What should I do with a swollen finger joint?

What should I do with a swollen a3 pulley? I know I should rest but i was wondering if there are any other tips to speed up recovery.

Furthermore, how should I transition back into climbing? Should I start with easier climbs after a few months or do certain finger exercises to build back its strength? I'd appreciate any advice!

See a doctor. Probably better than asking climbers for medical advice.

RICE.......most definitely ice it. Fill a bowl with ice, add water, and soak the hand and finger as long as you can stand it.

And not just a GP. Get a good Sports Med. or Ortho. Doc. Ice is good but there is some new research suggesting otherwise. Hell, I don't know. There are some out there doing "Apitherapy" or stinging the joint with a honey bee.

Ice and anti-inflammatories (Ibprofen) will help with the swelling. You definitely will want to lay off it for a while, time based on the severity of the damage. Some rehab specialists have argued for low intensity loading (really easy, juggy climbing or careful hangboarding), as the exercise can often stimulate blood flow and speed healing. Anecdotally, I generally find that complete cessation of climbing (as opposed to significant reduction of duration and intensity) tends to actually make injuries worse, but of course this would not apply if you fully blew a tendon. Of course, "see a specialist" is the best advice you can really get on an Internet forum, but this is what has worked for me in the past.

Thanks guys. I've set up an appointment with a specialist, hopefully it'll help!

Do not ice it. Icing is equivalent to blocking all roads off to a three alarm fire. Your joint is swollen bc it's full of blood and fluid which is all there to facilitate immobilization and healing. By icing it or taking NSAIDS you're essentially stopping the body from doing its job. Wrapping it tightly is almost equally counterproductive.

Let it swell, avoid stressing it, limit use and let it heal but don't completely avoid use. Injured pulley recovery is long. Mine was very bad and it took about 4 months to get back to 100% but it really depends on how badly it's torn and which pulley it is.

Another point worth mentioning: when you're ready to start using it again, you can tape it to an adjacent finger to help you avoid re-injuring it. That won't 100% guarantee that you'll not re-injure it but it will definitely help transition back into being able to put strain on it.

Sorry to hear about your injury and good luck with your recovery! :)

you need to increase blood flow, this can be done with ice water therapy as mentioned above(works better then heat), just don't make the water so cold your finger goes numb, just turns red. Then use heat get like a rice bag, and nuke it in the microwave for like a minute or two. Third message the pulley I don't know of any scholarly research into this but he definitely feels better and have seen plenty of claims that it will reduce scar tissue. I was doing this 3 times a day.

Also as other have also said you need to keep working the tendon through the healing process. This is well documented in research. And its hard to know how hard to push it, but I push it to very slight discomfort. I found that the large atomic bombs were great while my A3 was healing.

I was out totally out for 3 weeks and then I started on getting back on climbs four grades beneath my limit and worked my way back up over the next 4 months. I also decided that it would be a good time to learn crack climbing because it doesn't really put any stress on the A3 pulley.

Good luck

You Smoke it... Sorry had to.

Soak it in hot mustard twice a day. Improve circulation. May also try truffle mushroom rub. Those are great for joints.