MY FINGERS HURT!

So, I was wondering if anyone knows what is going on with my fingers? My fingers (primarily in my right middle finger but not exclusively) have been swelling/stiffening at night making it hard and painful to bend them when I wake. Once I work the stiffness out (about 1-minute)of them they are fine for the rest of the day. They don't hurt when I climb either ice or rock/plastic.

A little background on my activity as of late:

I think that this all started after a four day weekend ice climbing in Ouray just before Christmas. This is the first year that I have been ice climbing consistently (about once every other week), and I have been rock climbing in the gym about 3-nights a week. I am climbing ice with the BD cobra's leashless, but that doesn't mean that I haven't bashed my knuckles a few times on chandeliery ice.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers,
Aaron

This sounds like a simple over-use injury. Take more rest days. Never climb 4 days in a row unless you have a really good reason (you are perched on a big wall). Avoid repetitive grip positions (i.e. don't death grip the shaft of an ice tool 8 hrs/day, 4 days in a row).

It sounds like you've increased the volume or intensity (or both) of your climbing recently. I wouldn't go so far as to call this an injury but it could become that. If you're climbing more and there's more stress on the tissues then they will be trying to adapt to the greater amount of work that you're asking them to do, as a result they'll feel still and sore.
The reason I wouldn't call this an injury is the fact that you say you have no problems once you've "warmed" up you fingers, an injury would still be present. So you can either decrease the total amount of climbing (drop the volume or intensity) until you no longer have the described symptoms or you can ride that fine line between getting stronger faster and injury by maintaining the current amount of climbing that you're doing and be very aware of how your fingers are doing. Something like putting your hands in slightly cold water (bucket of cold tap water with a handful of icecubes) for at least 20min post climbing may help some w/ the stiffness and soreness.

But even after 13yrs of climbing if I start a cycle of finger strength training, my fingers will get a little sore, achey and stiff. I can climb just fine and for the most part they feel great but in the morning after a heavy training/climbing session they'll definitely let me know it, it's simply a part of the adaptation process.
Good luck,
BA

I was thinking the same thing but I took a week off and it just came back. I guess that doesnt mean that it isnt over use, but I just dont want to take any additional time off for something that doesnt heart while climbing. Oh, well!

Thanks Mono!

-Aaron

Aaron M wrote:I was thinking the same thing but I took a week off and it just came back. I guess that doesnt mean that it isnt over use, but I just dont want to take any additional time off for something that doesnt heart while climbing. Oh, well! Thanks Mono! -Aaron

Better a few days off than several weeks off from an over use injury. One of my friend's was out for almost four months because she blew a pulley in her finger.

John Farrell wrote: Better a few days off than several weeks off from an over use injury. One of my friend's was out for almost four months because she blew a pulley in her finger.

+1 Instead of taking proper rest time, I kept taking 'short breaks' (like a week at most) every time I started getting injuries like tendonitis, stiff fingers, swelling etc.
Ultimately I paid the price and had to take a year & a half off of climbing due to all my compounded injuries. I'm back now, but only once a week and limited.
So I cannot stress enough how important it is to take an extra rest day or two and keep your fingers/body in good shape. You've got to have a stronger will than an obsession.

Overuse injury....

Sounds like you need a week off... make sure to sleep alot.

The night after you climb get 8-10hrs of sleep it helps alot.

Drink lots of water

Continous climbing days in a row is usally 2 days for me 3 and 4 is really pushing it and i will be hurting afterwards.

Also if you just took a week off and it still hurts.....

Take it easy for a week or two... Do easy routes that don't require crimping and hard pinching.. Cut down on the hard routes and bouldering for two weeks.

Then gradually add a day or two of hard climbing. Every 4-6 weeks take a week off... Then once or twice a year take 2-3 weeks off, seams like a long time but you will comeback stronger.

Aaron, overuse injuries are difficult because they take a considerable amount of time to heal. If it is overuse, this injury has been developing over time. Take more time off, like 2 weeks, and do injury prevention exercises to evenly strengthen the muscles in your fingers and hands. A grip-master or roc-rings might help you.

This same problem afflicted me for a while. I had previously dislocated my middle finger 90 degrees to the left a couple summers ago and when it started hurting again and swelling when climbing, I attributed it to that previous injury. However, my other middle finger started swelling and hurting similarily to yours and I thought it rather peculiar. Anyway, I had a doctor prescribe some Neproxin (sp?) which is an anti-inflammatory and that helped reduce the swelling but MOREOVER I took at least a week off from climbing and then eased back into it and took notice and great care when it started back up again which it does periodically. Anyways, anti-inflammatory pills, fish oil, rest and care and beer will remedy it.