Hi guys, Ive been struggling with an injured finger the past few months due to a stupid climbing move without warming up.
That first part of my ring finger is extremely sensitive and hampers my climbing a lot. Sometimes its OK other times just pressing lightly against it hurts a lot.
I'm to stingy to go to a physio, and would appreciate any advice, boereraad on how to treat it

Thanx!

Stop climbing for at least a month, go to the physio and check out the links below:
- Finger Trouble

- Sore Fingers

- Take your finger strength to the next level !

- climbinginjuries.com

- Finger pulley injuries

- A2 Pulley injuries review

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Climb ZA - Administrator

I have to disagree with Justin, depending of course what the injury is.

Give it a good 2 weeks rest (unless it's a snapped pully and then a month is the minimum) while using the hot cold treatment. Then plot your way from there. I would recommend finding out exactly what is wrong though as you can then plan for the best (quickest) recovery.
I'm currently into my second month of recovery from two snapped pully's...

Nee boet, these guys don't know a thing, there's nothing like the old boereraat. All you need is warm water, vinegar, boegoe brandy, kattekruid, a spoon and a little kruidjie-roer-my-nie. Make a tea with the kattekruid and add a few spoons of vinegar. Now add the kruidjie-roer-my-nie and stir. Put your hand in it for ten minutes. Your fingers should be quite soft by then. Drink the boegoe brandy and use the spoon to cut of your finger

Stu has had more injuries than me and therefore more qualified than I am
I'm still trying to get through all the PSII games he loaned me... except my thumbs feel like they're getting arthritis!!

On a serious note can anyone comment on Glucosamine (with contrition) to help with such injuries? (people who have had arthritis swear by the stuff)

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Climb ZA - Administrator

Oh yeah my games, those weren't a donation hey !
Yeah man, watch out for the dreaded 'Playstation thumb'!

I had a nasty finger injury in June 2007 - heard the middle finger A2 pulley go pop and then my finger looked like a sausage. I couldn't even shake hands without tenderness and the finger swelling again. I saw the hand physios and surgeons and they forecasted 12 weeks off - turned out to be 6 months! I suggest the following:

1] Rest until all swelling and at rest tenderness have gone. Consider taping up if normal day acivities hurt.
2] Ice it regularly to improve blood flow and reduce the swelling
3] Stay away from drugs - they are fooling you
4] At some stage you will need to start rebuilding the strength - take it easy and expect a LITTLE aching. Start with simple mobilisation, putty and then easy climbing. If the aching is gone soon after / the next day then it should be OK.

And most importantly warm-up! And as I learnt - don't overdo it on the plastic.

Good luck.......

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AndyDavies

sounds suspicously like an avulsion fracture - this is where the ligament instead of snapping pulls a little flake of bone off. i know a couple of people who've had these injuries. usually from a jarring blow of some sort - grabbing at a hold, missing it and knocking your finger into the rock, grabbing a draw while falling, and i had one myself - tripped and knocked finger tip against a rock. If it is this then you need to isolate the finger for 3-4 weeks, followed by gentle use inside pain threshold (easy trad climbing is good for this), but my advice would be to go get it x-rayed. will cost 200 bucks and you can rule out this type of injury if it's negative.

I'm sorry but i just don't get some people. if you're sick you go see a doctor. but it seems that when a climber hurts themselves they just ignore it and possibly rest and then when they come back it still hurts and then they have to stop climbing again. seems to be a waste of time to me.

why don't you go see someone who knows how to fix you? Generally a physio is best. yes, you're going to pay if you don't have medical aid but you'll be back climbing asap.

i have injured various parts in the past and currenly my knee tendion and hand are trashed but i am seeing a physio and i'll be climbing again in 3 weeks with no after effect. and one major effect is that if you leave an injury unattended for a long time it's a) harder to fix and b) potentially give you athritis in the future.

find a climber who is a physio, who undestands the strains we under, and get them to help you fix it. i know of two climber physio's in jhb that can help.

