Post or learn here about everything else....knees, ankles, etc.http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/list.php?8Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:13:42 -0500 Phorum 5.2.9a http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,594,594#msg-594 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,594,594#msg-594Hope to hear from you. Thanks!]]> wvkid What else bothers you?Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:21:03 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,559,559#msg-559 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,559,559#msg-559I am part owner of a vitamin supplement company whose primary product was developed for rock climbers. We've been having trouble reaching our audience and as injured climbers I was wondering if I could get some feedback on the site? Just your honest opinions and gut reactions to what you see on the site. (VitaRack)

Let me be clear: I am only looking for your opinions and feedback. Please do not purchase our product or feel under any obligation to do so. You are rock climbers and I would just like to know what you think.

Thank you in advance,
Aaron]]> tothesummit What else bothers you?Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:19:56 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,538,538#msg-538 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,538,538#msg-538
About one month ago I woke up with an intense and sharp pain in the middle of my wrist (palm side). RICE helped as well as some anti inflamitories (NSAID). I was not climbing the previous day and have no clue how this occured. Over the next month, I was able to go climbing a few times, including bouldering, without any pain during the climbing. Recenty, however, I have begun to experience pain in my wrist at random points during the day. I attribute the start of this pain to two hard bouldering sessions that were only one day apart. The pain is dull but deep and occurs in the same place as before, right in the middle of my wrist, just below the palm at any point during the day, especially after a long night of sleep. At other times, it occurs at random points around my wrist, such as where the thum joins it. I tried to climb once or twice more after the onset of this 'chronic' type of pain and there was no pain immediately in that area. However, when I pulled on the hold I notice acute pain in the pronator quadratus area, primarily along the bony part of the forearm, right about where my thumb joins the forearm. Whenever I stretch my hand black, as if I was warming up for climbing, I can feel tightness and the slightest pain in the wrist. Sorry for the long explanation but I am not sure what to do. I have no clue what happened but I am sure it is climbing related. My family doctor has not been able to diagnose and it will take months before I can see a specialist. Has anyone experienced something similar or knows what may be going on. Please help. Thank you.]]> ozren What else bothers you?Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:35:23 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,516,516#msg-516 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,516,516#msg-516
In short, I climbed too much, pushed too hard and blew the flexor tendon in my forearm and palm—the one that controls movement of the very tip of the ring finger—while performing an open-hand crimp.

The injury felt like a mild electric shock and I knew immediately what it meant and stopped. A doctor ran a quick resistance test and determined that it wasn't a full rupture: probably a tear or sprain. No swelling or bruising resulted.

Three months rest and several weeks of physio later I was able to squeeze an apple-sized foam stress ball without feeling like my tendon would explode. I lifted light weights and gently stretched my fingers. Tried to hydrate. Freebased vitamin D.

During month four, I was traversing lightly once a week. When I felt any soreness I took a week off.

By the end of month five, I had worked up to climbing medium-grade problems (V4/V5) on plastic and felt my confidence in the tendon returning. There was no pain and climbing was fun again. I could traverse on small crimps, closed- and open-hand. I was bouldering three-hour sessions three times a week.

Then I threw an open hand to a small crimp and heard the tendon pop as my weight came down on the hold. Yeah, it was dumb.

This time I did an ultrasound scan which confirmed what I knew: I have a partial tear of the flexor tendon (profundus) in the palm of my hand. The scan was really cool: I could clearly see as I flexed my finger where the tendon was bulging slightly and some small dark patches at the site of injury.

Unfortunately, my hand surgeon specialist was less than helpful. She seemed unwilling or unable to speculate on what I might expect in terms of recovery. I understand that it's not her job to guess arbitrarily about prognosis but it irritated me that with her decades of seeing similar injuries and with the facts that I presented her in conjunction with the results of the ultrasound that she wouldn't even outline the parameters of what is possible.

My recovery strategy this time involves cross-training, regular hot compresses, quality sleep, healthy eating, increasing resistance, physio and trying to stay positive.

Has anyone torn a flexor tendon and lived to say they climbed well on small holds again?

Thanks for any feedback.]]> Hudson What else bothers you?Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:38:29 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,491,491#msg-491 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,491,491#msg-491
I'm experiencing a short very sharp pain shooting up (either) forearm when I release a strong grip on a hold quickly, releasing in order to move to another hold is fine as long as I'm in control of the movement.

