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static_climber
Mar 31, 2004, 4:12 PM
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i am 18 went to the doctor because one of my wrists hurt and i couldnt move my fingers without extreme pain. so i went in and he told me i had a mild case of carpel tunnel which was only going to get worse. He told me it was from rock climbing. now 2 months later my other wrist is having the same problem. and i have to go back and see him. but if this a common thing for rock climbers to get carpel tunnel. i didnt think that rock climbing could case it. but i just want to know if its common or not.
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saagax
Mar 31, 2004, 4:19 PM
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I´ve been climbing for three years, also I´m a computer guy like many others arround this place, according to what you are saying, it would be double risk for me (computer + climing), but I have never had any problems with my wrists.
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iltripp
Mar 31, 2004, 4:39 PM
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I'm going to go ahead and state from the start that this is a totally uninformed opinion, but if you're interested in some speculation, read on:
It seems slightly improbable to me that climbing would be a cause of carpel tunnel. What I remember about carpel tunnel is that is caused by the way your hands wrest on the desk/keyboard for typing. I don't remember if it is because of nerves or circulation, but it has something to do with pressure on your wrists when typing. Climbing, while it most likely contributes to arthritis (due to the extreme stress placed on muscles, tendons, and bones), does not apply the same kind of pressures as using a computer. Again, I could be totally off base, but it seems to make sense.
One thing to take into consideration is the point of view most of the rest of society takes of our sport. Many people think we are crazy, adrenaline junkeys who are bound to hurt ourselves badly sooner or later. I think your doctor might be quick to blame climbing for your condition without really knowing that climbing causes carpel tunnel. However, he's an MD and I'm working on a BA in chemistry, so he probably knows more than me. It just seems that many people jump to conclusions that aren't true about climbing, and it's not the first time I've heard doctors blaming climbing for something like this...
There is my rather worthless 2 cents. Take it for what you will
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static_climber
Mar 31, 2004, 4:50 PM
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i always thought it was caused by repeative motion. so i dont see how climbing could have caused it. i type alot. like most people on this site. but he said it was caused by climbing. and he is the best hand doctor in Tucson so i dont know. but thanks for your imput.
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mustclimb69
Mar 31, 2004, 5:40 PM
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you can get it fixed!
They preform a minor operation where they cut and extend a "ring" of tendons and cartlidge around your wrist. I have not had it done but know people who have and say it is a thousand times better.
At least I think that was for carple tunnel
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glencoe
Apr 12, 2004, 1:07 PM
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I climbed for 24 years before I got it. Once I had a high-typing job, I got it within months.
One common symptom is night numbness. I went to a neurologist who prescribed wrist braces. The occupational MD said wear these only at night. After one year with the braces the symptoms went away.
You don't want to ignore the symptoms. I am convinced climbing intensely, especially bouldering, predisposing you to this injury.
The braces cost $15 each at Walgreens and are way worth it--cheaper than one trip to the MD.
George Allen, author of "Ultrasafe-A Guide to Safer Rockclimbing."
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zozo
Apr 12, 2004, 1:14 PM
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I had to have PT for carpel Tunnel a few years ago. Like others I doubt climbing caused it, but I dont doubt that it hurts when you climb. Speak to a physical therapist. They will give you exercises to do with tension bands and stuff like that. If you keep up the exercise you will see improvement in a few weeks.
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kindasleepy
Apr 12, 2004, 1:47 PM
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Every one is right...it is a repetative strain injury, usually from typing or some other repetative task from flexion at the wrist (get your mind out of the gutter!).
Did rock climbing cause it...hard to say. Is rock climbing contributing to it...yes! There is inflamation in the tendons overlaying the nerve that feed to the lateral anterior 3 finger (palm side of the thumb, index and middle finger). You likely also have numbness and weakness in those fingers as well, depending on how advanced it is. Climbing doesn't strike me as the type of repetative motion that would cause carpel tunnel syndrome, but it could...nothing is impossible. Cut down on the other stuff which may make it worse (typing, ??...) and see if that helps.
Some people are just more likely to get these sort-of injuries, and you appear to be one of those. Try the conservative measures, braces, ice, physical therapy etc. That usually helps. You may need a small operation that spilts that tendon over the nerve and releases it (decompression). Usually done with local anesthesia but recovery is like 6 to 8 weeks for lite stuff, longer for climbing.
