Why your FINGER INJURY WON'T HEAL and HOW TO FIX IT (Pain is Good)

[@charlesfourcade825]

Hi, it is great to see such content on "Pain science" and progressive load for recovery. A good supplement to the video on A2 Pulley Injuries, which I unfortunately have at the moment... :(. First real injury over more than 10 years of climbing... I have a question/clarification regarding the pain level protocol and monitoring: How should the pain level be monitored? During the load and timed after the load is clearly stated, but how do we let our body tell us? Meaning should we touch/move/apply some sort of pressure to the sensitive part or just without any touch/movement/pressure? Eg. for fingers and A2 pulleys. Thanks !

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome! Yeah after the A2 video we felt we needed a follow up on that to help bridge the gap even better. Sorry to hear about your injury though, that's a bummer. Good question regarding the monitoring. I think the foundation will be just how the force is causing your body to react. If it's not causing any pain it's great, if it is, listen to it and see how it unfolds. If it starts to go into those yellow areas (longer duration, more than a 3/10 pain) then I think it's OK to supplement with touch/movement to assess how it is doing. That way you can make a more educated assessment on "should I do more or less". Does that answer your question?

[@charlesfourcade825]

@@HoopersBeta Hi, Yes perfect :) thanks again. I am doing progressive loading for few weeks now, listening to my body, monitoring pain and inflammatory reaction for, hopefully, optimal recovery. Hard to ensure the right balance though. Yet, I see great progress and pain, while applying pressure, is low and disappear completely after 2 days rest. Again, thanks for the great content ! If you would need any input for future content and I could help, I would be happy to do so :)

[@MrLivecam]

@@charlesfourcade825 hi charles, i was interesed to know on how your injury is doing now (1month ish later?) i just hurt my a2 pulley yesterday and dont actually know how bad it is but i hope it will recover fast!

[@charlesfourcade825]

Hi @@MrLivecam, it is slow but still going in the good direction. I injured my A2 mid of July actually. Back then I could not put any load without pain on half crimp grip (open hand was never an issue). 4 months after I can now do series of repeater of half crimp on 8mm edge or one arm lock off on 20mm edge with 8kg help with pulley system (pain level at 3). Before injury I was doing it with 5kg added weight so it is still not fully recovered. I re-started outdoor climbing and Moon Board about 1 month ago. Everything is closed now though... I hope this help. We can exchange further if you want.

[@ssampzz]

@@charlesfourcade825Hi Charles. I hope you’re well. I just wondered, when you had your A2 pulley injury, how long were you not climbing at all for? When you had pain crimping, did you still climb open hand? Thanks.

[@dannymarsh4255]

Man, this channel is so good. You do such a great job with injury recovery and prevention, but also with general training and strength. A wonderful combination of tasteful (most of the time) humor and brilliant (all of the time) material! Crush on bruuuutheerr!

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you for the comment! Much appreciated :) We'll keep it going with hopefully the same/similar recipe :)

[@dinkelhacker3235]

Your Videos are top notch! Thanks for putting in the effort :).

[@legestrom]

Injured my finger (i think A4?) in a bike crash 6 days ago. Splinted it for 2 days and WOW i was in pain when i took it off. 4 days of very light use and my finger has partial range of motion back. Good to know that retraining with slight pain is actually a good thing.

[@garronfish8227]

I've seen a number of videos covering rehab of finger injuries and this is on another level, so good, thank you!

[@frictitiousclimbing4991]

Liked this about 5 seconds in, thanks for the insight Dr. Hooper!

[@junkfire4554]

wow, a rare instance where "meh, it doesn't hurt much, it's probably fine" is actually the correct attitude! love to hear it, was worried I'd have to completely avoid climbing for a while 🙌

[@the-nomad]

Thanks for this, I badly injured my finger when my bull attacked me (yeah, I'm not a climber), my finger was under his halter when he tossed me over his head. It's been two months tonight since the attack. This video has really helped, I've just tried some of the exercise and my finger is feeling better already!

[@HoopersBeta]

Whoa! That's gnarly! Thanks for sharing and I'm glad the video is helpful!

[@firstmkb]

I’ve never climbed, but dislocated a couple of fingers falling. These guidelines and info are perfect!

[@muakutu4641]

I'm not a climber at all (I'm an arm wrestler) but all of this advice completely applies to my wrist/hand tendon soreness

[@HoopersBeta]

Happy that it was able to help you as well!

[@urik]

This makes so much sense now. Came back to climbing after almost 1 year of lockdown and an old popped pulley was still sore after said year of rest time, but now after a couple weeks of climbing the pain is almost gone!

