OlympicMtnBoy Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 How about a little medical advice from the internets? I can't recall any particular incident or any painful moments, but I have been bouldering a couple times a week in the crappy weather and I noticed a new swelling in my palm a few weeks ago. It's below my ring finger and is sort of a lump roughly between the two crease lines in my palm. It doesn't really hurt much or affect my climbing, but it has started to feel a bit odd when trying to press my palm flat to the floor in yoga, or doing a pullup from a bar. I also notice it sometimes in my commute holding on to the steering wheel. I took ~10 days off climbing and didn't notice much change. FWIW, 19 years of climbing and I haven't really had any of the usual tendon/pulley injuries, but maybe I do now? Ideas? Worry, don't worry? I should probably find a real doctor, but that means finding a real doctor which I haven't had for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 there was another thread in this forum on a similiar topic - got the same shit meself for more than a year now - mine's below and kinda between my pinky and ring finger - bony and not necessarily painful, but apparently permanent and not so pleasant when creased across a sharp hold - what can ya do? even the mona lisa's falling apart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, I haven't seen you hand, and I only read you post once. But I will respond. I went to a doctor with a similar complaint and he told me about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupuytren%27s_contracture Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete_H Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yeah sounds like dupetrin's. White man's curse. Either that or excessive masturbation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanb Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have this too. It comes up here and on supertopo etc about once a year. Lots of slopers and gym holds seem to make it worse because they involve holding your palm at one particular angle. Since I moved away from the gym and stopped hang boarding it seems to have (slowly) gotten better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 nice - wikipedia even gives a fist bump to "rock climbers" as an endangered group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlympicMtnBoy Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hmm, yeah, that sorta sounds like me. I guess I gotta get old some day. Thanks for the links! Anyone had any success with any treatments to slow it down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I had this same thing happen in both hands below the pinky finger while bouldering in the gym. When I researched it, it sounded like Dupretins was a much slower developing condition where as this happened rather spontaneously. Never hurt or interfered with much so I've just lived with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) Dupuytren's Contracture UW Medicine, Info Jerry Huang, MD (Seattle) Forum post, About doing it in-office, by MD Huang Forum post, brief history of NA tx for Dupuytren's, by MD Huang Needle Apponeurotomy (NA) treatment for Stage IV (!) Edited February 8, 2015 by Crux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 so....should i give a shit about this? been more than a year since my first lump showed, it migha spread a wee bit since then - doesn't hurt really, except occasionally when climbing, and doesn't seem to effect the range of motion of my fingers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Ice after climbing to decrease inflammation. Cross fiber massage to decrease scar tissue formation. It will eventually cause decreased ROM/contracture of your digit. It will also make the digit more susceptible to pulley injury. When it becomes a major issue I concur that the above injection and hyperextension therapy is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmo Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 i seem to have that distinct hardening at the base of ring and pinky fingers. seems like it came on about 3 years ago during some more intense training. hasn't gone away, nor progressed. anyone know if the condition has been known to go into remission, or is it considered to be always progressive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rad Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I got diagnosed with Dupuytrens Contracture (DC) ~10 years ago by a hand surgeon. It hasn't progressed. I think perhaps climbers may get something that looks like DC but actually isn't. I wouldn't be surprised if we get tendon adhesions in response to overuse (my case) and these can look on exam like DC. As Sol said, ice and cross fiber massage and stretching may help prevent these things from forming. Once formed, they may not go away. The hand surgeon I talked with said people sometimes go in and cut them out, but that has its own problems and in a significant fraction of cases (~50%) the DT just comes back a few years later. So there's your dose of internet medical advice for the day. It's worth exactly what you paid for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'll just add in that your approach to dealing with this may depend on your age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlympicMtnBoy Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hahaha, thank for that. I'm turning 35 so it's pretty close to the downhill slide anyways. :-p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmo Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I got diagnosed with Dupuytrens Contracture (DC) ~10 years ago by a hand surgeon. It hasn't progressed. I think perhaps climbers may get something that looks like DC but actually isn't. thanks for feedback. i've started doing some (painful) massage on mine, and it seems like it might be going away a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.