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mreardon
Apr 14, 2003, 5:57 PM
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After a season of decent bouldering and minimal injuries, it was time to harness up and see the pay-off on a few crack routes. I started in Joshua Tree a few weeks ago and did a handful of laps on some great lines, and even ticked off a couple classics from the list. So moving up another notch we went to Little Egypt in Bishop to see what was there for us. I warmed up on a couple 5.10s, then flashed "For Those About To Rock" (11a) and a bouldery 11c crack. Feeling warm and ready, I went to the ultra-classic "Espresso" (12a). This climb is probably the sweetest fingercrack next to "Equinox" in Josh that I have ever seen. Sixty feet of pure crack with locking fingers everywhere!
So warmed up and ready for a flash attempt I jumped on and about halfway up was in the middle of the crux when I my feet slipped. I was lie-backing with my left hip against the rock, feet smeared delicately against the crack, right hand barely holding on with my left just sinking into a perfect lock (thumbs down) at the height of my reach. When my feet kicked off, I managed to hold on a second to try to recover but couldn't so I let go with my hands for the fall and my index finger stayed locked in the crack!
I have never felt pain like this in my life. Not sure what happened next other than a scream, a jolt of lightning in my shoulder and somehow grabbing on with my right hand long enough to yank the left hand out. After the fall, I told my partner not to lower me as I assessed the damage and tried not to go into shock. The skin on the side of my finger had ripped and pushed aside and bunched up, like the sheath of a rope, over the knuckle revealing all the muscle and meat below. With shaking hands I pushed the skin back into place. It was numb and I knew I had to do something quick. Then I clipped in, lowered the rope to get tape and tissue as the blood and pain slowly came in, then finished the climb (clean I have to say). My partner was very attentive and ready to lower me if I was out of it, but he felt confident that I could go on and new mentally that I had to get back on that horse immediately.
After washing and doing a quick triage I managed to stay climbing the rest of the day, but later went and did the soap, peroxide, and neosporin and realize now that I got lucky. It's two days later and basically all I suffered was a very large tear that is still attached and covering the wound, some swelling, and some slight numbing that should eventually dissipate.
The one lesson I learned is that my skin was doing great so I didn't bother to tape up, realizing now that if I had, the injury may have been similar, but the skin tear might have been lessened had I taped up like normal. Now I'm waiting to recover and go back in a couple weeks to finish that thing clean.
Just figured I'd share.
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taorock
Apr 14, 2003, 6:42 PM
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Ouch!
My sympathies. This does, however, sound like mind over matter in the best tradition of climbing and "self rescue".
BGB
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hippie_dreams
Apr 14, 2003, 8:08 PM
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WOW!
Talk about pain tolerance!
That's something to tell the grandchildren about!
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chris_nor_cal
Apr 14, 2003, 8:15 PM
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You had a degloving avulsion on your finger, and you didn't go to the hospital?????? :shock: :shock: :shock:
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kalcario
Apr 14, 2003, 8:28 PM
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*The skin on the side of my finger had ripped and pushed aside and bunched up, like the sheath of a rope, over the knuckle revealing all the muscle and meat below.*
*My partner was very attentive and ready to lower me if I was out of it, but he felt confident that I could go on and new mentally that I had to get back on that horse immediately.*
This is a troll, right?
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veilneb
Apr 14, 2003, 8:30 PM
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You just had a big flapper, no?
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bakedjake
Apr 14, 2003, 9:15 PM
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I did something very similar except it was an industrial accident. I completely unsheathed the top half of my finger. It was like having an inverted figer pointing against my bnow skinless one. I started to go into shock and that's why I'm responding to this thread. Finger injuries can be excrutiatingly painfull and will induce shock. When you experience an injury such as that the danger of shock is real and caution should be exercised.
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mreardon
Apr 15, 2003, 11:18 PM
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Kalcario - not a troll, real event that happened last Friday. I even got the photos afterwards to show folks like you :D I'll make sure to pass it along when they are developed.