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! What a wonderful example of this :) Thanks for sharing!

[@harveywakefield7139]

Hey Urik? What did you do to rehab this? As I’ve got the same issue. But I can’t get the 4/10 pain to go. Trying to rehab it through density hangs. Most my pain comes when I involve some rotation to my crimp position. So trying to add a little rotation into my Fingerboard rehab in order to ‘re learn the brain’.

[@harveywakefield7139]

@hoopersbeta would love your help here!

[@christophedurand811]

Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@matthewberke2918]

This is great content... probably the best I've seen in free vlog format. Just wanted to note that the case study involves an A4 pulley injury and the pain science conversation used a tendon injury as the example. Different tissues respond differently to load.

[@sanjhrishi]

What if I feel almost no pain (left ring finger pulley) while climbing, but then after a session or the next day the pain/stiffness/swelling feeling sets in. Does this mean I still need to climb easier / shorter sessions?

[@asdffsdafdsafdsa7877]

2 years later and not a doctor but this is exactly my issue for a very long time and all I can really tell you from my reading and looking around is that I think that's more of a finger joint capsulitis/synovitis issue and not an acute tendon or pulley injury most content is aimed at. If you ever figured out some way to keep increasing results without injury let me know lmao.

[@lukocius]

Well, if you are overweight - losing weight reduces load, so helps a lot.

[@jayaywak]

Loved this, super thorough! However, i was wondering if you could suggest more exercises in addition to the farmer crimp you mentioned to progressively load more? Thanks!

[@Hottietatsy]

I developed CRPS when the docs told me to rest my wrist for 6 months cause pain wasn’t going away. The pain went away when I pushed through it in PT to restore function. When you immobilize or baby a part of the body and are convinced that you are injured, it will signal your brain to send pain signals

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks for sharing your experience, but sorry you went through that! Hoping that you're doing well now!

[@MattAngiono]

Lol i'm massaging my finger right now, wondering about this! Thank you for reading my mind and putting this out!

[@olivierlafrance3762]

Not much of a climber, but coming from a basketball player, still very interesting content. We also sprain our fingers all the time, and it always takes months to heal.

[@Katie-vy5rd]

Do you get MRIs to determine the grade of tear? And how do you treat the sprain? Cast or taping?

[@OTMchiropractic]

Epic video! Thanks guys

[@languagefreeassangeteacher5338]

Thanks a lot! I realize that I shouldn´t worry too much about a little bit of pain.

[@vincentton4449]

Hoop with the inside scoop! thanks man!

[@jazay591]

This is all lines up with my tricep tendon issues (i suspect tendonitis). Developed bad pain in it, likely from overuse at the gym so i took a big break from the gym due to the injury and other circumstances. When I came back to it a year later i still had the exact same pain, even with low loads. I decided to just try working through it while being more cautious with my form and weight increases, and after a handful of months its almost completely faded away.

[@dunavanjanzen-morris5245]

Thanks for the awesome content, Cooper. Always come here for my climbing training and rehab advice. I'm current'y rehabing to me what seems to be a minor A4 pulley injury. I never actually "injured" it, but over the last month of climbing hard outdoors, it's sore when I warm up, I feel less confident with that finger/hand while climbing (even if I don't experience pain per se after warming up), and the next few day it feels swollen and 3/10 pain even just light crimping on a door frame, for example. When I do the farmer crimp protocol, I can actually work up to high loads (almost as high as my other, non-injured hand) with 0 - 2 /10 pain that dissipates within 10 seconds. However, the next morning, it fees swollen and sore (again 3-4/10 with the lightest crimping). Is this morning pain and swelling just a sign of tissue adaption? Do you think as long as I'm not producing more than 3/10 pain lasting < 10 secs while farming crimping that I'm safe, regardless of the morning after pain? Thanks so much!! - Dunavan

[@kosmatifizik]

Incredible video. Again.

[@pallevold9161]

Thanks for the awesome video! This is such an important (and difficult!) part of injury treatment. How would you interpret pain reappearing a while after the assessment is done? For example no pain right after loading, but 4 of 10 pain 2/30/60 minutes after loading?

[@HoopersBeta]

You'll need to be cautious on your loading if your pain takes that long to respond to. Monitor your signs and symptoms after you have completed the loading and be sure to write down as many factors as possible to minimize those symptoms. You don't want a 4/10 pain 30/60 minutes after.

[@BoulderingHighlights]

5 star video!

