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milk
Aug 23, 2005, 8:47 PM
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i think i pulled something in my left hand middle finger. It hurts when I put pressure on the bottom or sides around the first section of it closest to the hand. any one have an idea of what I did?
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euthanasia
Aug 23, 2005, 8:53 PM
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Registered: May 2, 2004
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you pulled or tore your a2 pully tendon. I did the same thing a couple of months ago.
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andrewbanandrew
Aug 23, 2005, 8:54 PM
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See a doctor. I might be feeding you lies.
You probably strained your A2 pulley. Stop climbing for 4 weeks.
Ice it for 5 to 10 minutes, do this a couple times a day.
Do you still have full range of motion, i.e. can you still make a fist and straighten your fingers out? Can you bring your fingertip down so that it touches the base of the finger near the top of the palm? Obviously if you feel any sharp pains attempting to do these things, stop doing them.
If you do not have full range of motion, don't move it for 10 days, splint your finger.
Otherwise, you can do things like gently massaging the area, or brushing the skin on top with a toothbrush. All of this will increase bloodflow to your hand, which speeds healing.
After 4 weeks you can start climbing easy stuff. You will have to tape for the next 3 months, probably. You should wait until you feel no pain at all before you attempt anything at your limit.
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qulith
Aug 23, 2005, 8:58 PM
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You partially ruptured a tendon pulley. Check this site out:
http://www.physsportsmed.com/...997/05may/jebson.htm
Ice it, take ibuprofen, and do not climb on it.
If you want a good hand specialist in town go to Marc Dinowitz in Mesa. He is knowledgeable and has treated other climbers with pulley ruptures.
This is more than I can say about another unnamed hand specialist who told me my pulley rupture was trigger finger, to climb on it, and if it continued bothering me he would give me a cortisone injection.
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squierbypetzl
Moderator
Aug 23, 2005, 10:08 PM
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Since itīs only a matter of time before someone posts something illogical and/or dangerous in this thread, I thought Iīd do it and get it over with.
I think we may have the same problem. I canīt remember how I hurt my left middle finger (me thinks it involved snapping to one side) but every (rare) once in a while I also get pains at the joint in question. It hurts when I press up against it but if I manage to crack my knuckles it sometiems clears up.
I did go to (+2) doctors (since Iīm a pianist and guitarist and like being able to move my fingers) and the MFīs didnīt do a thing. It hurt ALOT constantly and spontaneously for like 3-4 weeks, and the morons still couldnīt find anything wrong with it (stupid pricks). It was killing me, and the only thing I could do was suffer through it and try to crack my knucle which would only sometimes happen....
Iīm pissed of now...
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squierbypetzl
Moderator
Aug 23, 2005, 10:14 PM
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OK, I remember what happened.
I jumped up like 5 steps, running, and I smashed the knucke (like 2mm offcenter to the right) into a piece of SH!T metal near the handrail. I couldnīt move it because of the pain so I walked out of class and went to the docīs. He splinted it up and some other BS and maybe prescribed something but it didnīt do shit. Itīs one of the worst experiences with needless pain Iīve ever had (and Iīve had plenty...).
So basically, I didnīt do anything except wait till it went away. Still works fine.
But yeah, go to a doctor and get it fixed; Iīd gladly pay the U$100 for consult and tests and that stuff in exchange for not having to suffer with a chronic injury.
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milk
Aug 24, 2005, 3:34 PM
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Registered: Jun 16, 2004
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its an extremely mild pain, just has me worried because it hasnt gone away, and has been pretty constant for the last week. I know I should see a specialist, but I just dont have the money and I dont think its too terrible so I was just hoping for some advice.
Funny thing is that I didnt even notice it hurting or that I did anything untill the next day.
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qulith
Aug 24, 2005, 3:46 PM
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That is what happened to me. Not that I am a doctor nor can I diagnosis your problem from symptoms online, but that sound exactly like a tendon pulley rupture (or partial rupture).
Once again, stop climbing on it. I didn't head this advice and I have had problems with my pulleys for the past 3-4 months.
If you can't afford to go to a specialist, another good source of information about pulley injuries is the falcon guide "Training for Rockclimbing". It has a really nice section on climbing related injuries, it can explain pulley ruptures better that I can.
Good luck and take it easy on that finger.
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supersonick
Aug 24, 2005, 4:29 PM
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Don't listen to anyone who tells you take X number of weeks off. The amount of time you need to take off is totally dependent on the severity of the strain in your pulley tendon. I have had minor strains where I only needed to take 4 weeks totally off, and major ones where I needed to take 4 months totally off.
Unfortunately for you the major ones are usually the middle finger.
Doctor's are worthless with these kinds of soft tissue injuries in the hand - you might get lucky with one but don't expect much. You need to be able to judge your own body.
Ice the first week or so then once the swelling is totally gone start with the heat (either hot water or a paraffin wax bath). Glucosamine, condroitin, MSM, cetyl pure - all good joint health supplements. Lots of water to flush the system. Baby your finger and try not to do anything stupid like climb on it.
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qulith
Aug 24, 2005, 6:01 PM
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In reply to: Don't listen to anyone who tells you take X number of weeks off. The amount of time you need to take off is totally dependent on the severity of the strain in your pulley tendon. I have had minor strains where I only needed to take 4 weeks totally off, and major ones where I needed to take 4 months totally off. Doctor's are worthless with these kinds of soft tissue injuries in the hand - you might get lucky with one but don't expect much. You need to be able to judge your own body.
I agree with this. There is no X number of weeks. Stay off it till the pain is gone, then start climbing slowly. I also agree that the Dr. won't be able to tell you much, if it is a pulley injury, since there is nothing that can be done besides resting the finger. He should be able to tell for certain what is the matter, since internet diagnosis are not medically sound.
In reply to: Glucosamine, condroitin, MSM, cetyl pure - all good joint health supplements.
I am not putting these supplements down, I take them as well, but they won't help with soft tissue injuries or prevention.
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