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Getting back into climbing after long injury

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bail123 27 Jul 2016

Hello.

I used to be on this site AGES ago, but can't remember my username or email I used. This place is really super helpful and everyone was always kind to me even when I was younger and certainly more naive :-D (Bet I'd be embarrassed looking at some of my posts!)

ANYHOW basically I broke my arms a good 4 years ago and basically couldn't climb for 18 months. I then just got out the habit of climbing, just drifted away especially as I moved up north and lost all my climbing buddies from down south.

I'm now wanting to get back into climbing. I loved it and it's missing from my life.

I was ok at it. At my very best going sport climbing going by French I was 7a (onsight?) working at it 7c once or twice (was well chuffed) bouldering v6/7 maybe 8 once or twice. (not indoors) TBH indoors varies from place to place a lot so no point really trying to say.

My question is how long will it take me to get back to that level? Say I start going indoor bouldering at first to get my strength back as well as technique after few weeks of twice would going 4 - 5 times be overkill at first? I used to go that often but I don't want to overdo it. I took me years to get to that point only cus I took it more and more seriously but now I'd be looking to get back to that level fairly quick.

What else would help me get my strength back or even technique?

Post edited at 00:57
 markAut 27 Jul 2016
In reply to bail123:

You are a better climber than I'll ever be, so feel free to ignore my advice, however..... I've played the injury game a few times and can advise that with technique and motivation, strength comes back quickly. This makes you want to push on and try harder things. Which is nice, but all that connective stuff that holds you together doesn't improve at the same rate. Ligaments and tendons are prone to fail as they just don't keep up with the big muscle growth. The supportive muscles also struggle, particularly but not exclusively in the shoulder. None of these things will be a problem until you really need them, then, POP, another holiday from climbing. Take it easy, take it slowly and listen to your body as it usually knows more than you do.
 Dandan 27 Jul 2016
In reply to bail123:

I'd agree with MarkAut, stick to a couple of times a week for a good few months.
With a previous history of climbing, I imagine you will progress through the grades back to near your previous level pretty quickly, the limiting factor is almost certainly going to be making sure your tendons and ligaments keep up, especially in your elbows and fingers.
If you don't already, get yourself a good warm up and warm down routine and stick to it, forever. Find preventative exercises for any areas that you think may have future issues, or did have issues in the past, I'm thinking elbow epicondylitis (tennis/golfers elbow) or rotator cuff issues. Prevention is so much less disruptive than rehabilitation! (but much harder to stick to)

This all sounds really dull and I'm confident you won't pay attention to most of it until you get injured (most people don't, including me) but it's sound advice nonetheless.
1
bail123 27 Jul 2016
In reply to Dandan:

Your confidence is misplaced.

I always warmed up and warmed down. It makes a real difference.

What I'm worried about is the fact that my arm is still weak from it being snapped in 2. What can I do to let it catch up with my right arm. Because I can see trying to climb with my left hand only might help. Any other ideas?

Should I get back into campus boards after a few weeks or should I leave that a good few months if not longer?
 Dandan 27 Jul 2016
In reply to bail123:

What you actually asked was;

>how long will it take me to get back to that level?

You didn't make any mention of having a weaker left arm, in fact there is a typo in your first post that says you broke your 'arms'!

Do you mean it is weak in a muscular sense or is the actual limb/bone weak and likely to break again? I wouldn't have a clue if it is the latter.

If it is the former, I would still climb and exercise without trying to favour or overexert the left, it will catch up eventually as it will be trying harder to perform the same actions as the right arm and so should get stronger a bit faster (barring injury I suppose)

I wouldn't get on a campus board for a long while (if ever), it won't get you any gains that you couldn't get from pulling on holds until you are at least at your previous best level, maybe even higher. It will however carry a much higher risk of injury to your fingers.

bail123 27 Jul 2016
In reply to Dandan:

Yeah my spelling is not the best even when I go over words I have written a 2nd or 3rd time I often do not spot every mistake tis we,ll annoying!

Now to answer your question about my arm. Yes its the muscular sense. So basically with time it will catch up because it is compensating because it is weaker (or something along those lines)

The bone I'am not worried about at all. Been told that the metal plate they put in me to fuse the bone back together is somehow stronger than bone or maybe stronger than when a broken arm heals naturally. The point is it strong so I'am not worried at all.

Moving on to technique will this come back to me fairly quickly like riding a bike or going skiiing? Obviously certain 'moves' I won't have enough strength at first. Still though will I be pleasantly that it all comes back to me fairly quickly.

Thanks :---)


crice 27 Jul 2016

If you broke your arm(s) 4 years ago then barring any complications you haven't told us about, the bones will be strong as they ever were (possibly stronger due to callus around the site of the FX).
In terms of muscular strength, there is no substitute for just getting on with it.
I would say that after a couple of months of going a couple of times a week you should be making big improvements but reckon on six months to get back to 'full strength'. Much of this depends on what you've been doing in the last four years though. It only takes three to six months to recover from a 'regular' broken arm so if you've been doing other things to keep fit then you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you've turned into a couch potato you can add a few months to the schedule to lose weight and get fit enough to start training at a sensible level.
crice 27 Jul 2016
In reply to bail123:

Ah, sorry, I replied at the same time as you. I have an ORIF (plate) on my collar bone and my right radius (from two separate accidents). The collar bone took about six months before I was comfortable with it but I did have several other injuries and a secondary frozen shoulder to recover from. When I threw myself over the handlebars of my mountain bike and broke my arm they again decided to plate it and I was back doing 'normal' activities after three months with little noticeable loss of strength.
Sorry, I can't comment on how it affected my climbing as I wasn't climbing much then (still don't do that much) and I'm nowhere near the level you were at.
bail123 27 Jul 2016
In reply to crice:

Don't know why but I was told not to climb for a year which did seem a bit long.

Sorry will reply properly when I'm not so tired. I keep on nodding off while trying to write. Meaning my texts gets all messed up like lgnadjgn sdgnarnasg or I accidental close a window. :--D

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