[@HoopersBeta]

******* :) Thanks!

[@elihg3827]

Hello, thanks for the engaging and informative video. I am dealing with my first finger injury as a climber. My middle and ring fingers on my dominant hand are slightly swollen around the pip joints. The fingers often feel stiff and slightly weak when flexing against resistance. The range of motion is good and the fingers can be completely flexed and extended without pain if unloaded. There was no acute injury they just started to feel weaker and stiff in my last couple sessions so I have stopped climbing for a few days to assess. Does this sound like an injury to the pulley system or does it sound like more of a joint capsule thing? Do I sound like a good candidate for farmers crimps or should I wait until the swelling and stiffness has gone down? Also would finger extensions with a powerfingers help?

[@jamesdeecarpio4667]

Thanks Doc.

[@jaxonzstuhr2878]

Hi, thanks for a very informative video! Do you have an understanding of how long to wait and rest after an acute injury before beginning this kind of rehab? Can I get right into very low pain stressing of the injured finger if no swelling or resting pain, or should one wait to begin this rehabbing? Thank you!

[@Knn84]

Perfect ! I hope this will help me with my trigger finger?

[@thephattestlewt]

So I'm pretty sure I injured my middle finger A3 pulley by overload of my tendon on the heaviest part of deadlift. I was using an outward grip on my right hand and as the load was too high on my last rep, I think I really caused a lot of injury to this pulley whilst trying my best to hold onto the bar. I think this injury is connected to my distal bicep tendon which has also been hurting significant which I believe got injured in the same exercise. Funny that the only content I can find on this type of injury on youtube is coming from climbers who deal with this probably more often than most.

[@julien4699]

Great video as always, what alternative exercise(s) could you recommend for one who cannot replicate your rock-ring + sling setup?

[@fishguts9217]

10 years ago i felt a pop in my middle finger and just started climbing again since my 9 year old daughter showed interest and after a few weeks that finger swells up and gets stiff for a couple days after every climb

[@HoopersBeta]

Sorry to hear that you're having issues after coming back to climbing! Volume? Intensity? If those are too high that can cause it. Similarly, over gripping?

[@fishguts9217]

@@HoopersBeta I am thinking volume and intensity, once I started working on v5 and 6 it started hurting again. Of course I let my ego take over knowing that it was too much for just a month back. Sticking to slopers, jugs, and anything that's comfy and open hand with light training in-between. Knowing a little discomfort and even a little pain that only sticks around for 5-10 seconds is ok was a big game changer for me and after just a couple weeks I am noticing some small changes in the right direction.

[@stuffwithjon]

I hurt my index finger about 6 years ago, once and then another time after 2 weeks and the finger has been more stiff than normal ever since. The middle joint feels especially jank and the extensor tendon feels as if has become shorter/tighter. I've done physical therapy but it doesn't help. Will it ever heal or am I doomed?

[@TheWoWganker]

Please do a similar video but for fractures!

[@ivohanza8926]

Awesome video!!

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@henjelucy]

Really useful video thank you

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jackbadger6037]

Not to contradict the video but I’m pretty sure the body has both receptors for pain ‘nociceptors’ and dedicated nerve fibres ‘a delta’ which send the signal to the spinal cord. I understand that the signals change when going from acute to chronic. But these receptors and nerve fibres specifically for pain do exist in the body. So I’m a little confused when it suggested there arnt?

[@HoopersBeta]

A delta fibers are stimulated by mechanical and thermal sensation. It is those two stimuli that can be perceived as pain. I'm saying there are literally no receptors called pain receptors. None that are just there with the sole purpose to make you say owe.

[@neuromodel]

@@HoopersBeta This part of the video also didn't sit right with me. There's an entire wikipedia page on nociceptors (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nociceptor) which are dedicated to making us say "Ow" if a certain stimulus threshold is passed, they are literally termed "pain receptors". These are different from other mechanical/thermal receptors because "Only when the high threshold has been reached by either chemical, thermal, or mechanical environments are the nociceptors triggered." If you are interested in a scientific review check out www.cell.com/current-biology/comments/S0960-9822(17)30069-6#%20 which of course also introduces nociceptors with, "Nociception, the sensory mechanism that allows animals to sense and avoid potentially tissue-damaging stimuli, is critical for survival. This process relies on nociceptors, which are specialized neurons that detect and respond to potentially damaging forms of energy..."

[@DmitryLapshukov]

@@neuromodel wiki link is corrupt due to bracket FYI en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nociceptor

[@biv1236]

Wow awesome video here, is there any possibility of doing something like this for elbow injuries? Would really REALLY appreciate it!!!

