Summary of "How to Fix Climbing's Most Common Injury"
Key Wellness and Rehab Strategies for Climbing Finger Injuries
Accurate Diagnosis
- It is crucial to obtain a proper diagnosis to distinguish between injuries such as A2 pulley strain, tenosynovitis, or flexor tendon strain.
- Assessment and diagnostic ultrasound are valuable tools for accurate diagnosis.
- Correct diagnosis guides appropriate rehabilitation and management strategies.
Load and Training Adjustment
- Initially reduce climbing volume and intensity to allow the finger to settle.
- Avoid continuing high-intensity training that aggravates the injury.
- Instead of stopping completely, modify training to accommodate healing.
Rehabilitation Loading Techniques
- Employ low-intensity, high-frequency loading daily rather than infrequent high-intensity sessions.
- Use pickup training devices (e.g., quad block) instead of dead hangs on a fingerboard for easier load adjustment and portability.
- Load fingers unilaterally with adjustable weight to precisely control intensity.
Grip Types for Rehab
- Three-finger drag: Open hand position that places less stress on pulleys, allowing higher load earlier in rehab.
- Half crimp: Four fingers with a 90-degree middle joint angle; specifically targets the pulley for adaptive strengthening.
- Wide pinch: Maintains climbing-specific strength and moderately loads the pulley.
Rehab Protocol
- Perform 3 repetitions of 30-second holds for each grip type daily.
- Long-duration holds may help reduce pain sensitivity and promote tissue adaptation.
- Gradually increase load every 2-3 days by 2-3 kg, monitoring pain and response.
- If fatigue limits progression, reduce hold time (e.g., from 30s to 20s or 10s) while maintaining repetitions.
Pain and Progression Guidelines
- Mild discomfort during exercises (rated 1-3 out of 10) is acceptable.
- Avoid aggravation after exercise; pain should not increase hours or days later.
- Progress load based on tolerance and absence of worsening symptoms.
Transition from Rehab to Training
- Rehab and training exist on a continuum; rehab is essentially progressive strength training at lower intensities.
- Gradually increase the intensity and complexity of climbing activities.
- Return to full training (e.g., dead hangs, campus board) only after progressive loading has built sufficient tolerance.
Presenters / Sources
- Harley (Designer at Lattice)
- James (Physiotherapist, Sheffield Climbing Clinic)
Category
Wellness and Self-Improvement
