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Hyper extended middle finger?

Original Post
Sam Stephens · · PORTLAND, OR · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 1,090

So I'm trying to figure out if I messed something up bad or just strained it. Here's what I did.

I was climbing a route the other day and had my right hand higher than my left, with my left in a mailbox slot. As I went to pull my left out, I pulled up too much and too fast, catching the tip of my middle finger inside the slot and the top of the second bone in my middle finger on the lip of the slot. I heard a crack, finished the route as I was on the jug to the anchors and lowered. Pretty much I bent my middle finger too far back at the first joint from your hand.

My finger began hurting on the way down, and it was painful to squeeze the trigger on my cams with my left hand. My hand swole up as we got back to the car, I iced it, buddy taped it to my ring finger, took ibuprofen and stopped climbing.

This was all on Sunday the 24th.

I can move my finger fairly well, but straightening it out flat causes discomfort. I can bend it at 90 degrees to the first joint from my hand and put pressure on it without instant pain or discomfort but flattening it out or pushing down on it causes pain. Pinching stuff like a cam trigger does the same thing, but thats probably because it's the same thing as trying to flatten it out.

Anyone have a good idea what I've done exactly? A little research leads me to believe I've damaged the PIP joint. Has anyone done this before? How long did it take to recover? Thanks.

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200

I hyperextended my thumb crashing my bike a while back, the meat of my hand swelled up to the size of an orange and hurt for a week until the swelling went down. Ice it, take vitamin I, and wait a week or two. if it still hurts after that call yer doc.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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