[@Katie-vy5rd]

I see comments on tendons but not much about ligaments... why ?

[@Strummify]

Does this only apply to when you're climbing? I had a mild pulley tweak maybe 3 months ago but it's still tender to touch when im not climbing. Tender only on maximal blanching pressure with palpation. But climbing is fine/pain free lol.

[@oriaviram7239]

Thanks for the video, it’s very helpful! Do you have any tips for doing farmer crimps with no dedicated equipment? Replacing the weights is easy enough, but what can I use to replace the hold? I was thinking even a backpack with water bottles to control the weight, and using the upper lace as a hold. Would that work?

[@aleksi3339]

Hello, nice video! I would have wanted some information about whether isometric/eccentric/concentric movement affects and how does it do so on the tissue loading or rehabilitation factors. This particular 'farmer's exercise' is as i see it an isometric movement, which should be carried out on the early stage of rehabilitation, right?

[@luismaciel7463]

I injured my hands from defending karate kicks with my hands, even wearing fighting gloves. For more than 2 months I've felt weakness when squeezing my hand and almost a pain, as if the hand was warm inside. Especially when waking up. I had an MRI but it only showed some water inside the fingers and in a joint that hurts when I bend the finger. No arthritis or anything. The doctor said that finger injuries take time to heal but he didn't tell me anything else, not even about physiotherapy, medication, if I should stop or restart the activity. What do you think? I try to distract myself from it but the symptoms are there.

[@dboulder517]

A question I am always left with is when you refer to counting how long pain lasts after load, is it pain without any aggravation? Like when I get off a climb my injured pulley does not hurt on its own, but will be more sensitive when I press on the pulley with my other hand. It feels inflamed as it only hurts when pressing hard before climbing but after a session it hurts (2-3/10 pain level) with softer presses.

[@OptimusPrime-hl8en]

After how many days we should start doing this after a finger injury. A weight fell over my finger

[@OptimusPrime-hl8en]

Yes

[@mindful__gardener]

the brain recalibrates according to how you react to the pain. if your doing exposure and triggering pain..don't survive through the process or whiteknuckle through it. you might also get waves of fear. these are all alarms that need to ring..so sit in the fear and the pain and do nothing. don't resist the fear or pain. don't react in a way that shows you don't like it. embrace the pain and ask for more. this tells the brain that the perceived danger isn't real and turns off the alarms with repetition. when people sooth or freak out or put braces on..it tells the brain that the perceived danger is correct and keeps the alarms going.

[@die_hertz]

I was really surprised myself that my third digit DIP lateral ligament injury only got worse when I was forced on a COVID + surgery 2-month break.

[@HoopersBeta]

Active recovery, such an optic topic!

[@lukesutherland6285]

My finger pad only hurts if I squeeze it, if I don't touch it there's no pain, is this relevant to the Proper Pain Protocol?

[@merkasable]

This is quite an old video, but I wanted to ask anyway hoping on a response. I have been retraining with farmers crimps for a few weeks. Multiple times I didn't have any pain after doing the sets, but the next day my pulleys were sore. Does this mean that I am doing too much or should I just rest a bit longer before doing the next session? Would really appreciate a response! Cheers. Ps. I love your videos!

[@enderbassett3570]

A few weeks ago, I hyperextended my ring finger distal phalange while crimping, and now I have joint pain, weakness, and hypermobiliy that is preventing me from crimping with that hand. I'm wondering, could this same rehabilitation technique be applied to a joint injury like this?

[@Danfranschwan2]

Great content! I subbed

[@secretasianman7622]

I believe i ruptured a pulley while deadlifting. I was losing my grip on the bar and and felt/heard a pop in my left ring finger. Only feel pain when i press/load weight at the base of the finger and the location of the A2 pulley. No swelling or redness. It's been about a week and ive abstained from any weight lifting, as pretty much everything requires a loaded grip (i.e. even just picking up plates to load on a barbell for bench press, which is almost exclusively a PUSH exercise). Im not sure of recovery timelines, so every day after last week, ive been testing the pain by simply picking up weights, going heavier progressively. How long do i need to completely rest before working out again? 6-8 weeks as the video says?

[@hudsoncollier1187]

I’m about a year post injury and have been getting back to climbing, I have been doing this same thing on a hang board twice per week 3-5 reps for 10 seconds each, the pain is always at a 1 for less than 10 seconds after the hang. However easy climbing causes zero pain but sometimes I will feel slight pain after the session for about an hour is that ok?

