UKC

Been hitting the wall hard over the last month or so, i.e. every other day. Last session was on Wednesday last week. On Thursday my fingers were in agony, could barely turn on a tap, forearms sore but not as bad as fingers. It's now Sunday, fingers still sore.

Is this a normal result of what is for me, intensive training? If so do i need to continue resting until the pain has gone, or continue trying to build up finger and forearm strength?

In reply to Skip:

No. Seek advice.

In reply to Skip:

Yep, go to the doctor. Though they will probably just tell you to take ibuprofen and rest...

In reply to David Kirsfelds:


Not that painful that i need painkillers

In reply to Skip:

Ibuprofen is an anti inflamatory as well

*and it may have taken over from the "take two aspirin and call me in the morning" fob off from the NHS

In reply to Skip:

I have had the same after a really intensive week (4 hard bouldering sessions) - my hands and fingers were in pain - was a very dull kind of pain that was intensifying at times. My fingers also felt swollen. Definitely didn't feel 'in agony' though, that sounds more intense.

This was about 4 weeks ago - I am sure it was some sort of injury because while my fingers are better now, they are still not back to normal. I feel it much more first thing in the morning and when I try to climb harder.

Doctor is probably best especially for sharp pain - if you don't go for any reason, I'd rest for a bit until the pain goes away if I were you before doing anything. I did take some anti-inflammatories myself, not sure they did much but won't hurt. When they feel better and you decide to climb again, I would build up very gradually - avoid overhangs and small holds for a while.

Let us know how you get on and take it easy - injuries can knock you out for long periods if you are not careful.

In reply to Skip:

You haven't mentioned the length of your sessions or the kind of holds you've pulling on, but regardless thats a lot of climbing and you'll most likely find taking two or three days out between sessions a week a lot better for seeing gains.

Over do it, and you'll end up fecking up your fingers, Did it myself early in the year and now 4-5 months later i still have to support a couple of fingers.

What area of your fingers hands is the pain in? Are they swollen?
If its in the joints of your fingers or running through into your hand, keep resting, go to the doctor and get looking for a decent climbing physio that can have a look at you and also arm you with info to question your doctor about. Getting a good understanding of any injury you've picked up is important.

Guess its also possible you just have no skin left from pulling on all that plastic!

In reply to Skip:

You should be able to turn a tap or open a door without pain... Sounds like you need to bring the training back a bit to avoid injury, maybe try a hard session followed by a 'volume' session of easier onsights at the wall? Make sure you warm up properly too, this is crucial.

Rest is really important too, if you're stressing your body 100% all the time you'll never perform at full capacity because your body is always repairing and rebuilding itself. It also makes you much more prone to injuries, which are easy to get indoors. Personally I do a similar thing with a day off between wall sessions, but if I've over done it a bit I can take two days or have a session where I do easier problems or concentrate on drills. Careful with those fingers, it's easy to get to the stage where your large muscles can pull much harder that your fingers can handle, especially if you do a lot of indoor climbing when you start pushing yourself.

I'm assuming that it's muscular pain here, not lack of skin or something else. Also bear in mind that I'm only saying what works for ME so far, I don't think you ever stop tweaking a training plan. I think a few people do the things I've listed above though, so maybe try a few and see how it works for you. Listen to your body!

In reply to alooker:

Currently forcing myself not to go to the wall. A week has passed, still have a constant dull pain in my fingers, occasional in my forearms. Right hand seems to be recovering slightly quicker than left.

In reply to Skip:

First wall session for ten days yesterday, avoided small crimps, fingers are good today.

In reply to Skip:

Tendonitis possibly! If it is, icing helps a lot, although it might be hard to do this with fingers!