Ring finger pain when loaded w/o pinky

So last weekend I was pulling pretty hard on a MR pocket with my right hand and felt a sudden twang and some tingling mostly at the base of the ring finger but also about 1/3 of the way up my forearm from my elbow. No audible pop that I heard and I stopped immediately and haven't climbed since.

It didn't really hurt and still doesn't, nor was it ever swollen or tender to the touch. However, it is slightly painful and noticeably weak if I try to pull open handed without the pinky (MR or IMR). Crimping is fine, as is pulling just index and middle fingers together. It'll also send a twinge of pain if I carelessly pick something up that loads the ring finger without the pinky.

Seems like there's mention of flexor tendons and lumbrical muscles floating around, but it doesn't seem super consistent symptom-wise.

Anyone else done something similar and wandered the internet aimlessly in search of answers? If so, any helpful advice or optimistic stories?

I had the exact same symptoms and came to the conclusion that it was a partially torn lumbrical. I took about a week off and then "buddy taped" my pinky to my ring finger for the next couple weeks while climbing after that to avoid re-injury. It healed up fine.

My experience with similar symptoms. After about three weeks off, I eased back into climbing. Avoided anything that would cause pain. Crimps felt fine, open hand still bad.

After about three months, pain was virtually non-existent.

After six months, I was back to normal. Ten+ years later I don't remember what hand/arm was involved.

RC.com injury link

Sounds optimistic to me - thanks.

FWIW I buddy taped yesterday and stuck to some moderates and everything felt just fine. Obviously no pockety climbs, but I figure that will just come with time.

rockandice.com/rock-climbin…

"Splitting your fingers in the next few weeks will be like pissing into the wind- not only are you doing yourself a disservice, it will get messy."

One possibility, as I had this exact issue before and went to a specialist with this article in hand. He agreed with the diagnosis and prognosis. I buddy taped for a few weeks, avoided strong pocket cruxes for a while, and haven't had an issue for years. Took maybe 6 months before I felt no pain/tightness post-injury.

I had almost the exact same thing you described happen to me. I think it was a lumbrical tear in my palm. I took 6 weeks off and eased slowly back into climbing, only easy routes at first and avoiding crimps, pockets, and anything remotely tweaky. Don't do ANYTHING to cause that finger pain for a good while, and stay off tweaky holds. After maybe 10 weeks or so i'm back to climbing full strength and feel no weakness or tweakiness in that finger anymore. That being said, I still try to avoid two finger pockets that don't load the pinky, and probably will continue to for quite a while.

mountainproject.com/v/new-o…

Buddy tape your ring and pinky. Don't drop the pinky for a while and avoid pockets. You should be able to climb fine on anything as long as your pinky and ring finger don't separate.

jmmlol wrote:Buddy tape your ring and pinky. Don't drop the pinky for a while and avoid pockets. You should be able to climb fine on anything as long as your pinky and ring finger don't separate.

This seems to be working pretty well and I'm able to climb pain free. Even when taped, I can still tell it's there if I start to load an openhanded grip a little unevenly. But hey, maybe all this increased focus will lead to some positive changes in technique.

endgame56 wrote: This seems to be working pretty well and I'm able to climb pain free. Even when taped, I can still tell it's there if I start to load an openhanded grip a little unevenly. But hey, maybe all this increased focus will lead to some positive changes in technique.

It's a fairly common and manageable injury. I did the same thing a couple years ago and climbed through it by focusing on not dropping the pinky.

Sounds very much like it's a flexor unit strain. Doctor visit is worthwhile. Was put on oral steroids (NOT injections!) after lengthy discussion with doc and being hesitant about steroids and tendons. Then 2 weeks off completely- then slowly back for another 6 weeks buddy taping the pinky and ring and not doing anything that caused pain. Pretty mental about pockets for another few months.

Dave McLeod's book Make or Break can't be recommended enough as well.

Here's another Dave MacLeod Blog post where he discusses icing for the injury (and how it didn't seem to do much- AND how his injury took about a year to heal.

(When I read that post and heard it took him a year to heal- that's when I went to the doc!)

But you very well may be able to climb pretty close to full, as long as you never drop your pinky.....

I can't thank you enough for posting this! I've been wondering whether my injury was non-existent in the climbing community since most articles tend to just talk about pulley or TFCC injuries.

I had this happen to me last year when I desperately grabbed a hold and my ringer finger slipped off and curled inward. At the time of injury I felt a shooting pain from my ring finger down to my wrist but it didn't hurt to touch afterwards and didn't swell. It felt tender to move though especially with my ring finger curled inward.

I took a couple weeks off and then buddy taped my ring and pinky fingers together. I was able to climb as long as my pinky didn't bend while my ring finger was straight. It remained tender for a few months after that and when the COVID-19 gym closures struck and forced me off the wall for another 2 or so months it healed entirely. That is, until now when the EXACT same injury occurred but in a different way. I was underclinging a hold outdoors while my fingers were numb in the cold and it must've happened again somehow. UGH :'(

Since this is the second time it's happened I'll probably get it professionally looked at someday but it's been great knowing that this exists!

I’ve had this happen twice; once in each hand. The first time was a bit more serious and lingered for a few months because I buddy taped and climbed through it. Due to COVID gym shut downs, I took time off and it fully healed in a month. The second one was not as bad. I hate taking time off, and I was able to nurse it back to good health without compromising my training. For both, buddy taping allowed me to climb at my regular level and let the strain heal (slowly). It depends on the severity and probably won’t heal as fast, but if you are terrified of taking time off and are alright with discomfort for a month or two, then buddy taping should suffice.

I found this article and think it does a good job of describing the cause and pain. I would guess my first strain was Grade II and the second was Grade I. I added 3 finger hangs to my routine to strengthen the area. In between sets, I alternate stretching the pinky and ring finger in a mono pocket, which I found to help. I am in no way an expert, but just want to share my experience and what has worked for me. Hope this helps!