no way to cure it other than resting (altho stretches and the weight exercises cut down recovery time), ask anyone who has had it before, its a real pain in the butt to get rid of.. so better to rest up now.
(This post was edited by Myxomatosis on Mar 12, 2009, 3:43 AM)
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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 4:21 AM
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My first thought was something like tennis elbow, but I noticed the pain will go away after a day or two of rest. I'm still going to take your advice though, just to be on the safe side! Thanks!
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angry
Mar 12, 2009, 4:26 AM
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I propose an epic battle.
Who would win, an angry wetsuit or an angry band nerd?
The winner gets to deflower Caribiner96.
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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 4:46 AM
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Just remember... I play tuba....
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roddyheat
Mar 12, 2009, 5:30 AM
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if its your first week climbing you have probably just overdone it a bit. Just rest it and it should come good, if it doesn't go see someone about it.
I took my mate climbing for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He was holding onto the wall so hard i thought he was going to snap off holds. He strained his arms so bad his forearms were crippled for a full week he couldn't even ride his bike or turn the wheel of a car lol. This week he is fine though lol.
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angrybandnerd
Mar 12, 2009, 5:41 AM
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Yeah I'm thinking I did just do it it a bit too hard. Starting out I had an unsettling fear of heights so I wasn't letting go for anything!
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boracus
Mar 12, 2009, 5:55 AM
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ABN-
Definitely sounds like you simply over did it and that your left arm is not quite as conditioned as your right. It's highly unlikely that you could have developed any significant tendonitis in under a week.
Your muscles and other soft tissues will adapt to the stresses of climbing but you'll have to make sure to have enough rest time between your climbing sessions. I know that can be a tall order if you're like most obsessive climbing types but learning a little patience now will go a long way toward enjoying climbing in the long term w/ out the ups and downs of injuries. I also would caution you against going overboard w/ supplemental strength conditioning as the demands of climbing are creating more than enough damage for your body to recover from. Lifting to balance out your climbing is great, ie doing pressing exercises and such, however I would stay away from doing specific hand strengthening and pulling exercises like rows and pull ups. At least until you're not so tapped from simply doing a few sessions a week on the wall.
Welcome to the sport, BA
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roddyheat
Mar 12, 2009, 8:37 AM
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Yeah keeping the extra training stuff outside of climbing down is good advice. I worked in an indoor gym for a year or so and you would see the same pattern play outself with new climbers every single time. Including myself - though fortunately i avoided injury.
It goes like this.
1. Newbie discovers the seriously addictive joy of climbing.
2. Newbie climbs 4 - 5 times a week.
3. Newbie starts to hang with the bouldering guys that have been at it for 10 years or so and tries to keep up.
4. Newbie starts campusing and using a fingerboard
5. Newbie thinks I need to get stronger and starts every single session with pull ups till failure and finishes every session with pull ups till failure
6. Newbie doesn't warm up or stretch down
7. Newbie climbs with his shirt off - even in winter
8. Newbie breaks something
I along with 90% of people that start climbing was one of those Newbies - and still am :) I still climb with my shirt off in winter too. but yeah recipie for injury :)
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iron106
Mar 12, 2009, 2:41 PM
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I started climbing 15 years ago and my arms hurt too, also my fingers, elbows sometimes, my back always, my feet, knees sometimes, ankles, and my hands, knuckles, and neck.
See what happens the more you climb.
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onceahardman
Mar 12, 2009, 3:51 PM
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In reply to: The winner gets to deflower Caribiner96.
I think you are too late. But I don't know for sure.
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rainman0915
Mar 22, 2009, 7:43 AM
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always stretch and take a good warm up, not only does it help keep you from getting injured but it helps you climb harder too.
also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons, when i first started climbing my muscles got stronger a lot faster then my tendons so i could hang on my arms all day then after a little while my elbow started hurting then before i knew it i was out for a month.
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JakubBujak
Mar 22, 2009, 3:19 PM
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angrybandnerd wrote: Yeah I'm thinking I did just do it it a bit too hard. Starting out I had an unsettling fear of heights so I wasn't letting go for anything!
