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i'm relatively new to rock and gym climbing and have a question about finger pain.

two weeks ago i started going to the gym for ~1hr 3X/week. my fingers really didn't hurt until i got back on the wall after a 4 day break. it does not feel like the pain is coming from the muscle, but feels more like a bruise. my fingers are very flexible and when i'm pulling on a hold the palm of my fingertips are flat and the first joint is at a 30/35 degree angle.

is this a common pain for newbies that will subside with practice/time or is it more likely from hyperextending my fingers? do i need to train my fingers to hold the weight on the tips?

thanks for any advice.

-rick

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Re: your fingerflexion - what you're describing for a crimp position is normal - most people's fingers extend like that.

 

Re: your pain - not enough info to tell. Certainly you aren't climbing so much that overuse is likely to be a problem. Of course, crimping is harder on your fingers than open hand, so it's always good to consciously try to open hand holds as much as possible.

 

To get better feed back re: pain, post exactly where the pain comes from, what triggers it (as specifically as possible) and describe the pain itself as completely as possible.

 

The general advice is not to climb if there's pain. Of course that advice, if obeyed on a literal level, will stop you from getting particularly strong.

 

You could just do easy-for-you problems until the pain goes away. At this stage in the game, technique gains will get you further than strenght gains anyway.

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thanks for the reply Matt

it is sore when i press on the underside of my ring fingers (where the ring would sit). several other fingers are sore 1 bone towards the finger tips.

all of the first joints (next to tips) are sore when i hyperextend them, some when i contract them, and some are sensitive to pressure.

 

i thought this might be overuse since a couple of weeks ago my finger 'workout' consisted of typing.

 

-r

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Re: the ring finger. If the ring finger is sore where you're describing it, you have likely strained tendons or ligaments. Most likely the thing that is called a pulley tendon - it stops the tendons that bend your finger from bowstringing. It is a very common injury for climbers. Welcome to the club.

 

treatment is varying levels of tape, rest, ice and decreased intensity of climbing.

 

Here are some links:

http://www.climbinginjuries.com/Finger.htm

http://www.wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?req...2&page=0094

http://www.turntillburn.ch/research/

 

The turntillburn article gives advice on how to tape.

 

Regarding the other soreness: Sounds like you're crimping a lot and the pain just tells you your body hasn't recovered. I've felt the same thing at various stages. Never heard of any serious injuries occurring in the last joint of the fingers, but I'm sure it's happened. Once you've resolved the issues with your ring finger, the main thing to think about is balancing chance of injury to the last joint (relatively low), how much the pain stops you from pulling/stops you from enjoying pulling, and how much your improving despite the pain. Realistically most improvement is gonna happen through technique anyway, so you may as well just keep climbing, eventually your body will adjust.

 

Most important thing is to try openhanding as much as you can. It's less prone to injury, doesn't stress the last joint in your finger at all and is ultimately healthier for your climbing. If you haven't been open handing things, there will be a learning curve and you'll feel weaker at first. If you start now, however, you'll be happy you did. If you wait till later to develop open hand strength, you'll just feel like you're back tracking because you have so much invested in crimp strength.

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