UKC

Just finishing up 3 week trip to states. Popped a tendon in my finger which is a new injury for me,

Any info on recovery time, none climbing time etc much appreciated

In reply to Murcantile:

Popped a tendon could mean so many things. Strain, tear or complete rupture. It could be your pulley, flexors etc... You gotta get it checked out as recovery time could be a few weeks rest or 6 months + depending on injury and assuming you get the right treatment.

In reply to Murcantile:

It would benefit from physio to help with it's recovery too.

In reply to Murcantile:

I had a definite pulley popper in 2014. This originated with the home climbing wall and popped on a twisted fingerjam move on a 6c+ in June. A month later I was climbing easier stuff (ie.5c/6a) and a classic hard 6b NB. I figured it poss to climb routes in which ALL fingers worked together - and backed off another 6b+ on same day out with fierce pulls. It was probably 3 months before I was climbing more liberally and maybe 6 months before I quit strategic route choice.

In reply to LeeWood:

Depends which pulley though. A2 is a longer recovery than A4.

In reply to Murcantile:

Anecdotally, I'd heard 100 days till you can pull on the hold that caused the injury. Best of luck.

In reply to Mr. Lee:

I'm pleased to say I haven't got experience of both - but mine was an A2

In reply to Murcantile:

Not a medical opinion but I have suffered three significant finger injuries over my climbing career. In each case, I waited a minimum of two to three months before climbing and then took it very easy, climbing on larger holds for a further month or so while I strengthened the affected joint, ligaments and connective tissue. After six months, the fingers were back to normal.

Hot and cold treatments are useful to improve blood flow to the affected area, which will speed up healing. If you have only very recently injured your finger, follow RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (to reduce swelling). After the initial inflammation has reduced - possibly a few weeks or more depending on the injury - you can start to gently massage the tissue around the area and start to gently stretch the joint. Over time, this will help reduce the build-up of scar tissue and alleviate the stiffness that this can cause.

Obviously, as others have already said, see a physio or soft tissue therapist for their advice. If you are in pain also get it checked out by your GP.

As a final point, do not stress about not being able to climb. The finger will heal and you'll be back to it in no time. Who knows, the break might even do you good!

In reply to Murcantile:

Thanks for replies all, off to see doctor now back in blighty,

In reply to Murcantile:

Hot treatment isn't something you should apply to a fresh injury I gather, because of it's effects on inflammation.

In reply to Murcantile:

I had an A2 pulley injury - I was off climbing for about 9 weeks with physio every 2 weeks for massage and prescription of exercises.

If you do get exercises prescribed by a physio - do them! It does make a massive difference to the healing process.

In reply to Murcantile:

I had an A2 pulley injury earlier this year, I found stress ball pinches and resistance exercises using and elastic band between the injured finger and my thumb really helped, progressing to lifting light weights suspended from a a piece of tat after a few weeks (stop at the first sign of pain). After 2 weeks off I started climbing again but just on my front 2 avoiding the injured finger and after a month started using it on jugs. 4 months now and I'm trusting it on crimps but still wouldn't like to commit to a 2 finger hang on it and I still tape it up if I'm on something crimpy.

In reply to Murcantile:

The final result after xray and ultrasound was i have snapped the A4 pulley, i have a plastic thing moulded round my finger which i have to wear for another 6 weeks, 8 in total. Then i should be able to climb again on big holds.

A4 is a good one though apparently, the climber in before me had A2 & A4 with a full bowstring type effect.

Doing lots of cross-training now and two finger pullups on that hand seem to be ok. enjoying the rain!