Its really the last three sessions (mon/fri/mon) in which this has become a fairly consistent problem. It flared up on a monday after a Fri/Sat of bouldering (bouldering is my normal climbing, 2+ years), I knew I hadn't recovered enough to go but still went.
I have experienced this problem before, but only intermittently enough not to have been particularly worried by it.

Ive come across quite a few reports of a similar problem on this site, but with no diagnosis given. Sounds like it could be anything from the onset of tendonitis or a tendon strain, muscle imbalance, repetitive strain injury, or just a bit of overuse.

Obviously I hope its overuse, its does seem to have coincided with a period of climbing when not fully recovered (my sessions are usually 4-5 hours with at least 1 hour of warming up - constant stretching throughout), but obviously the overuse could also have led to something more serious....

No pain away from the climbing gym, no pain when applying pressure to areas of the forearm (not that I know what I'm doing with that particularly), no pain with antagonistic exercises, no pain with stretching.

There is a kind of awareness that something doesn't feel right though, cycling for instance, putting pressure on the handlebars going up a hill and I'm just aware of something slightly out of the norm, just general niggles occasionally throughout the day, not pain as such but a general uncomfortableness, the feeling of the need to stretch the areas. Quite hard to explain, sorry.


I've tralled through a fair bit of information about climbing injuries I can't seem to find much of an answer for this one, despite the accounts of others on this problem.



I am extremely grateful for any help or experiences offered, thank you.


(male/21/climbing 2+ years - not been using NSAID's)]]> jamie00 What else bothers you?Tue, 11 May 2010 11:51:29 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,485,485#msg-485 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,485,485#msg-485 smorgan What else bothers you?Wed, 05 May 2010 14:31:16 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,482,482#msg-482 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,482,482#msg-482
Thanks

Joshua.]]> jsimone What else bothers you?Wed, 05 May 2010 09:44:04 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,378,378#msg-378 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,378,378#msg-378
I've been having problems with my right elbow for about 4 months now. I have been to a physiotherapast in regards to it, but no real diagnosis came out of it. I suspect this was my fault through not being able to supply adequate information, or something. As a result, the diagnosis changed with every visit, the exercises kept changing but remained unhelpful, with no progress at all. In the end, I stopped going out of frustration.

I suspect rather than one thing wrong, several things are going on at the same time, perhaps helping cause some of the confusion, so I'll explain all the symptoms I can think of, and hopefully you can help me work out where to go from there?

Firstly, some history. I am quite new to climbing, I am fairly fit, but have never really done much of anything that requires upper body strength. As such, I am really quite weak in that area, I struggle to do more than 5 pullups (and as such, I do wonder if I've brought this upon myself by effectively jumping into trying too much too fast). I used to use a computer for anywhere from 5 to 12 hours a day, if not more on rare occasions, but never once had any arm pain. Since the injury, if I use the mouse with my right arm too much - it starts to hurt, so these days I just use the mouse left handed. Other than that, I am a left handed person, so my right arm is defintely the weaker of the two - injury aside.

After about a month of climbing, the injury flared up, so I haven't really been able to progress much. I try to climb indoors twice a week, and boulder outdoors once a week, but I am not doing particularly challenging problems - V0 at the least.

Now, onto symptoms itself. I'm not too sure of the terminology, so will describe it as best I can, and then if it's too hard to work out what I'm referring to, I can always take pictures pointing out the affected area or something.

Firstly, if I take a long break (longest I've taken is a full month off), the pain dissapears after just a few days. There is still a dull ache present for another couple of days, it doesn't bother me, but tells me everything is not okay. Once I return to climbing, taking it easy, things will be fine throughout the session. By the end, there will be at worst, that dull ache, fading in and out. The next morning I will wake up, and the pain will be back, not at its worst, but definitely there and constant.
If I climb again when it is like this, the pain becomes excruciating. Whilst I'm happy enough to put up with that, I lose almost all power to that arm. At its worst, it has almost been too much effort for me just to lift my water bottle.

There are a few different elements to the pain. Firstly, there is a sharp pain that feels like it is in my elbow cap itself, more specifically, it is on the right hand side of it, which I guess would be the outside(?).
At the same time, there is a pain at the bottom of the inside of my forearm, just before it reaches my elbow.
There is another one at the very bottom of my biceps muscle, it doesn't feel like the biceps itself, but tendon(s) there.
Lastly, sometimes the top of the forearm can be quite tender, particularly if I 'pinch' the tendons there.
Unless I'm climbing at the time, all of this is not usually going on in a noticable enough fashion that I can easily work out what is going on, so I have to remember to take note of what's going on.

