I injured my _tricep_ from climbing??

I still don't get it.  I was bouldering on steep stuff and hanging from my right arm when I felt a pain shoot from my shoulder, through my tricep, to my elbow.  I immediately quit for the day, but couldn't put my right hand behind my head anymore.  My right tricep is now purple from the belly of the muscle down to the elbow, across the entire surface from dorsal to anterior.  

How can I injure a pushing muscle while doing a pulling sport?  Google turns up nothing.  I guess I'm just "special."

Have you considered seeing an orthopedist?

This actually makes sense from what little I know about climbing injuries - maybe you have an imbalance problem, or the tricep was acting as a stabilizer?  Climbers can develop both golfer’s AND tennis elbow, even though they basically represent the opposite motions.  Frank’s right - see an orthopedist - but what happened isn’t that far out of the norm.  Hope it heals up quickly.

The long head (most medial/closest to torso) originates on the the scapula. So it assists with other actions than just elbow extension (extension and adduction at the shoulder). If I had to guess from what you described, the long head could be injured. Just speculation though. The shoulder is extremely mobile, yet unstable and prone to injury because of its mobility. I’d honestly expect 1 of the 4 rotator cuff muscles to go before the triceps, but that’s not always what happens.  I’d go see a doc to make sure it’s not a tear or tendon rupture. 

the long head of the triceps originates on the scapula and crosses the shoulder joint. the shoulder is a pretty complex joint, and climbing is a pretty complex activity requiring a wide variety of different motions in the shoulder. the long head of the triceps is involved in a lot of these different motions of the shoulder joint. it's not as simple as just "pushing" vs "pulling" muscles.

if you felt acute pain and now the muscle belly is purple and yellow it sounds like it could be a tear or at least a strain. you should probably see someone about it sooner rather than later. if a tear is left untreated it can heal in a dysfunctional way which will make it even harder / impossible to correct later on.

Steve Marshall wrote: the long head of the triceps originates on the scapula and crosses the shoulder joint. the shoulder is a pretty complex joint, and climbing is a pretty complex activity requiring a wide variety of different motions in the shoulder. the long head of the triceps is involved in a lot of these different motions of the shoulder joint. it's not as simple as just "pushing" vs "pulling" muscles.

if you felt acute pain and now the muscle belly is purple and yellow it sounds like it could be a tear or at least a strain. you should probably see someone about it sooner rather than later. if a tear is left untreated it can heal in a dysfunctional way which will make it even harder / impossible to correct later on.

Thanks Steve.  It feels like it's probably the long head from what you've described.  At least the pain is maximal when I'm locking off with my right shoulder engaged and my right lat pulling through to my triceps.  However, the blue/purple bruising (and maximal tenderness) is near my elbow, not on the muscle belly.  I'm reluctant to go to the doctor because it will take a week to get in (first general doc, referral, then ortho) and by then it's going to be too late anyway.