[@BrentWoolf]

Yes

[@norag8265]

This is terrific for any tendon issues in the hands. Can this help with non climbing tendon issues, say like tendonosis due to years of repetitive use of a particular finger tendon, say the index finger knuckle?

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

How can I heal painful fingers and thumbs from too much gaming on mouse and keyboard and arcade fight stick, I get dull aches, sharp pain, soreness on the side of my index fingers base knuckles etc, are the tendons permanently damaged now, I’ve been resting a week?

[@CharlieBrownThe3rd]

Awesome vid, thanks Hooper. Any thoughts on rehab with 30s sub max hangs?

[@kristapsfuksis8954]

Had a few questions I hope you could answer. I had an a2 pulley strain about a month ago. I am doing a rehab routine to retrain the finger with light loading on farmer crimps. The initial sets have some pain in the 2-3 range, but in later sets this pain is down to 0-1 range. What is the explanation for this? That being said after the routine when I press on the injured area it is painful. The pain could even be going into the 3-5 range when doing this. Is this fine or should I reduce the weight and intensity? Also is there a difference between how the pain should be monitored when loading the finger versus pressing on the injured part of the pulley?

[@whitenozze]

Last week I think I tore my a2 pulley. Middle finger went numb, swelled up and bruised around the area. Now I have a definite horizontal red line at the center of the a2 pulley area. Not too much pain at all now a week later but I'm a little worried to push the rehab. Any advice?

[@HoopersBeta]

Sorry to hear of the injury! I would definitely follow a full rehab guide for a pulley rupture! If you're concerned about how to progress the rehab, speak to a skilled professional that is familiar with climbing injuries. I'm available for consults if needed! Check the website for details.

[@atti1120]

wrist pain for 2 years, with 1 year full break

[@smartial_arts]

Not sure that your comment re absence of pain receptors on the body is correct - there are specialised receptors called nociceptors and they are present in connective tissues as well. I wonder if you could clarify this bit.

[@HoopersBeta]

Therein lies the misconception. Yes, we have nociceptors that perceive pressure, temperature, and chemical that send the information to our brain that is perceived as pain, but we don't have "pain" receptors.

[@richardhorst6810]

Hey man I have a question, I don't remember hearing a pop or remember doing anything to cause this burning sensation on top of the middle finger just past the nail. I know you are busy, but I hope you can help.

[@Rees8269]

Very interesting video! I have personally been dealing with a collateral joint/ligament injury (in both the middle joints, middle fingers) for the last 2 years or so. I've done almost every form of rehab I can think of. In the video, you use the Farmers Crimp for tendon/pulley injuries, do you think that this rehab could be applied to a collateral ligament injury?

[@HoopersBeta]

When an injury lasts that long, my immediate response is two fold. 1) does pain science apply to this case and 2) what are they doing to constantly re-aggravate the injury? You may need to do a deeper look into your activities of daily living, work, climbing style, etc. Oh and 3rd, you may need to get the injury re-evaluated (or evaluated for the first time) to make sure it actually is a collateral ligament injury and not something else.

[@adampnewsome]

Thanks, you just helped me figure out what the name of my finger issue is (I think). Do you have the same/similar symptoms as me? - pain in fingers when pushing sideways on them - ability to crack fingers sideways - feeling of ligaments kinda slipping painfully if you move them a certain way, and associated crack sound and feeling - some pain during climbing on really crimpy stuff but usually pain is a bit after climbing - some pain when you bend your knuckles tightly as if to do tendon glides kinda Have you found anything that helps?

[@Rees8269]

​@@adampnewsome The only things I would say I have similar to you would be your last two points. However, now my fingers have made quite some progress over the last half year or so in the rehab I've been doing, so it is hard for me to tell if they had more of what you had in the past. The main thing that has helped the most recently is doing a hangboard protocol by Dr. Eva Lopez. en-eva-lopez.blogspot.com/2018/07/fingerboard-training-guide-iii-periodization-samples-of-maxhangs-training-programs-.html After that, I find that light finger stretching, massage, and blood flow control help reduce the pain and increase the mobility of the joint. Plus, rice bucket training helps more of the same in that essence. However these things do not result in healing the injury/getting it strong enough to climb again. I would recommend documenting the finger's progress. I've been doing so for the last year, and it's provided great affirmation and insight into the rehab I've been doing. At the very least, I would highly recommend looking into starting the hangboard routine if your fingers have been chronically injured (and it's a similar injury to what I have.) The fingers need to be loaded appropriately to get back to climbing shape, otherwise, they will never be strong enough for climbing.