In the end it's basically a big flapper (yellow and gross today), but the entire area between the first and second knuckle (closest to the fingernail) where the skin bunched up is still numb. It feels like it's asleep. The loose skin has remained soft and pliable with plenty of neosporin which keeps the wound covered. Eventually the skin/flapper itself will dry and peel off, but hopefully I'll be able to keep it in place long enough for the underneath to heel completely. The bigger injury concerning me is actually on the other hand where I tweaked two tendons jamming so quickly and lifted myself up to free the finger. I may be out for a couple weeks because of that.
Of course one friend told me that if I was a real man I would have hung there by my finger, gotten a rest and continued with the onsight, then I wouldn't have to go back and potentially repeat this whole nonsense :P
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kalcario
Apr 15, 2003, 11:36 PM
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Will he ever play the skinflute again? I'd have at least gotten stitches...
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mreardon
Apr 16, 2003, 12:41 AM
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Had to change hands for the skin flute - like dating all over again. No stitches. There was minimal blood (not that many vessels in the fingers which is why even the deep flappers really don't bleed all that much once you bandage them) and it didn't rip the muscle or tendons, just pushed the skin. The nerve damage however will take another month to assess....
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buttets
Apr 16, 2003, 1:06 AM
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Ouch! :shock: Sounds pretty bad but not as bad as my friend did in Moab 3 weeks ago. To make a long story short he was on an 11 and slipped off. His little finger had to be amputated right off. I guess if you're going to loose a finger the little one is the best. :lol:
He's back climbing now, but staying away from those timy cracks for a while....
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mreardon
Apr 16, 2003, 1:13 AM
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You're kidding right? :shock:
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rokjunky
Apr 16, 2003, 1:23 AM
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that's what i prefer slabs. please, no lectures. i've read them all.
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petsfed
Apr 16, 2003, 1:25 AM
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Gah, that makes me nauseous just to think about. I can't wait for the pictures!
Last thursday, my partner fell on a ring jam and left blood in the crack the whole way up. It was sick (in both senses)! Ah the pleasure spiked with pain that is rock climbing.
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mreardon
Apr 16, 2003, 1:53 AM
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Friends don't let friends climb slabs.... Unless it's that greasy wall at Suicide :lol:
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rokjunky
Apr 16, 2003, 2:39 AM
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PETFED wrote "left some blood in the crack"
hey, what's climbing without donating a little DNA? like the cheese grating cuts and scabs i'm sporting now, reminds me that i didn't waste the day in front of the tv. it's all good. i know y'all feel the same way.
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petsfed
Apr 16, 2003, 3:51 PM
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Its not nearly as bad as an old friend of mine's story. Climbing in Rifle on a really jugriffic climb. Rips off (that's not open but physically removed) a pad. Turned the buckets into buckets of blood. Wish he had pictures.
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corpse
Apr 16, 2003, 4:30 PM
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Here's something I have never heard talked about - whats the correlation between injuries and ratings? I don't mean safety issues, like decking - or penduluming? into a wall - but I mean injuries from the actual climb? pulling muscles on strenuous roofs? hurt tendons from little crimpers?
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petsfed
Apr 16, 2003, 6:11 PM
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Doesn't seem to be one. A 14 can have loads of crappy crimps or loads of crappy slopers. Obviously, slopers aren't going to rage your tendons like crimps will, but highly static climbs won't destroy your muscles like campusing will. And you get equal amounts of all four on most really hard climbs.
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buttets
Apr 17, 2003, 12:12 AM
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It is totally true of my friend loosing his little finger at Moab! He is still recovering from it mentally so no pictures for now...
I would guess that "giving the finger" will have new meaning for him lolololol
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artm
Apr 28, 2003, 7:35 PM
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Hey Mike when do we get to see pictures of that finger!
Even though I got to see the actual finger the bandage you had on it totally blocked my view and I was very disapointed that I didn't get to see any oozing flesh wounds.
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