Go check out this site http://www.climbinginjuries.com/ it has some good info from a climber/physio. It breaks injuries down into Grades I II & III and how one should go about treating it and how long to rest.
douard, andy, stu and adam have all given you good advice.
If it hurts when you climb, then stop climbing. Go see a physio - I'd recommend Sue Wadley if you're in the JHB area.
Flexadrin tablets and cream also seem to help - or maybe its just a placebo effect.
Also get yourself a copy of 'One Move to Many' a book on climbing injuries.
I lost out on the whole of 2007 because I did not give my fingers enough time to heal (A2 Pulley on both ring fingers). I'd rest a few weeks, get impatient, go out climbing - re-injure, etc. I did the exact same thing in 1997, but with 4 fingers and ending up wasting two years. I obviously didn't learn from my previous mistake, but it would be nice if someone else did.

With regard to seeing a physio, if you do, then find one who climbs or has treated climbing injuries before. I went to one years ago for a finger injury and he had NO CLUE!

Regarding your question about glucosamine, Justin, the stuff works like a bomb! Actually, its not just glucosamine, but a substance called chondroitin too. MSM (methylsulphyonylmethan) is another new substance which is great for helping the body recover after any physical workout.

A great supplement I found is one called \"Arthro Choice\". They sell it in Dischem and it works! I started taking it last year for a few months, after having constant problems with my fingers for years. While I was taking it I could literally pull on anything without feeling even the slightest bit of soreness. Since I stopped taking it (I don't live in SA and they don't sell it were I am), I have started to have problems again.

Here is some info on the 3 substances I mentioned, quoted from a website:

Glucosamine Sulphate:
\"Produced naturally within the body to “grow” joint cartilage. Levels decline with age. Forms the key structural components of joint cartilage, reducing cartilage loss or even increasing cartilage mass.\"

Chondroitin Sulphate:
\"This nutrient binds water, creating more spongy, lubricated cartilage. Appears to work synergistically with Glucosamine Sulphate.\"

MSM:
\"An organic (natural) source of sulphur. Sulphur is essential for cartilage growth and metabolism. M.S.M has also been shown to reduce pain and stiffness (improve quality of cartilage). All available data indicates that M.S.M does not cause allergies.\"

I am with Douard on this one ... if you got your finger jammed in a door and it hurt like hell you would see a doctor ... climbing injuries are injuries like any other ... see a Dr .... rest ....

P.s if you are obsessive compulsive ... climb with one hand in the gym on top rope ...

I stuffed up the same finger on my right hand a couple years ago. Also didn;t feel like warming up and ended up pushing it.
I didn't:
1) Rest it properly. I was using my hands to carry heavy stuff at work at the time so nothing much I could do about that, but I also climbed on it when I shoudln't have.
2) Get it checked out when it happened.

= One messed up finger +- 6 years later & never got back into good climbing cond.

Physio has worked on it, but it didn't help much. GO now, while something can still be done about it.

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Waynarky
http://www.extremelysa.co.za
Adventure Sports Directory and Mobile Climbing Wall.

Hi all

I've been climbing for about 3 months and on Monday evening I was bouldering in the gym. Had been going for about 40 minutes or so, working some problems I couldn't finish when I noticed my right middle finger was sore. I climbed for about 5 min longer before stopping because I was concerned about it. I iced the finger both Monday and Tues night but the pain is still just as sharp, although more focussed, than it was on Monday.

The pain is right at the beginning of the nail, about 2cm below the surface of the skin. It seems to be too close to the end of the finger to be a tendon or anything.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Any idea what the problem could be? I just want to climb again

I've read that I should go see a specialist but I'd really like that to be a last resort as they are expensive and will likely add on x-rays or ct scans etc.

Any help would be awesome.

Thanks
Richard

Stop climbing
Keep icing (jug water with 5 ice blocks) 3-4 times/ day for 20 min
Massage finger!

Go see a physio! Francie or Mark @ sparc-both v. good climbers

Cormac

Thanks xeno... seeing mark later today.. hope its nothing serious.