[@adampnewsome]

@@Rees8269 great, thanks for all the helpful info. I've been considering starting hangboarding - I have an appt with my physio next week and I'll ask if he recommends it. The other things sound helpful as well 🤞🏼

[@leronlechtenberg1430]

@@adampnewsome what did you find out. I'm having a similar issue for the last 6 months.

[@DrSenorFishTacos]

Excellent video! Do you reckon that "No Hangs" can be a safe and suitable exercise to supplement farmer crimps?

[@HoopersBeta]

No hangs with arms overhead or in a similar fashion to the farmer crimp / carry? With arms overhead / on a hangboard the only challenge is being objective and knowing how much weight/force you're producing every time.

[@carolinethorne7825]

I’m sorry about marcelles’s finger. I’m going thru a fractured finger now. It’s taking some time.

[@HoopersBeta]

good luck to your finger as well!

[@mikesupermahal383]

I vevseen a lot of person who can solve and fix it automatacally on the spot

[@AbbyEmbro]

I still can't do normal activities or lift normal weights like groceries or my laptop with my bad thumb...

[@xdidk2134]

My finger hit my basketball because i was throwing it to the wall and my grandma was gonna hit the ball and i pushed the ball and my pinky hit it hurts

[@carefulcarrot]

Do you teach continuing education for PT? you give a lot of quality info!

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you! I do have some teaching experience but I have significantly reduced that recently to focus more energy here :)

[@IvoryKarambit]

Can someone explain to me what a nociceptor is if not a dedicated pain receptor/nerve? I get everything else the doc said and it makes sense, but I had to scratch my head when I read "There are no dedicated pain nerves in the body".

[@HoopersBeta]

Nociceptors detect pressure, temperature, and chemicals. Excessive pressure, temperature, or harmful chemicals will activate them and send a message to the brain. They are simply peripheral sensory neurons. Higher brain centers will decide if it is extreme enough to warrant a response such as pain. The point being, these are simply receptor providing feedback, the higher brain centers will decide how to interpret it.

[@rollinnackenheim]

Hey, like so many others here, I have a question. I now have the second A4 injury this year on my right hand, it's slowly getting there, I have climbing sessions without pain in the pulleys. However, my DIP hurts more when doing rehab protocols than the pulleys and they are also the bigger issue when climbing. I had an MRI because of my first pulley injury and they found nothing. Do you have an idea what might be the issue and how to deal with it?

[@HoopersBeta]

If the MRI was a while ago and the swelling is new then the MRI wouldn't tell you too much, but... It could be that you lost range of motion in your fingers after the injuries and began developing some synovitis? I hate to just jump to that when I hear DIP swelling but without an evaluation it's harder to determine if there is another cause of the injury like a collateral ligament injury, volar plate injury, or others. We do have a video about synovitis / finger swelling. Check that out and see if it helps answer any of your questions! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl7RgIOAqKeNsJo

[@rollinnackenheim]

@@HoopersBeta Thanks for your answer. I checked out your link and will try the tendon glides and rest. Keep up the great work!

[@living4adrenaline]

Thank you for the video. I have a pulley injury on my second toe and it's been stuck in a slightly curled position ever since I stubbed it. The ROM is maybe half of what it used to be. Can I break it into it's normal ROM?

[@thecosmickitten4452]

What if pain is caused by ripping apart fused scar tissue?

[@jordanbroadhead7388]

How can I tell whether I need to rest a pulley injury or of its recovered enough to climb? For example I have a a2 pulley strain that still has some pain and I don't want to somehow make it worse

[@shrill_2165]

recently ruptured my A4 and am wondering at what point in the recovery process i should start to use PPP. After a few weeks of ROM exercises or right away?

[@dark-o]

Great video. Can finger rolls/curls be used for rehab similar to Farmer Crimps?

[@HoopersBeta]

They should be treated as different tools. The farmer crimps are an isometric activity whereas the finger rolls are isotonic. While the difference may seem subtle, it can be important depending on the issue you are hoping to address and the stage of it :) great question though!

[@dark-o]

@@HoopersBeta thanks. I have an A3 and was wondering if I can mix the isometric with isotonic. What is isotonic best application for?

