UKC

So I've been pushing hard at trying to get better, lots of indoor bouldering (4/5 sessions a week) and my middle fingers (particularly on my right hand) started getting well sore. The bad one got gradually worse so that it was sore in the mornings when I woke up and hurting when knocked sideways or on top of the knuckle, and looking and feeling quite swollen. So I've been resting it. Since Friday. And its wrecking my head. It is actually feeling better (not completely, but swelling down and pain much better).

I know I probably shouldn't go straight back to climbing, but it's wrecking my head. I am trying to figure out how long before I could maybe climb at least some juggy stuff....

In reply to collywob: It doesn't seem like I am asking any kind of question here, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts!

In reply to collywob:

Try lightly taping the finger, I wouldn't stop climbing for long, just don't climb as hard, and no full on crimping. Try keeping an open handed grip. Get on YouTube for some finger, hand and forearm exercises and light stretches.

In reply to xplorer: agree with this... tape it, ice it, keep climbing if after a few days of rest doesn't help.. i find these sort of inujuries ease up if i tape up quite a bit.. and often just go.. but they can take months and months (maybe longer) to go completely.

In reply to collywob:

That'll learn you for doing too much indoor bouldering!

Constructive eh?

Seriously, these types of injuries tend to come and go a bit, ease off the crimping as soon as it starts to hurt. If your main focus in climbing isn't bouldering, why not try training something different for a while, like doing laps on routes for fitness? Maybe not super-useful depending on how you're planning on spending the autumn (since fitness comes and goes much more easily than strength), but at least it's something productive to do while the fingers are knackered.

In reply to Jon Stewart: Thanks Jon. Yep. Training endurance is a very good idea. I just get tempted with pushing the grades when I go to the bouldering gym! But endurance / technique training would probably help my route training more anyway. Going to give it another couple of days then give that a go...

Thanks.

In reply to collywob:

Depending on what sort of climbing you're training for, laps on routes can be really effective. I've just had a great trip to Pembroke, where loads of the climbing is steep jug-pulling, and I think the enduring training I did in the winter really helped.

What's also great for improvement is climbing somewhere - indoors and out - with really stiff grades, then going somewhere easier. I trained at the Leeds Wall and climbed in the Lakes, then went to Pembroke. We're talking leapfrogging grades here - amazing!

In reply to Jon Stewart: I'd love to get to Pembroke. Looks awesome.

In reply to collywob:

It is awesome. I'd get comfortable at HVS and then go, so you can get on the classic routes like Riders on the Storm and Heart of Darkness. There are good VSs down there, but the selection isn't great. Something worth training for!

In reply to collywob:

http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/pulley-injuries-article.h...

that is Dave Macleod talking about it.

I follow the ice therapy bit of those suggestions and as Jon said, avoid crimping and drop the grade of whatever it is I'm climbing. It always takes longer than you think it will to improve and you need to try pushing it a little each time you climb and be prepared to back right off if you get any pain.

In reply to Eagle River: That's all very useful. Thank you.

In reply to collywob: Swollen PIP joints? I found taping didn't help much tbh. It put more pressure on the joint when climbing and for me actually made it worse... Have done both middle fingers and thought it was the end of my climbing for the immediate future. I also found that it didn't really hurt when climbing, is that the same for you? I rested for a week then started climbing again gradually building up and after about 3 months it had recovered to the point that it didn't hurt when i knocked it on things or pushed it sideways. Although looking back psychologically it probably a few more months to properly pull hard again.

As people have said hot and cold treatment works well and i found that stretching the fingers every now and then throughout the day also helped. Again as people have said use the recovery period to focus on technique and stamina although careful with the latter not to get sloppy and try and hold on to the point where you re injure yourself.

You seem enthusiastic but maybe this was your undoing... If your climbing that many times a weeks (indoor only?) then you need structure how you are training to properly benefit(because thats what it is right?). Personally you'd probably only need to do a few hours in each of those sessions (including warm up) to benefit or your be to tired for the next session for it to be of use and again personally you'd have to be climbing pretty hard to make use of that many sessions. I'd say 3 sessions a week and maybe a day outside would see any normal person progress quite reasonably and into the 8th grade. Quality not quantity is the point i'm trying to make...

Don't let it get you down use it as incentive to get better in other areas. Hope this helps!

Aaron

In reply to Langer: Thanks v much. Yes, mostly indoors. Living in London our only local crags are Southern Sandstone. V condition dependent so can be a bit hit and miss, though I get down there a bit. Also have kids, so weekends away are limited. Did a few days in Siurana earlier in the year and 4 days of Portland more recently. Planning to get up to Stanage for a first taste of grit this month. And just want to be in the best condition to make use of the times out on the real stuff. I am always talking about doing endurance/technique training when I go to local wall, but usually get sucked into pushing at hard (for me) boulder problems...

Out of interest, what do you mean by 8th grade?

In reply to collywob:
To be honest, if your profile grades are up to date then you'll get very limited return on your outdoor climbing from pushing it harder indoors. In fact, you're more likely to bugger it up by tweaking a tendon or something just before a trip.

Having said that, if you live a long way from any real rock then valuing grade progression indoors for its own sake can help you to stay sane.

If you haven't read Dave Mac's book, 9 Out Of Ten Climbers Make the Same Mistakes then you should. One really big message there is that there are much much better (and less injury-prone) ways of using your time at the wall than just trying to do the hardest problems you can for as long as your fingers hold out.

For my part, I've found that I've had dodgy fingers less often (touch wood) since I've been planning and rationing the time I spend really pulling hard on fingery stuff, and doing it early in the session and really enforcing rests in between attempts. Also since I've become more aware of what sort of thing buggers up fingers (uncontrolled lunges to small holds and hard pulls off pockets, basically) and been more willing to walk away from a problem if it feels like an injury trap.

In reply to collywob:
not too advanced in autumn yet...how good is your slab climbing?