Overgripping is a big problem for us newbies. After the first day that I climbed, my arms must have been killing me for 3 days because I gripped the holds way too hard. When you are up there next time, just remember to stay relaxed. Chances are that you are toproping and that you will fall all of a few inches if your belay knows what they are doing. Remember, your legs are their to support your weight and your arms are really mainly there for balance when you are trying to figure out your next move, not the other way around. You'll get stronger fast as you climb more, so this soreness will go away faster the more you climb.
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Myxomatosis
Mar 23, 2009, 3:21 AM
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Alot of newbies get tendonitis within the first few months of climbing. From either over climbing (easy to do) or having alot of strength from other sports (normally weight lifting) and there body's just can't handle cranking on small crimps.
Ive seen it happen many times at my gym.
Just take it easy, don't climb more than three times a week, just because a route is easy doesnt mean you can't learn anything from it.
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aerili
Mar 23, 2009, 6:34 AM
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rainman0915 wrote: also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons,
Are you aware that a tendon is the end of a muscle? That they are, in fact, two parts of the same thing? You can't pull on a muscle without pulling on a tendon, and vice versa.
I've never heard that elbow tendonitis occurs from "hanging on your tendons," but if you've got a reference, please post up.
...To quote someone else: "Don't you just love the Internet."
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rainman0915
Mar 23, 2009, 6:18 PM
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im not sure exactly what it hurts but it screwed me up pretty bad, so maybe it hurts something other then tendons but iv still learned my lesson
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Armonster
Mar 24, 2009, 12:38 AM
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aerili wrote: rainman0915 wrote: also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons, Are you aware that a tendon is the end of a muscle? That they are, in fact, two parts of the same thing? You can't pull on a muscle without pulling on a tendon, and vice versa. I've never heard that elbow tendonitis occurs from "hanging on your tendons," but if you've got a reference, please post up. ...To quote someone else: "Don't you just love the Internet."
I was actually wondering about this the other day. My elbow has been bothering me off and on, and it always seems to act up in those situations when I'm hanging with a straight arm, and then suddenly try to crank up on it. It's almost as if when hanging straight, the muscles/tendons aren't engaged.. but then the first instant of pulling puts a ton of stress on the tendon and not much on the muscle. That transition from zero to all out seems to be the killer for me.
Can you explain if there is any validity to this, and what can be done about it?
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Myxomatosis
Mar 24, 2009, 12:51 AM
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Armonster wrote: aerili wrote: rainman0915 wrote: also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons, Are you aware that a tendon is the end of a muscle? That they are, in fact, two parts of the same thing? You can't pull on a muscle without pulling on a tendon, and vice versa. I've never heard that elbow tendonitis occurs from "hanging on your tendons," but if you've got a reference, please post up. ...To quote someone else: "Don't you just love the Internet." I was actually wondering about this the other day. My elbow has been bothering me off and on, and it always seems to act up in those situations when I'm hanging with a straight arm, and then suddenly try to crank up on it. It's almost as if when hanging straight, the muscles/tendons aren't engaged.. but then the first instant of pulling puts a ton of stress on the tendon and not much on the muscle. That transition from zero to all out seems to be the killer for me. Can you explain if there is any validity to this, and what can be done about it?
Also sufferer of Tendonitits which got really really bad after doing dead hangs (on jugs, not finger board) to early after recovery.
And now im nearly recovered but still get quite a bit of pain when clipping on lead... lock offs/side pulls/etc etc (on vertical stuff)... Mostly when my arm locked in one position and Im pulling/hanging on it.
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onceahardman
Mar 24, 2009, 1:38 AM
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Armonster wrote: aerili wrote: rainman0915 wrote: also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons, Are you aware that a tendon is the end of a muscle? That they are, in fact, two parts of the same thing? You can't pull on a muscle without pulling on a tendon, and vice versa. I've never heard that elbow tendonitis occurs from "hanging on your tendons," but if you've got a reference, please post up. ...To quote someone else: "Don't you just love the Internet." I was actually wondering about this the other day. My elbow has been bothering me off and on, and it always seems to act up in those situations when I'm hanging with a straight arm, and then suddenly try to crank up on it. It's almost as if when hanging straight, the muscles/tendons aren't engaged.. but then the first instant of pulling puts a ton of stress on the tendon and not much on the muscle. That transition from zero to all out seems to be the killer for me. Can you explain if there is any validity to this, and what can be done about it?