[@dark-o]

@@HoopersBeta diving into the differences and when is what isometric and/or isotonic more applicable would be a good follow up video :)

[@lebraysouthking1921]

ive got my fingertip cut and it wont heal,its been two months now...the tip is so sensitive asf...omg

[@herrar6595]

What about pain management when not injured? Have not been injured yet and very ambitious, wanna operate right at the edge of whats doable :)

[@HoopersBeta]

Tricky one! First off, I have to stand on my soap box and say that the harder you train, the more rest you’re going to need. If you’re feeling wrecked after training, you need MORE time to recover otherwise that great work you did will be nullified by the lack of proper recovery and the potential risk of increased injury in future workouts. So, when you talk about pain with training, yes, to get stronger it’s going to be hard, you will have to work hard, there will be some “pain” but there needs to be a good understanding of this. Good pain is muscle burn, fatigue, soreness AFTER working out. Bad pain is going to be sharp sensations during exercise, twinges, spasms, etc. That’s not a sign you’re doing good work but rather signs that you are setting yourself up for an injury. So if you’re training hard to get stronger, you just need to understand what good pain is and you need to understand that you’ll require more rest otherwise you’ll be less efficient with your time. Good question!

[@herrar6595]

@@HoopersBeta ok, so basically listen to your body, sharp pain is bad I mean that´s what I did up to this point as well. I do feel wrecked after my sessions currently but that´s fine cause i only get two a week anyway at the moment, so I´m allways fresh by the next one

[@Tacchi3]

Hi, with the training protocol you present in the video, can i climb during the rehab period o just 4-5 times a week the exercises but no climbing?

[@bmp713]

Have you or anyone here developed persistent swelling and some tingling in their thumbtips or fingertips from climbing or high repetition weight lifting? What did you do to recover from the problem?

[@TheBurak175]

Can we apply the same approach for thumb RSI because of drumming? It’s been 3 years and there is no limited range of motion but I have 1/10 scale pain that wont go away. Since I started to use powerball, resistance bands and dumbells I made a %40 progress in pain. However, I want to be able to play drums again but not sure what to do next.

[@Hyperuniverse1]

Hey my one of my middle finger on my right hand is pointing to the right due to some poorly performed gripper training I did. It was months ago and I just rested it, but every time I try to go do it again, the finger aches again and points to the right, as in being angled to the right where there is blatantly more distance between that middle finger and the index finger compared to the distance between the left hand's middle and index fingers. I already paid way too much just to have it checked by physiotherapists who gave general advice but nothing specific so hopefully you know what I could do, I probably didn't give enough details but I figure you can ask and I'll explain it as best as possible. Would appreciate some method for this. Thanks

[@lou-rochbonnin3511]

What I don't get, is why my pulley injury is not hurting me at all

[@HoopersBeta]

How do you know it's a pulley injury?

[@lou-rochbonnin3511]

​@@HoopersBeta well I went to see a specialist of the hand, she said that indeed it felt like a pulley injury (there would be an interspace between my tendon and my finger that there isn't on the other finger).

[@lou-rochbonnin3511]

she told me to rest for three month without any rehab protocol, and that I should just restart to climb progressively, but I admit that I feel very unconfident about my fingers rn

[@kadepike899]

I don't feel the pain necessarily when im pulling only if it's extreme but it feels weak and when I squeeze my fingers hard or press on the base it hurts like a 4 or 5. Any advice? I also still have swelling on the injured fingers after 2 years

[@sizzl1]

Hi, i'm a climber from germany. I recently misst a hold and felt into my left hand with only my ring and my middlefinger at the wall. I heard NO popping sound or anyhing. but in a second after my "fall" i noticed a pain at the bottom of my ringfinger right around the A1 Pully. A doctor told me nothing is ripped of its just an inflammation and i should pause climbing for 1-2 month. But i'm not sure, after 4 weeks not climbing at all it still hurts in totaly normal daylie tasks. I can trigger the pain if i pull my pinkie finger towards my palm and than straitan the ringfinger. Should i slowly climb a little bit? Or just wait it out, since an inflammation is maybe something else than a rupture... i dont know. I would love to hear your opinion on that.

[@HoopersBeta]

Hallo! Check out our video on the lumbricals as well! Perform some of the tests there and see if our rehab program can guide you to healing! Sorry to hear of your injury, though! Ich hoffe es hilft! (entschuldigung. Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut)

[@sizzl1]

@@HoopersBeta Thank you for your Help. Yes i watched the lumbricals Videos and this is exactly my problem. If i lay down my hand on the table and fixiate the ringfinger i cant raise my pinkiefinger. If i try, the finger lifts about 1cm of the ground and than starts the pain. Its hard for me to figure out if its Grade 1 / 2 or 3. I can straighten the ringfinger without any pain but only if i hold my pinkie finger down with my other hand. If i try to hold my pinkie finger with his own muscles i cant rise my ringfinger by itself without major pain.

