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Ring Finger Tendons

Ben Cooper · · Chatt · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 36

I thought that I had tendonitis in my ring finger tendons for about a year, and multiple visits with medical professionals were useless. One day I started reading about thoracic outlet syndrome and other nerve entrapment issues. Since I started doing nerve glides to alleviate this problem I've had basically no problems with my fingers.

Chag · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 45

Ben, interesting idea about the nerve entrapment. I looked it up and tried some nerve glides. Seems like it helped almost instantaneously, but too early to say.

After searching around, it seems most nerve entrapment stuff for climbers is related to elbows, and mine and the OP's are on the ring finger. Has anyone else had experience with nerve issues in the fingers?

Aerili · · Los Alamos, NM · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 1,875
Kevin Stricker wrote:Tendon pulley injuries are not injuries to tendons at all, they are strain or tears to the ligaments supporting the tendon which keep the tendon running in it's correct path.
Actually, pulleys are not ligaments. Pulley injuries are considered strains, not sprains. I thought they were also ligaments (since they seem to have some form of attachment to the bone on either side of the tendon), but I found out they arise (at least in part) from the tendon sheath itself and are considered a form of tendon injury. Who knew.

Chris treggE wrote:Based on our findings we do not support taping the base of the fingers as a prophylactic measure against flexor tendon sheath injury in the climbing athlete.
I think this is the difference between your study, Chris, and what Kevin is saying: this study examines taping as PREVENTATIVE, whereas Kevin is talking about taping as TREATMENT AFTER THE FACT.

I have read a study (sorry, can't remember where I found it) that taping only reduces forces on the pulley by about 12%. Not that much. But something.

Another study showed that the H-taping technique reduces forces on the pulley the most.

To the OP: I think the best pulley and tendon treatment advice is on rockclimbing.com by a guy named onceahardman (a climber and very gifted physical therapist). I would do a search over there as well.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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