If it gets bad, get the decompression in the off season and you may find that your stronger than ever that summer.
You can get a second opinion but if you got...you got it.
Good Luck
Sleepy
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keste
Apr 16, 2004, 9:25 AM
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With the usual "Dammit, Jim! I'm not a doctor!" disclaimer, I believe that a sudden shock to the nerves can cause them to be easily aggravated and very tempermental. Climbing, typing, guitar playing, giving massages, video gaming, and any activities with your hands that is either repetitive or causes a lot of pressure on the nerves in your wrists will piss off your carpel nerves until it chills out.
I trace my ulnar (the other nerve) problem to when I slammed my right elbow into a file cabinet. With major pain and then numbness in my hand for the rest of that afternoon, after days with much computer work, sharp wrist pain and finger numbness in my right arm. Later, same thing in my left arm. I'd love to know how it jumped from one side to the next. For awhile climbing actually helped. Until recently. :(
Good luck on patiently waiting and recovering.
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ropeburn
Apr 16, 2004, 1:31 PM
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In reply to: 'snip One common symptom is night numbness. I went to a neurologist who prescribed wrist braces. The occupational MD said wear these only at night. After one year with the braces the symptoms went away. 'snip The braces cost $15 each at Walgreens and are way worth it--cheaper than one trip to the MD.
glencoe,
I suffer from that symptom, but never felt it had to do with CT. What type of braces were recomended to you? I don't have health insurance at the moment and I figure wearing braces will probably do no harm.
-burn
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crimpandgo
Apr 16, 2004, 2:17 PM
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I have problems with CT but, oddly enough, it never bothers me when I climb. I have troubles riding my motorcycle for an hour at a time but I can climb all day. I wear wrist braces at night as well. I got mixed reviews from doctors on solutions. My experience with surgeries is that you should be prepared for results you may not expect. No surgery will 100% fix a problem and often causes unwanted side effects.
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diana
Apr 16, 2004, 2:20 PM
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In reply to: They preform a minor operation ...
Whoa! Surgery is always the Worst Case Scenario!
I see a chiropractor about once a month for a rotator cuff thing. While I'm there he always checks my wrists and hands too, because he wants me to be able to continue doing the activities I love, like climbing.
I'm not a doctor either, but I'm guessing your time spent at your computer is worse for your wrists than climbing. Just my opinion.
Diana
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madyak
Apr 16, 2004, 3:07 PM
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Well, I'm assuming that at 18 you're climbing very hard - pushing yourself whenever you climb to your max. If that's the case, then you're probably a lot like me. By the age of 19 I had carpel in both wrists and arthritis in my fingers. Why? Over training. I got both directly from climbing.
For the wrists the main thing was an imbalance of muscle tissue. Like most climbers I completely forgot about training the extendors of my forearm (the muscles on the back/top of your forearm) and focused all of my attention on the flexion muscles, those that curl my fingers and thumb. When you develop such a high level of muscle imbalance your tendons pull at the joint in an unequaled way, damaging it.
The only solution that worked for me was to take time off of climbing. Not fun, so I didn't take it too seriously. I'd take a couple of weeks off then go right back and crank just as hard. The result - after a year and a half of this cycle, I was in a restraunt and spilled ice all over the table after trying to pick up a mostly empty glass, and failing because I simply couldn't close my grip tight enough.
I had so thoroughly jacked up myself in pursuing 5.14 faster than my body could actually keep up that it took three years of time off climbing before I could climb again. No surgeries, but time. Rember - the carpel tunnel surgeries, just like wrist replacements are one shot deals, save them for when you're old and your body can't heal itself anymore. I'm back up to climbing 5.12 (from 5.13b six years ago) and I'm taking it much slower this time, and amazingly, no pain this time around.
Just remember the resting thing. If you take six months off now and don't do anything that's going to stress your wrists and then ease back into things, you're going to be a lot better off in the long run. Also, when you start easing back into things, get a good device for developing the back of your forearms, check out dynaflex and some other stuff generally found in exercise specialty shops; avoid wrist curls like the plague.
Oh and for the arthritis, no fixing that, just lots of naproxin sodium :)
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