Finger injury beta

So I imagine this isn't a climbing injury directly, but still involved.

My pointer finger of my left hand has been sore upon flexion/closing. Looking at hand anatomy, I'm identifying it as the middle phalanx, and it's the topside, so it appears to be the extensor tendon. In laymen's terms: the top of my middle knuckle.

It doesn't feel too tight or anything, but it feels kinda inflamed when I close it, especially really tightly. (I think it stemmed from holding books open from the top- holding the pages really tight for long periods...AND climbing I'd imagine. I feel like a wimp)
It doesn't hurt when I pull on it however, like on a sloper or jug, and honestly small, non-crimps don't hurt either.

I've tried to find some info online, but have found more about pulley injuries than anything.

I guess the overall questions are:
Is this common? (I imagine not)

If the pain is felt in this location, is that where the injury is? (Stuff I've read on pulley injuries don't exactly point out where the pain would be felt- I could see it hurting elsewhere possibly.

Is this ok to climb on? It's not that painful, but is annoying, and I'm afraid it will either get worse or not go away

Any good rehab tricks? I assume gently working extensors & flexors, plus ice and NSAIDs.

Thanks in advance, and if your advice sucks, I won't take it (ie don't worry about a lawsuit, all you internet doctors)

Luke R 84 wrote: If the pain is felt in this location, is that where the injury is? (Stuff I've read on pulley injuries don't exactly point out where the pain would be felt- I could see it hurting elsewhere possibly.

When it hurts in a different location than the injury it's called Referred Pain. The injury may be somewhere else, but most likely it's injured where it hurts.

Luke R 84 wrote:Any good rehab tricks? I assume gently working extensors & flexors, plus ice and NSAIDs.

Gentle work is good, "it won't heal without stressing it". Don't make it HURT, especially if you're on NSAIDs.

Go easy on the NSAIDs. I think the current recommendation is only a week or less. Personally, I'd avoid them entirely for this type of injury because it's not clear why it's hurting.

Gently stretch the injured tendon every few hours.

If you feel you may have scarring in there try "scraping". You can start at the link below, I didn't find a better link. No need to buy anything more sophisticated than a "pot scraper" for 99 cents. Round off the edges with sandpaper.

core3massage.com/kinesio-ta…

I would avoid ice and NSAIDS all together, inflammation is an important part of the healing process. Movement is good as long as it does not hurt, extensors are great.

I've had the same exact thing on my middle finger for the past two months. I can't fully close it or fully extend it, which is useful for certain applications. I've been climbing about 3 times a week still, and it hasn't gotten any worse, but it is super annoying. I avoid pockets and crimps, but if I do have to hit a crimp, I'll keep my hand in an open handed position. Not as effective, but not painful. At night I get a cup of ice water and a cup of very hot water and transition my finger between the two. I get a significant amount of flexibility after this. Also, So ill makes a finger massager that works pretty good.

Bumping because I have a similar thing. I have mild pain on the top of the middle phalanx of my ring finger. Its progressed the last week and especially after lots of crimping. I can feel it when I flick the finger or apply resistance against it opening. Are there any exercises I can do to alleviate it or is basically a let it rest a while kind of thing?

If it's bad enough to ask medical advice on an internet forum - it might be time to see an actual medical doctor. I have a climber partner who is an MD - one of his sayings is "your Google search does not equal my medical degree". Might be some truth in that. See a doctor or a Physical Therapist.