I suspect part of the reason that the pain sometimes flares up when I woke up in the morning, is that I sleep in what I can only discribe as the coffin position, but face down, so I'm effectively lying on my arm, with it bent/crossed, all night long. I've tried straightening it, but I always wake up like that.

As far as actions I have taken on my own, I have done the following.
Firstly, I've stayed away from painkillers/NSAIDS. Early on in I was taking a lot of ibuprofen, but didn't feel it was going to do me any favours long term.
I have been wearing an upper forearm strap on and off, it doesnt help much when I'm actually climbing, and I can't tell if its helping or not when I'm not climbing.
As I initially thought it was just tennis elbow, I have been doing the stretches and exercises you advise on your site. I have progressed with the strengthening exercises so that I am now using 5kg weights for them (about 11pounds I think). The wrist radial deviation is always exceedingly easy. The reverse wrist curls are difficult, but do not trigger any pain, it's only difficult in the way that any weight lifting would be.
When I do the forearm pronation and supination however, I start to run into a little trouble. With each and every rotation, there is a click that happens in my arm, somewhere in the upper forearm, not far away from my elbow. This click does not hurt, but it is very uncomfortable, if not unpleseant.

Lastly, I have noticed very little benefit from ice. Whenever I have a hot shower or bath though, the pain and/or dull ache almost instantly subsides, so that it feels perfectly fine again. Afterwards though, it can reappear in as little time as half an hour.

Hopefully that gives you something to go on, though I can understand if its too confusing or all over the place, as it seemed to be when I went to a PT.

Thanks!]]> exogenesis What else bothers you?Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:33:20 -0600 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,330,330#msg-330 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,330,330#msg-330
Thanks!]]> dhhewitt What else bothers you?Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:51:27 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,309,309#msg-309 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,309,309#msg-309
I've had left wrist pain on and off for quite some time now. Up to this point, it has been too dull or insignificant for me stop climbing or other activities. However, recently, through intense bouldering, the pain really bothers me. The range of motion is limited and the wrist hurts, on what I think is the ulnar side, when I rotate it. The pain occurs right on the bony part of the left side of my wrist on my left hand. Moving the wrist upwards and downwards doesn't produce too much pain but side to side (especially to the left) hurts. I feel and sometimes hear a slight cracking noise when rotating it as well.

Aside from climbing, I'm a drummer in various groups so my wrists rarely get to rest. The injury really began to produce pain 2 days ago and I haven't climbed or played since then.

What do I do?!

- Kevin


*EDIT so it's been a little over a week now since the pain has started. ROM has greatly improved and my wrist doesn't hurt at all while rotating it. Also, when I put my palm against the wall and bend my wrist backwards, there is no pain. However, when I do this stretch and then put the pressure on the left side of my wrist the ulnar side really hurts. Is it possible that I didn't sprain it and it could be a pull or tear or something else?]]> bobbykayvon What else bothers you?Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:12:33 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,307,307#msg-307 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,307,307#msg-307 vawallflower What else bothers you?Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:14:03 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,291,291#msg-291 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,291,291#msg-291
I'm pretty sure that I've done it bouldering. Especially from sitting starts when I put a lot of pressure on the knees I get a pain which has become more intense and continues when I am not climbing.

The pain seems to be to both sides of both knees and a little above the kneecap too. I don't feel it walking or standing but sitting (i.e. on a chair, legs bend 90 degrees) and especially lying flat in bed I aware of it.

There is no swelling and pressing on the knee does not affect the pain.

The pain built slowly over a few weeks until I couldn't ignore it any longer. I stopped climbing for about 4 weeks, and rested until the pain had gone. I climbed carefully once, then forgot and climbed hard and the pain reappeared as bad as before.

I've seen my GP who was not very helpful. They've put me on a list to see a knee specialist but it could be November before I see them.

