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adelphos
Nov 1, 2011, 9:51 PM
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So my right ring finger has been a little sore for the last month or so. The soreness has not been bad, mostly only noticeable when I put pressure on it. I started taping it thinking that I might have a minor pulley tear.
No loss of strength or pain when pulling, just a very mild soreness. Last night I was checking it and noticed an odd bump in the area of discomfort just past the knuckle.
Sorry I don't know the technical names. Any ideas about what it could be and/or treatment options?
Like I said, no loss of strength and no discomfort when climbing at all.
Adelphos
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jae8908
Nov 2, 2011, 12:08 AM
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could be a small cyst. somewhat like a ganglionic cyst except not on the wrist. Thats what it sounds like anyway. Doctor can drain or remove it if that is what it is.
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adelphos
Nov 2, 2011, 4:34 PM
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That's an interesting thought.
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Jooler
Nov 2, 2011, 5:53 PM
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Is it on the skin?
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adelphos
Nov 2, 2011, 6:57 PM
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Nope, it is under the skin just about a third of the way between the knuckle and the first joint.
I'm wondering if it might not be a fracture that hasn't fully healed. I do a lot of work with my hands and I'm thinking that it might be an injury from using a hammer.
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lena_chita
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Nov 3, 2011, 3:03 PM
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adelphos wrote: So my right ring finger has been a little sore for the last month or so. The soreness has not been bad, mostly only noticeable when I put pressure on it. I started taping it thinking that I might have a minor pulley tear. No loss of strength or pain when pulling, just a very mild soreness. Last night I was checking it and noticed an odd bump in the area of discomfort just past the knuckle. Sorry I don't know the technical names. Any ideas about what it could be and/or treatment options? Like I said, no loss of strength and no discomfort when climbing at all. Adelphos
My first thought was a cyst, too. I get one on my ring finger sometimes, in a spot where I had injured a tendon before, but I don't know for sure that the two events are related.
On two separate occasions now, many months apart, this cyst has appeared for no specific reason I can think of, persisted for several months, and then disappeared.
When I have it, the soreness is only there when I press on it. It feels like a little bump or ball that I can move around a tiny bit if I push it around, and if I massage/press on it it seems to get softer/smaller. It also seems to get softer/smaller after i have been climbing for an hour or two. It feels most hard and sore when I first start climbing for the day.
But as usual advice goes, watch it, and if it becomes bigger, more painful or troublesome, go see a doctor.
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cracklover
Nov 3, 2011, 5:51 PM
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lena_chita wrote: adelphos wrote: So my right ring finger has been a little sore for the last month or so. The soreness has not been bad, mostly only noticeable when I put pressure on it. I started taping it thinking that I might have a minor pulley tear. No loss of strength or pain when pulling, just a very mild soreness. Last night I was checking it and noticed an odd bump in the area of discomfort just past the knuckle. Sorry I don't know the technical names. Any ideas about what it could be and/or treatment options? Like I said, no loss of strength and no discomfort when climbing at all. Adelphos My first thought was a cyst, too. I get one on my ring finger sometimes, in a spot where I had injured a tendon before, but I don't know for sure that the two events are related. On two separate occasions now, many months apart, this cyst has appeared for no specific reason I can think of, persisted for several months, and then disappeared. When I have it, the soreness is only there when I press on it. It feels like a little bump or ball that I can move around a tiny bit if I push it around, and if I massage/press on it it seems to get softer/smaller. It also seems to get softer/smaller after i have been climbing for an hour or two. It feels most hard and sore when I first start climbing for the day. But as usual advice goes, watch it, and if it becomes bigger, more painful or troublesome, go see a doctor.
Ganglion cysts come and go. They are essentially a little hemorrhage in the tendon sheath that allows some of the fluid inside to partially leak out. They're typically nothing to worry about, and will either get better on their own (reabsorb), pop, or get bigger. If they get big enough, they can be a real pain, and a doctor can lance it for you.
But based on the OP's post, there's no way to tell if he has that or something much more serious.
GO
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bigo
Nov 3, 2011, 6:28 PM
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Dupuytren's is common with climbers and early symptoms include a bump or node near the knuckle of the ring or pinky finger.
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teo916
Nov 3, 2011, 7:29 PM
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Often the pain caused by a flexor tendon injury will lesson after you work them loose a bit. You may notice this after climbing for a while, or even if you massage your knuckle and flex it a lot. The fact that you have an 'odd bump' may be just a cyst as others have mentioned, or it may be a sign that you are seriously injuring your flexor tendon, especially if the level of pain increases after climbing hard. This may not even show up until the next morning after you've slept. This is because most of us (especially climbers, who work their hands pretty hard) tend to sleep with their fists clenched on and off through out the night, or even sleep ON TOP of their hands. Both of these night time activities will decrease circulation, and so increase the amount of swelling and or scar tissue build up by morning time.
If you aren't going to have a Dr. check it out, then I would at least recommend taking fish oil supplements (natural anti-inflammatory), drinking LOTS of water, eating a handful of blueberries or some other anti-inflammatory food just before and just after climbing. Also, soak your hands in a bucket of hot water with Epsom salts after each climbing session.
If it is in fact a cyst, I would imagine that it wouldn't take long for it to resolve itself, or manifest to the point of it being obvious that it is a cyst, and you should have a Dr. lance and drain it appropriately. The hot soak will help if it's a cyst or not, as circulation is key for both situations.
If soreness persists or increases, and it does not manifest as a cyst, then I'd say take at least a week off climbing. When you come back, climb at a lower grade than usual and try to stick to non-crimpy climbs (e.g. jambs and jugs) for a few more weeks. A strip of tape around the fingers before and after the knuckle may help give a little extra support to those tendons as well, just not so tight as to decrease circulation.
Note that a lot of people who struggle with flexor tendon injuries can end up dealing with them for a LONG time because they aren't taking the time to care for them correctly early on. If you really want this to improve to the point its not bothering you and influencing your climbing ability, then its important to try to stay ahead of the healing curve. Don't climb until your fingers get sore. Instead climb just long enough to get your pump on, then stop. If it gets worse, then take more time off from climbing, and ease back into it more slowly. Overall I want to warn you off of hoping its not a tendon injury and expecting it to be a cyst, only to then realize later, perhaps after really doing some real damage, that it is indeed a tendon injury. It really is better to be safe than sorry in these cases.
This site has a great diagram on what your hands look like and more info:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00015
Anyway, that's my long winded and elaborate 2 cents. Best of luck, lets hope it is just a cyst...
-Teo
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adelphos
Nov 3, 2011, 7:54 PM
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Thanks Teo et al - This is good feedback and helps a lot. I'm thinking I'll probably get it checked out.
Thanks again,
Adelphos
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