First, with the exception of psych issues/chronic pain/long term worker's comp/malingering, I always think there is "validity" to symptoms. I depend on the cognition of patients often. Patients will tell me exactly what's wrong, if I ask the right questions, and listen carefully to the answers.
Next, the bolded portion is particularly interesting. I can assure you that, when hanging, the muscle-tendon complexes are working. Flexor digitorum(s) in particular, are firing, or else you could not be hanging. F.D. superficialis has a large origin at the medial epicodyle of the elbow, but I don't think that is your problem, because when it's firing, you have little or no pain.
What you are calling "the first instant of pulling", I assume, means flexing the elbow and/or moving the wrist. If the hold is overhead, and you pull down on it, you pretty much have to pronate the forearm. Pronator teres does this, and also has a large origin at the medial epicondyle. That is what caused my own case of medial epicondylitis.
So, there IS stress on the muscle/tendon, but it's a different muscle/tendon than you used when dead hanging.
With resistance, pronate the forearm (turn from palm up to palm down), and see whether that duplicates your symptoms.
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Armonster
Mar 24, 2009, 2:13 AM
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onceahardman wrote: Armonster wrote: aerili wrote: rainman0915 wrote: also its really important always keep your arms slightly bent instead of locked straight, it keeps some of your weight on your muscles in stead of just your tendons, Are you aware that a tendon is the end of a muscle? That they are, in fact, two parts of the same thing? You can't pull on a muscle without pulling on a tendon, and vice versa. I've never heard that elbow tendonitis occurs from "hanging on your tendons," but if you've got a reference, please post up. ...To quote someone else: "Don't you just love the Internet." I was actually wondering about this the other day. My elbow has been bothering me off and on, and it always seems to act up in those situations when I'm hanging with a straight arm, and then suddenly try to crank up on it. It's almost as if when hanging straight, the muscles/tendons aren't engaged.. but then the first instant of pulling puts a ton of stress on the tendon and not much on the muscle. That transition from zero to all out seems to be the killer for me. Can you explain if there is any validity to this, and what can be done about it? First, with the exception of psych issues/chronic pain/long term worker's comp/malingering, I always think there is "validity" to symptoms. I depend on the cognition of patients often. Patients will tell me exactly what's wrong, if I ask the right questions, and listen carefully to the answers. Next, the bolded portion is particularly interesting. I can assure you that, when hanging, the muscle-tendon complexes are working. Flexor digitorum(s) in particular, are firing, or else you could not be hanging. F.D. superficialis has a large origin at the medial epicodyle of the elbow, but I don't think that is your problem, because when it's firing, you have little or no pain. What you are calling "the first instant of pulling", I assume, means flexing the elbow and/or moving the wrist. If the hold is overhead, and you pull down on it, you pretty much have to pronate the forearm. Pronator teres does this, and also has a large origin at the medial epicondyle. That is what caused my own case of medial epicondylitis. So, there IS stress on the muscle/tendon, but it's a different muscle/tendon than you used when dead hanging. With resistance, pronate the forearm (turn from palm up to palm down), and see whether that duplicates your symptoms.
Hmm, interesting. I guess there are too many tendons/muscles in there for me to really know what is going on.
I just did a test. I held my left arm straight out in front of me, with my palm facing to the right (thumb facing up). I was holding a handle of a golf club, with the rest of it hanging straight down. Keeping my arm straight, I rotated my palm down (which rotated the head of the golf club out and to my left). And that's what made the elbow hurt.
I think you were on the right track already. Hanging with my arms straight doesn't hurt. It's only that initial force that I described before, that first instant of pulling up on a straight arm that bothers me. In fact, I think I can pinpoint the bouldering problem that caused the injury. I did that exact move from an overhanging position, and repeated that many times trying to finish the problem.
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onceahardman
Mar 24, 2009, 11:11 AM
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When you sit, and rest your injured arm palm up, is the pain you feel on the outside (thumb side), or the inside (pinky side) of your elbow?
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