Nerve damage from crack climbing?

Hello all. A couple weeks ago I was leading my first granite splitter (yay!) when I felt a strange pinch in the back of my hand while using a thumbs down jam (ouch!). I didn't think much of it at the time because it wasn't bothering me at the time. I was using tape gloves for what it is worth. This past weekend I was climbing a route that required some hand jams when I felt that same pinch right before some numbness and tingles.
My question is has any one else experienced this? I haven't seen a physician yet but any info would be helpful.

Never experienced it, but you should avoid using a thumbs down overhead jam as much as possible. It could seriously eff up your shoulders. I only use it on thin hands in corners/offsets or when placing gear. You could jam hand cracks with thumbs up almost at all times (I almost think always).

If memory serves it was while placing gear so a lot of my weight was resting on it. Thumbs down feels so secure compared to thumbs up while resting/placing gear.

not to hi-jack this thread but i would love to hear more about the thumbs up vs thumbs down thing on the shoulders

Peter Garnsey wrote:not to hi-jack this thread but i would love to hear more about the thumbs up vs thumbs down thing on the shoulders

Listen to this:
enormocast.com/episode-63-j…

To the OP: hand jam is your most secure jam, so there is no good reason to jam it with your thumbs down, other than when you are new to crack climbing and your thumb muscles are not developed enough. On hand cracks you could also get lots of weight off your arms by jamming your feet in the crack.

The thumb down overhead jam can damage your rotator cuff if done too often.

Same thing happens to me occasionally. Usually lasts 1-2 weeks and slowly returns to normal, feels like certain parts of the back of my hands or tops of feet are dead/numb. It used to freak me out but after several episodes that always recover 100% I don't pay it much attention anymore. FWIW I also use a thumbs down jam often since it feels more secure, though I don't think the two are related. I've experienced similar temporary nerve issues in my feet and toes after long hikes (100+ miles) so I think I'm just susceptible to this sort of thing. Don't know if it's related but I also feel like I have poor circulation in my hands and feet in general, they go numb in cold weather/water fairly quickly as compared to others.

I have experienced similar numbness when crack climbing. I went to a pt and he thought it was the overstretching of a ligament. Apparently,the ligament in your arms is susceptible to overstretching if you have bad posture (as i do). I very often climb crack with thumbs down technique because it feels more secure, but i think i will try to phase this out of my climbing. I guess it make sense that thumbs down technique causes your hands to twist to the maxmin and this will also increase the chances of ligament damage.