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stran1028
Feb 28, 2012, 12:35 AM
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Hey fellow climbers!
So I recently sustained a finger injury so I've decided to take a little break from climbing to not aggravate it. The problem is that I'm in pretty good shape now and I'm taking a trip down to the Red in a few weeks and don't want to get out of shape from not climbing before then.
Do you guys know of any good work outs for the injured climber?
-Steve
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ceebo
Feb 28, 2012, 1:07 AM
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Don't use that finger and do aerobic endurence. Unless its the middle finger?.
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GeckoBat
Feb 28, 2012, 4:43 AM
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ceebo wrote: .... Unless its the middle finger?.
Why? I ask because my injury is the middle finger of my right hand.
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ceebo
Feb 28, 2012, 4:54 PM
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GeckoBat wrote: ceebo wrote: .... Unless its the middle finger?. Why? I ask because my injury is the middle finger of my right hand.
If you put your hand and arm flat on table w/e then tuck the midlle finger under the flat hand. Use other hand and gently pull back the ring fingr. You will feel it puts a large deal of stress down the tendon through to the forearm connection.
Im not some expert but i think that kinde tension can't be good. When you go up your arm will angle up more and stretch some more perhaps, it just don't seem like a good thing to chance.
You could however try to tape up the middle finger joints so they cant bend as opposed to trying to bend the middle finger under the holds. So long as you stick to half crimp type of holds on vert walls then your middle finger should stay clear of any weight. If the middle finger even lays flat on the wall though its likely you will put some weight on it un intentionaly as you go up through the move. It will look hillariuos since you will be giving a constent middle finger to people ;p..
I only ever had to climb with 1 finger injury and that was after having it almost bit off by a dog. The bandedge on the finger was a great help in reminding me not to use it (quite easy to forget ;p). Good luck
(This post was edited by ceebo on Feb 28, 2012, 4:58 PM)
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GeckoBat
Feb 28, 2012, 7:43 PM
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Thanks for clarifying that ceebo.
I'm taping my middle finger and staying away from mono pockets or any holds that require two digits. On the advice of my physiotherapist, I'm relegated to staying in the lower grades until it heals.
I was advised by several coaches to maintain my "fitness" by climbing routes with buckets and jugs to minimize further damage to the finger. Their collective advice was to take a break from climbing until it heals completely. This may not be what you want to hear.
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camhead
Feb 28, 2012, 8:05 PM
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Now would be a good time for core workouts, and oppositional muscle training like dips, pushups, presses, etc. Also, depending on the nature of your finger injury (which you do not detail), you might be able to do some pullups; only you will know if that is right for you or not, though.
As for your trip to the Red (and again, take this with a grain of salt, as only you know how bad your injury is), you might not be totally hosed. There are plenty of low angle trad climbs to do, and even hand cracks can be fun ways of climbing "around" finger injuries, provided that you are solid enough on jams that you never crimp anything. If in doubt, toprope and don't be afraid to hang rather than crank.
I just want to state one more time, however, that this is what has worked for me in the past, with very specific types of tendon injuries. While down with a pulley tear, I was able to send pretty hard finger cracks at Indian Creek at a time that 5.9 crimp routes were shutting me down. Similarly, I was also able to send a 12+ sloper route at the Red, one month after a really bad ring-finger A1 pulley tear on Smith Rock pockets. It's just a matter of knowing exactly where you are injured, how your body works, and not being afraid to fail, rather than stressing the injury in the slightest.
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stran1028
Feb 28, 2012, 8:34 PM
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Oh right. I guess it would be helpful to describe my injury since I'm asking for advice.
I'm guessing it's a minor tear in my A3 pulley in my ring finger. Was working on a boulder problem last Monday when I heard it pop. I immediately stopped climbing and eventually it started swelling and stuff. I've been massaging away at it and it's been getting a lot better but still going to take some time off from climbing just in case.
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flesh
Feb 28, 2012, 8:52 PM
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stran1028 wrote: Oh right. I guess it would be helpful to describe my injury since I'm asking for advice. I'm guessing it's a minor tear in my A3 pulley in my ring finger. Was working on a boulder problem last Monday when I heard it pop. I immediately stopped climbing and eventually it started swelling and stuff. I've been massaging away at it and it's been getting a lot better but still going to take some time off from climbing just in case.
What kind of hold we're you gripping when it popped, how many times did you try the move before the pop and how long have you been climbing?
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Jnclk
Feb 28, 2012, 8:57 PM
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Dave Macleod has some useful info on pulley injuries on his site. According to the book on climbing injuries, "One Move Too Many", the protcol for a single pulley tear is four weeks off. However, A3 injuries commonly involve A2 tears as well. The vast majority of doctors including orthos know very little about these injuries.
I ruptured my A4 in mid December and was climbing again within a month. I'm about ten weeks out and am pulling hard again. It is imperative that you avoid the crimp grip. Use the open handed grip only. Taping has limited value in pulley support, but it can help keep your finger straight so that you don't crimp and overload the healing tissues. Try not to be too anxious about your upcoming trip, there will be others. Give it some time it will heal. Good luck.
(This post was edited by Jnclk on Feb 28, 2012, 8:59 PM)
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shockabuku
Feb 29, 2012, 12:21 AM
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stran1028 wrote: Oh right. I guess it would be helpful to describe my injury since I'm asking for advice. I'm guessing it's a minor tear in my A3 pulley in my ring finger. Was working on a boulder problem last Monday when I heard it pop. I immediately stopped climbing and eventually it started swelling and stuff. I've been massaging away at it and it's been getting a lot better but still going to take some time off from climbing just in case.
Interestingly related post. http://www.rockclimbing.com/...post=2570996#2570996
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stran1028
Feb 29, 2012, 2:23 AM
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My hand was in a weird pinch position and my finger popped on the second try that day. I'm pretty sure it came from not warming up properly. I've been climbing for about 2 years.
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