With the way things were progressing in the Fall, what with me doing more outdoor climbing than I had ever done, you would think that I would be well on my way to recovery for a great Spring season. However, that simply has not been the case. While my elbow no longer bothers me (which is a weird feeling), this has only led me to notice more and more the pain in my hands.
As has been documented here previously, for the better part of 2007 I struggled with tendonitis in both my elbow and my shoulder. I took time off here and there but never for more than a couple of weeks in a row. The pain got better but never quite disappeared.
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This situation led me to spend most of the Fall trad climbing which ended up being a blessing in disguise. I had some of the most fun days I have ever had climbing, mostly at an area that I had dismissed as being “not worth it” all my years of living here.
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Unfortunately, as my elbow got back to full strength I began to turn my focus to another problem that had been ailing me since before the elbow problems began. Since about December of 2006 I noticed that my fingers were starting to hurt during climbing and at work while typing. I wasn’t a stranger to finger pain from climbing, but this pain was different. It was a pain that would radiate throughout both of my hands with varying degrees of painfulness. Not excruciating by any means, but incredibly persistent. I had it looked at early in the year, but nothing really came of it so I just lived with the pain most of the year.
As the Summer came to a close and the pain was only getting worse I had my hands looked again. Apparently the problem is that my fingers are hyper-flexible which causes them to receive undo amounts of stress from activities like climbing and typing. This is especially unfortunate when you consider that climbing and typing are pretty much all I do (as you might have noticed). It took a few more months for the wheels to get set in motion for me to receive some sort of treatment (mainly just PT) for this, and that is the stage I am at now.
Sadly, a big part of this stage involves not climbing at all. Not the “not climbing” I did all last year where I “not climbed” on several road trips. No, this is the sort of “not climbing” that has kept me from pulling down in any way for basically the last two months. Apparently this process could take quite a long time (months, probably years?) so it looks like I could be “not climbing” for the foreseeable future.
However, part of my newfound optimism is to look on the bright side. So I’m getting psyched for other things this Spring like spotting Mrs. Narc’s ankle and taking a lot of pictures of other people pulling down. What this will mean for our future plans of relocating to a more climber friendly part of the country remains to be seen. One day at a time I guess…
Wow, that sucks! I hope for the best in your recovery.
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i guess i reap the rewards of living close to a climbing destination.
brian–you’re young, take the time and recuperate!
an aside, do you have symptoms for carpal tunnel syndrome (ie. tingly fingers, cramping hands)? there are some exercises and stretches that may facilitate blood flow to your healing hands i could send you.
best of luck in recovery, photography is fun!!!
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Thanks Ben.
Eddie – I am all about recovering now, trust me. I have gotten multiple opinions that the problem is not carpal tunnel. The pain is entirely on the dorsal side of my hands which apparently rules that out. I have a bunch of exercises that are supposed to strengthen my fingers but the part that I have been confused about was how my fingers ever got “weak” in the first place but who knows. If you want to send the exercises thought I will certainly have a look at them.
And yes, photography is a fun diversion althouh the irony of that is that digital photography seems to require a lot of time at a computer as well. You’ll have to let me know if you are ever back in the WI area so I can get some pictures of you in your 80’s painter garb…think Whiskey-a-go-go this time.
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You might try using the Dvorak keyboard layout for all your computer work. I have a coworker who started having hand/wrist pains, switched over from QWERTY to Dvorak, and noted a significant improvement.
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Interesting, I hadn’t seen one of those before. It seems like it would be really hard to re-train yourself to type on the Dvorak layout. How did it go for your co-worker?
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Damn dude, that sucks a lot. I think that investment in a video camera might be a good idea. you might even have the honor of becoming a “Momentum Video Mag correspondent.” I’m thinking of trying to do Whiskey on gear over my Spring Break. Let’s get some footage (on whatever camera is available, my parents have one), assuming I decide it would be even somewhat safe, and send it in.
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and when you said you needed “to post one more about yourself” i definitely thought you meant a post about how you did the FA of some sick route in freezing temps at the lake
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It’s been a couple of months since he switched over, and he’s still not as fast as he was using the old qwerty layout. The re-training of all the muscle memory is a slow process, but he does feel that it has helped reduce the stress on his hands and wrists.
Here’s a couple of posts he wrote on the subject:
http://www.prestonlee.com/archives/151
http://www.prestonlee.com/archives/153
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Peter – Sadly no mid-winter DL sends to speak of.
I have advocated for a video camera as well but it…um…hasn’t been approved yet. It would be cool to get some WI climbing on film though. I know that there used to be footage of some harder bouldering (Greatest show on earth) but I don’t have any idea if that person still has it or not.
From what I have read the FA of Whiskey was done on natural gear although I don’t remember if it was pre-placed or not. I don’t really recall too many opportunities to hang out and place gear. It would probably be easier and only slightly less safe to just solo it…maybe.
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Also, I have tried using voice recognition software but I have found that it doesn’t really work unless you are only working in Office all day.
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stick with the rehab, and the positive attitude, and you’ll come through it with a better perspective than most.
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for the crux, i skip the gaston, and get an incredibly high right foot and lock off the left hand crimp near my waist. from there i reach right hand into the slot crimp. i think that you might be able to get a nut placement in that slot, clip, and still be able to use it to make the next move. after that there’s probably at least one more good nut placement and possibly a few cam placements in that left angling crack. then, i think you could get a .4 camelot or possibly some kind of TCU in the jug slot (after you moved off of it) which would provide adequate protection for the somewhat thin moves up near the top. the trick would be finding gear (perhaps you’d just reach way over right and put something big in that crack….risking a heinous swing but at least not a ground fall) until you reach the crux. yeah, i heard it was done first on gear as well and then someone retro-bolted it to make it a bit safer.
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Yeah, that is basically my thought as well. It seems like gear would be sparse until you got mid-crux. Not sure there is much in the parallel cracks leading up to it.
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Hi
I just read about your joint problems and here are some recommendations for a speedy recovery. ginger comfrey soaks twice a day for starts. Make a brew of 2-3 inches of sliced ginger boiled in a qt. of water reduce heat, add 5 tbs. comfrey, simmer another 10 mins. let cool till you can stand diping your hand in the water for as long as possible( at first only a few seconds) pull it out and put it on ice tiull you are4 ready to dip it back in the hot brew. Do this till you can keep your hand in there forever then always finish with the ice. This helps increase circulation and decrease swelling in the joint cavity.
If joint pain continues and you want some serious help getting back to climbing shape visit a dr. I saw for a very serious ankle injury , Dr. Milne Ongley. Visit his website at ongleyonline.com . This guy is the real deal and worth every penny. his work helps your body get the blood to the injured area so that your body can heal itself. Don’t be dissuaded by his clinic being in enesenada mexico, its easy and cheap to get to, and as you will learn, many top athletes, dancers,etc.. see him for their joint pain issues.Start with checking out his website. At the very least it may make you feel better having an ace in the hole. best of luck
tim
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talked to george a while back about whiskey. he told me it was never done on gear. completely bolted.
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Someone might want to correct mountainproject then:
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/wisconsin/necedah_petenwell_bluff/ycrack_wall/105731033?highlightphrase=whiskey&
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