UKC

So, I 've started sticking my hands in a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes for 2-3 minutes after training or hard sessions. Gone is the next day ache and slight crunch in one or two of the joints.

Question is - is this a good idea long term as part of every such session? Does anyone do anything else to help their hands recover?

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Stop climbing for a bit! I seem to do that every so often, more by accident than design.

In reply to Fraser:

I do that too

In reply to GargoyleFeet:
Cold therapy post exercise (like contrast therapy) has been moved away from by most athletes these days - it makes you feel a bit better, and it helps to reduce inflammation - but the problem is that inflammation is part of the training effect. Your hands hurt because you're getting stronger, but if you make them stop hurting you also slow down your strength gains. The only time to really recommend doing something like that is if you have to perform the next day - not in training - and the psychological edge is important e.g. between a two-day boulder comp.

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Is it too late for your feet?

In reply to aln:

only by about 2 years

In reply to neuromancer:

Whilst I can understand this for the large muscle groups that most athletes train, it might not apply equally to climbing. My understanding is that tendons and connective tissue have a much lower blood supply than muscles and that cold therapy for your hands increases the blood flow and aids tissue repair. Alternating cold then hot baths for your hands is supposed to be even better - that's what my physio prescribed after I had a cut finger tendon stitched back together (not climbing related!).

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Massage. Get some Goda accupressure rings (might take a little while to find ones that are the right diameter) and some climbon or something similar and spend 30 minutes giving them a good massage. Amazing the difference it makes the next day

In reply to Jimbo C:

Cold therapy constructs the blood vessels, preventing blood from getting there. Hence why you use to it prevent bruising.

In reply to neuromancer:


Yes, if you're sitting in an ice bath. No, if you're comfortably warm and place only your hand in ice water:

After a few minutes of constricting the blood vessels your body realises that only your hand is cold and it does not need to protect the core. After that painful time has passed, the blood vessels in your hand dilate to protect it from cold damage and your connective tissue gets a useful boost of blood flow. Then when you plunge your hand into hot water, further expansion occurs and infuses still more blood into the tissue. Repeat several times and you are effectively pumping blood (i.e nutrients for repair) into your connective tissue.

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

I've been suggesting this for a while and I think it's a good idea for a lot of people. I'm not sure whether it should be done always but I do it every time I have a harder than usual session.
I have no medical training so I can't support why it works for me..........

In reply to Jimbo C:
Mcleod talks about various hot/cold therapy techniques in Make or Break and looks at a lot of evidence, or lack of.
I think the conclusion is that he feels there is sufficient anecdotal evidence from various climbers (but not scientifically generated data) that trying cold therapy for finger pulley injuries is worthwhile, but that other uses are unlikely to have a significant effect despite their popularity.
Certainly worth a read for anyone dabbling.