UKC

Hello. Last year I hurt an intercostal muscle (the ones between the ribs) while climbing.

I've been resting for nearly three months and the pain has almost entirely gone, but I get the feeling it'd be easy to strain the same area again, which would be very frustrating! I wondered if anyone has experience in returning to climbing after such an injury?

Any specific exercises to strengthen the area would be welcome, as well as general tips on returning to climbing after some time out.
Thanks in advance, George.

In reply to gcoiley:

I'd be interested to hear too. I've had trouble with intercostals for a few years now, with the simplest of actions causing problems (changing gear, reaching awkwardly, not being careful when carrying stuff).

In reply to gcoiley:

Any of the evening lot?

In reply to gcoiley:

Only advice I can give is that the internet is not the place to get medical advice. Having muddled through various climbing related injuries over the years, I've eventually come to the realisation that paying to see a physio and following their advice is the best option.

You're more likely to heed advice if you've paid for it, for a start. A good physio will give you exercises that address the underlying issues rather than just treat the immediate problem.

In reply to gcoiley:

You could try your local soft tissue therapist, www.theirsm.com directory.

In reply to gcoiley:

Hi,

I pulled an inter costal a few years back. After a couple of months I went to see a Physio a couple of times for treatment and he gave me some exercises to do which definitely helped.

I started climbing again at 3 months, but it felt weak for quite a while and I'm still cautious - it hurt and 3 months out was awful! The best advice I can give is to see a Physio, make sure you warm up properly and take it easy for a while.

hth,
Kevin

In reply to gcoiley:

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately Danm, being a student I haven't got the funds to see a specialist physio...

Kevin, what sort of of exercises were you recommended by your physio, if you don't mind me asking?

In reply to gcoiley:

Hi, I've recently done something very similar. Very painful. My Physio gave melons of core exercises to do, such as side planks, side crunches, and a few others.

Like others have said, you are really better off forking out for a Physio. It feels like a lot of money, but it's you're body you're talking about. You can't reAlly put a price on beng fit and healthy. You're talking about 4 or 5 climbing wall entries, or a couple of night out, or petrol away for the weekend. Get it sorted properly.

In reply to gcoiley:

Sorry - I wouldn't want to tell you how to do something which could make it worse. Plus they're not easy to describe so you could easily get them wrong.

The Depot in Leeds has/used to have a Physio come in regularly for free initial consultations. Maybe an option?

In reply to gcoiley:

I had this about 3 months ago. Had 3 Physio sessions where I had massage heat more massage then exhale while she "popped" it back into place. Had some shoulder blade shrugging to do 3 times a day and it was great after a month.

In reply to gcoiley:

Thanks for the replies. I'll consider a physio!