Pulley injury as a young climber

I'm 20 years old and have been bouldering indoors for 8 months, which has been so much fun. It's my first ever real hobby, and first athletic thing I've ever been any good at. I've seen very steady and fast progression without really any injuries or problems. Yesterday I pulled my A2 ring finger pulley, with a loud audible pop that just sends shivers down my spine when I think about it.    

I'm currently in the process of getting it treated and I'm feeling really down about it. Alot of the advice i see online is in regards to older people and I'm wondering if people have specific tips for younger people?    

I warmed up less than usual and feel really stupid for that. I was also dehydrated that day. I remember feeling incredibly strong that day, like 20-30% stronger than normal. At the same time I didn't have any finger pain or other problems leading up to this, it just seemed to have happened.    

As I'm quite young I'm wondering what you guys think about this, should it discourage me from trying to keep climbing hard? My fingers are very important for me, my work and studies requires typing on a keyboard and this has been a huge setback for me. It's really quite hard living like this. Do you think I have bad genetics for it? Or have i just trained stupidly (I haven't done finger training)? I can't risk my occupation for a hobby, and I don't know if I'll enjoy bouldering if I can't push myself hard.    

I think I gain muscle mass unusually fast and I now climb as hard as several people who have climbed for years. Maybe it is relevant to this injury? Should I be much slower with my progress even if I feel capable of more (after full recovery of course)? 

Please any advice would be appreciated, I feel quite crushed by all of this... and I'm considering quitting climbing. 

What you experienced is common and you will heal and be back to normal soon.  It takes tendons and ligaments much longer to strengthen than muscles.  Muscles can come and go quickly, tendon strength takes months to develope.  Consistency is key.  Especially with crimpy stuff, you can't just pull harder, you will get injured as you progress.  This past february I tore my ring finger A4 pulley (grade 3).  This past month I've been able to climb about near my pre injury redpoint without much issue.  I do avoid dynamic moves on crimps on that side.  

You will be able to type normally very soon.  Your pulleys and tendons dont need to be strong to be mobile.  Make sure you keep your exercise your range of motion and you are treating it which is smart.  Dont quit climbing because of the chance of injury.  I cant tell you how to live but climbers choose to live not without risk, but with known mitigated risks.  You'll feel better about it soon.

Last, yes climbing without proper warmup and pulling harder than your tendons could handle is the cause.  You need to finger train.  Imagine if you were trying to improve at bench press and instead of doing many sets 3 times a week, you go for a one rep maximum bench every few weeks.  Thats what you are doing to your fingers if you dont finger train and you climb once a week.  As you rehab you need to work up to pulling 100% again and the fastest way to do that is with volume.  You dont need to hang board, you can train with a duffle bag you're holding in an open crimp.  I filled a kitty litter jug with water.  Start doing it now, and when you come back your off hand is going to be stronger than when you left and you'll have a good routine to not be injured again.

I've fully ruptured 2 (!) pulleys in one finger some years ago. Had a specific recovery program by a climbing specialised physio. Made a full recovery in about 5 months.

Seek medical advice from a climbing specialised physiotherapist. Do an active recovery program. And you'll probably be fully recovered within 4 months.

Take it as a learning experience to learn about finger positions. A common cause is using the full crimp position way too much. Getting stronger at open hand and half crimp will help with future climbing and injury prevention. A physio can help you with that.

It's a common climbing injury. It won't end your climbing career and it doesn't have to leave any noticeable problems in your finger. It's just inconvenient and you will have to commit to injury rehabilitation instead of climbing for some months.

I got pretty good at (trail) running in those months and really enjoyed that too. I would advise to also find an alternative sporting activity you can enjoy for a few months while recovering.

I'm sorry you're going through that Max. I'd say you probably are genetically pre-disposed to such an injury...in that you build muscle fast. 8 months is enough time for you to get muscularly strong (and perhaps cocky), but not enough time to build strong pulleys.

I've had a few moderate pulley injuries over the years. Same story every time: I got too excited about training and hit the gym too aggressively. Your injury may be different, but I've always gotten away with waiting a week or 2 until the swelling goes down and then taping tightly over the pulley--til it almost stops circulation--when climbing. Even if that's counter-indicated, you can totally climb without a given finger if you back off on the grades and learn to use your thumb*. I'm over twice your age with a recovering middle finger A2, and I'm climbing as hard as ever without pain. I just have to be realistic about my capabilities and willing to back off if a move feels stupid.

How to prevent a future pulley injury: warm up slowly, learn to crimp open-handed, never do a full crimp on plastic, avoid pockets--which are both dangerous and boring, and for heaven's sake, focus on improving your footwork. The dreaded pulley pop usually occurs right after a toe pops off...or someone dynos for something stupid. You might also consider rope climbing, at least while you're recovering. It's a lot quieter 80 or 100 feet up, and you just might like that!

If you don't love climbing (the activity rather than the scene), then by all means quit. There are better ways to meet people, and there are safer things to do that you might like more. If you love it, think of this as an opportunity to grow and develop a better relationship with the sport. This is a chance to back off on the brute strength and the party tricks and to double down on oft-neglected things like graceful movement, conscious breathing, flexibility, traversing, downclimbing, silent feet, resting on the wall...or the easy move that makes 90% of boulderers look like idiots when they venture into the real world: the hand jam. If you take the time to improve on these now, you will be a better climber in short time--even if they amputate the ring finger. And you may find yourself grateful for this injury in a year or two.

All the best to you!

*EDIT: Lest I've given you false hope, I'm saying defer to your specialist. I'm also saying that IF you have the discipline to back off and not use the injured finger, I see no reason to stop climbing. That's a big IF. I know that climbing hard is part of what makes the sport fun. I'll just report that I've enjoyed going up and down 5.6-5.8 one-handed on auto-belay and it improved my footwork and balance and certainly entertained others.

Muscle grows way, way faster than tendons and they need to be as strong as the muscles....

What does this mean? It means they need extra recovery time and work on the (opposing) supporting muscles to stay uninjured and let them catch up. This is an injury nearly everyone that trains hard for any sport goes through (overuse tendonitis).

The trouble is that now that you are injured and used to rapid results you likely will not rest enough before returning to climbing. :(

You need at least 4 weeks of additional rest after being completely pain free before returning to high intensity work outs.

No one ever does this the first time and they usually spend six months to a year complaining that they can't get stronger due to the bad pulley (somewhat depending on the severity of the injury).

Once they finally get it in their thick skulls they are not super human healers they finally rest enough after months of frustration.

Rest it until pain free (if it doesn't require surgical repair and a rigorous rehab program).

Rest it some more.

And then rest it some more. Give it 4 more weeks after you would otherwise think you are gtg. Work on your cardio, core and complimentary opposing muscle groups.

Or deal with a chronic injury until you rest it enough to heal.

That will be $1000 see you in 6 months.

And then I'll probably tap you for another grand because you didn't listen the first time.

If I have to operate my fee will be $8000. Double that for surgery center fees and follow-up. Figure about a year for healing and rehabilitation of the finger.

That is your hand surgeon consult for the day.

How to tape your pulley injury for best healing results:

Shamelessly pulled from this article

How to be injured

which is quite funny and also spot on.