If you climb long enough, you’re going to at least tweak a finger.  For most climbers, when we injure a finger the immediate reaction is to think we need to take some time off climbing to let things heal.  If the injury is very severe, this may be required.  However, because of the limited blood flow to our fingers, rest often isn’t enough and we need to be more proactive in healing our finger tweaks.

To help heal finger injuries faster and more effectively, here’s an article from Splitter Choss by BJ Sbarra in which he outlines how to go about training with a finger injury.

“Some might say, why not just take some time off and step back from climbing? A valid question, but as many people have pointed out, you actually need to rehab finger injuries in a very specific way, as rest alone will only result in weak scar tissue that you will be more likely to re-injure in the future.” – BJ Sbarra

Training With a Finger Injury Outline:

While Sbarra is careful to note that he is not a doctor, his approach is very sensible, based in solid principles, and will definitely produce better results than simply sitting on the couch.  In the article, Sbarra describes how he went about training with a finger injury and takes you through exactly how he designed his training program so that he would not only be rehabbing he finger, but also be able to come back to climbing as fit and strong as possible.

While every injury is different, here are what Sbarra feels are some critical things to keep in mind when trying to train around an injury:

• Go slow
• Soreness during the workout and the day after is OK, but not two days after.
• Discipline is everything

Click through below to read the full article.  It is full of really helpful information that will help you work around and recover from finger injuries without completely disrupting your training and climbing progression.

One final note: all injuries are different and there is a big difference between soreness/stiffness and pain.  As Sbarra recommends, go slow and be disciplined.  If you are still in pain, go see a specialist.  While it stinks to have to spend money seeing doctors, it’s way better than continuing to do damage to your fingers.  Take care of those things!

Full Article: Splitter Choss – Training With a Finger Injury

(photo courtesy of splitterchoss.com)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• How I Came Back Stronger After A Finger Injury
• Dr. Volker Schoeffl on Taping
• Heal Finger Injuries Faster
• Review of Pulley Injury Literature