[@jndajuicemane]

I see that kombucha in your jar Dr. Hooper! Do you brew it yourself?

[@josephsmith7666]

Injured my finger yesterday. Should I have it go through a light range of motion or keep it immobilized for a few days to allow initial recovery?

[@HoopersBeta]

Depends on the intensity of the injury but if it's nothing major light range of motion is good! Only immobilize if it's more intense of an injury.

[@josephsmith7666]

@@HoopersBeta Light pulley. Thanks for the imput 👍

[@michaellim4125]

Any thoughts on icing fingers? Penguin fingers thingys

[@HoopersBeta]

Icing has it's purpose. Icing can definitely be beneficial in maintaining performance, especially if you're a professional athlete / climber during a long season of performance. The reason I don't love it is simply because you are reducing a natural process of the body: inflammation. Inflammation gets a bad rap, when really... it's there for a reason. If you're just covering up your aches with inflammation you may be doing yourself an injustice. In fact, inflammation is there to help heal the body so why do I want to slow that down? If you're dependent on penguin fingers to climb then you may be pushing your body too far. But, again, if this is your job and you're a professional athletes, it is common practice in order to maintain performance.

[@karabaia5417]

just broke my pulley, I'm trying not to get depresion :/. Just kidding, but it's going to be a long summer until I can come back climbing

[@Ckaysurfs]

Thank you so much for the high quality content! I have one question: how do I know if my a2 pulley is „fully healed“? I have been injured (pulley strain) for almost 1 year now with ups and downs - yeah, I pulled to hard sometimes :( Would you suggest to start with the PPP even if I am not sure if the pulley is healed yet (my last pause started 4 weeks ago and ended yesterday. Thank you!

[@HoopersBeta]

Use the PPP and make sure to check out the A2 pulley video! Those may help to answer your questions.

[@chubbypuppy8547]

7:15

[@jbfanandlover]

I have a weird cut in my finger that won’t heal lol it’s been months any idea

[@asiacoleman6975]

Did you clean it properly?? Did you bandage it?? Did it get exposed to dirt or germs?? There can be quite a few reasons why. I’m not a doctor or anything just had a lot of cuts in my life.

[@spacescienceguy]

I've been climbing for about 6 months and have so far had 2 minor injuries (right rotator cuff strain, right ring finger A2 pulley strain). I want to train as hard as I can without risking injuries too much. Should I be easing back on quantity/intensity of training, or is this a standard rate of injury for climbers?

[@HoopersBeta]

That's not standard so I would consider backing off frequency or intensity to avoid injuries.

[@spacescienceguy]

@@HoopersBeta Ok thank you!

[@ItzWhatevz]

We know that ice is good for injury recovery, but is there any evidence that suggests that applying heat to an injury can help and promote recovery?

[@HoopersBeta]

It's funny. Once I read your question I realized "Hmm, we learn about this in school from a book, which should be based upon research, but is there actually new research out there?" I found this article done in 2014 Mechanisms and efficacy of heat and cold therapies for musculoskeletal injury I'll need to read through it more but just a tidbit from it this am: "There is limited evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) supporting the use of cold therapy following acute musculoskeletal injury and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The physiological effects of heat therapy include pain relief and increases in blood flow, metabolism, and elasticity of connective tissues. There is limited overall evidence to support the use of topical heat in general; however, RCTs have shown that heat-wrap therapy provides short term reductions in pain and disability in patients with acute low back pain and provides significantly greater pain relief of DOMS than does cold therapy."

[@anthonynoel7671]

Contact Dr Imuse for any spiritual and physical illness as I recommend him for everyone

[@holysmoke8439]

No geek boy it's not my imagination my pinky docates easy n is bent outward

[@johnneira]

Don't forget vitamin C.

[@CoinBahd]

Why do you have your pissjar just sitting out there on your desk? At least store it in the fridge smh

[@lieketv]

Thank you so much for this video. I started following this advice (more or less) in february and today I declare my finger officially healed. Today I climbed my orginal level, whitout tape, with small edges and most importantly without pain.

[@HoopersBeta]

That’s great to hear, way to go!

[@WanderlustKing11]

I know this is an old video, but thought I would comment anyway on how I haven't seen much on your channel dedicated to toe health. I did see your ankle health video. But it seems that big toe injuries are quite common in rock climbing. So I would be really curious to see you cover this topic if it ever interested you. Thanks for all the knowledge. Cheers