Nothing I've read seems to describe what it is I've done to myself and I'd really like to know. Any ideas?]]> dub_wiser What else bothers you?Sun, 23 May 2010 14:13:49 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,266,266#msg-266 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,266,266#msg-266
So here's the deal: I injured the flexor tendons in my left wrist about three years ago. The injury wasn't acute; it seems to be simply from overuse. I was a dumb teenager who simply wanted to climb all the time (in a gym). I first started feeling pain about six months after I started climbing. I was climbing 3-5 days a week for 2-5 hours each time. Stupid, I know. I'd rest for a while, start climbing, and then it'd hurt. Take ibuprofen and repeat cycle. This went on for a year and a half or so. So last spring I did four months of PT. Very little improvement. I had an MRI over the summer that showed mild flexor tendonitis, so I did four more months of PT in the fall. Not too much improvement. I had a quite a bit of pain over the winter while doing an internship on a ship. The PT consisted of ultrasound, manual work, and light exercise. A different physical therapist (who I started seeing this spring after having hip arthroscopy in March) told me to start sleeping in a cock-up splint. But he wouldn't treat the wrist until I saw a hand specialist. So I did that last week, and he basically said it wasn't carpal tunnel, so he couldn't do anything. He prescribed NSAIDs and sent me on my way.

So I guess I'm wondering what to do next. It seems like it is a fairly minor injury, but it's just not getting better. I didn't realize it was NSAIDs that he was prescribing (stupid me for not asking more questions), and from what I've read, NSAIDs hinder tendon recovery. Should I just not take them and keep doing PT? Call him and ask him about it? Any suggestions would be very helpful. I've never been to a doctor who was a climber as well, and I'm not sure they really understand my injury. Any amount of help is very appreciated.

Zak]]> skibum What else bothers you?Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:31:22 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,265,265#msg-265 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,265,265#msg-265 choss master What else bothers you?Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:19:59 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,242,242#msg-242 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,242,242#msg-242 thismoonlight What else bothers you?Fri, 15 May 2009 23:23:56 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,199,199#msg-199 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,199,199#msg-199
It is the muscle on the top of my arm called the, Extensor digitorum, I THINK. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me on what to do for it? I keep getting mixed reviews of ice, then heat....no heat, no ice. What do you all think. ANYONE else ever had this experience?]]> nicole What else bothers you?Wed, 05 May 2010 14:33:33 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,184,184#msg-184 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,184,184#msg-184
This was because when I got surgery on my ankle in April, a few weeks later, I tried to take a shower and not put alot of weight on my ankle and that is how I fell. As I turned around I slipped

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Cassie]]> tgb What else bothers you?Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:30:56 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,173,173#msg-173 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,173,173#msg-173
It now hurts when I walk, and when I try to lift my leg up in front of me or behind me. I can just about climb on routes which have no long stretches. Any advice on how to treat this would be good - stretches and stuff. Thanks.]]> spottyleopard What else bothers you?Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:59:50 -0600 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,114,114#msg-114 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,114,114#msg-114 Ducky What else bothers you?Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:16:08 -0500 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,55,55#msg-55 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,55,55#msg-55 dub_wiser What else bothers you?Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:20:31 -0600 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,11,11#msg-11 http://climbinginjuries.com/forums/read.php?8,11,11#msg-11was wondering if you could help me with a wrist injury that happened in june this year and never completly healed(about 80%) even with a months rest which i unfortunatly re-injured yesterday.
the way it initially happened was when i was doing a easy boulder problem which i had done plenty times before which involved standing up into a small left hand undercling.appon doing this i felt a snap/pop in my left wrist.i then decided to stretch my forearm(arm straight out,palm facing away from me,fingers pointing towards floor which caused alot of pain and i could feel something moving around in the extensor part of my forearm from my bony ulnar wrist bump to midway up forearm along the ulnar bone.when i woke up the next day i couldnt do anything with that wrist due to the intense pain so went to my local gp who said it was just a sprain and would heal in a week and he gave me a wrist gaurd to wear.
well, the pain got a bit better but was very painful to supinate wrist(pain was located on/near the bony ulnar lump) and if i supinated and flexed my wrist the pain would go away but then it would be very painful to pronate and the pain would go up the extensor part of my forearm midway but with a bit of fiddling i could make whatever was moving around go back over lump and would only hurt when supinating again.it eventually started to get better but never enough that i could stretch my flexors as when it got to a certain point of bending it felt like it would snap again if i went further.the pain is mainly on the side of the ulnar lump at the wrist and is agravated with supination and ulnar deviation.there was no is no visable swelling and no tenderness when pushing around in that area.any ideas what it could be and what the right approach to getting it treated would be?its a very sharp pain and i was thinking it could maybe be a nerve but i havnt had any numbness.
thanks
mat]]> crimpit What else bothers you?Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:42:45 -0500