Yet another wrist question

Hi all,

I know, I know, you shouldn't "self-diagnose", "google-diagnose", and probably your first advice will be to go see a doctor. However, because we're in the US and I'm a student, I can't afford it.

So here's the story and any insight will be appreciated: two weeks ago I dynoed to a sloper with my right hand, touched it but was unable to stick it and slipped off after a split second on it. It was kind of a side-dyno to the left (yeah, the beta seemed like going with the right and stopping the swing with the left, this is how my partner did it). I tried the dyno 2-3 times and and after the third time immediately felt a sharp pain in my right wrist. Because I can be stupidly stubborn I refused to call it a day, went on to climb two routes well below my level, but struggled to put my weight on my right hand. By the end of the day I couldn't pick up my gear or tie my shoes with my right hand. On the first night it was warm to the touch, but not obviously swollen or deformed. It's worth noting that I had an A2 pulley injury in the same hand a year ago.
I haven't climbed since. I have done yoga and a lot of biking (squeezing the brakes hurt a lot). It has been two weeks. The wrist isn't swollen, but it almost constantly hurts. It hurts more in the mornings, feels stiff. It projects to the fingers sometimes, and generally it seems like the most painful movements are putting weight into it (lifting things, putting my weight on it in yoga), pulling or rotating (door handles are a pain), and pinching. Extension (as in pushing something) hurts more than flexion (bending down). Typing on a keyboard is not exactly painful, I would call it more of a discomfort. I seem to have a full range of motion. When I rotate the wrist it clicks pretty loudly.

What gives? Have you heard of anything similar? And tips? How long should I expect to feel like a liability to my climbing crew? Next week I'm going on a long climbing trip I waited for the entire year. True, I enjoy hiking, but would love to climb. 

Sounds like a potential TFCC tear, but it could be many things. I have a fully torn TFCC ligament from years ago that will never heal. If i had known what i know now back then, (<great phrase, right?) i would have seen a specialist right away. Surgery is only possible in a short window after the tear and you may still be in that window.
That's not to say you need surgery, but if it's a complete tear, you may want to consider it.
If it's a smaller tear, a good PT can help you with proper loading, de-loading and techniques to help it heal properly.
The photo shows my wrist widget that I have to wear some 10 hours a day every day to keep the pain at bay.
Also, to help the pain during yoga, rotate your upper arm forward when loading your hands on the floor. Biceps facing forward. This should take the load off the wrist and engage your muscles better.

Can you describe specifically where it hurts?
Us internet quacks need more info for an improper diagnosis.

 

It's hard to tell sometimes. Moving it around it hurts approximately where the red dot is, maybe slightly more towards the center. Also, it's deep in, not on the surface.

I had a very similar situation early in my climbing life. I was out for a solid month before I could actually climb. I don't think I had it as bad as you seem to though.

I would recommend a conservative approach and let it heal up good. Rest, rest and rest.
You can do things like ice to try to keep inflammation down and massage to keep scar tissue a bay. Just work where the pain is. Stretch your flexors too, and extensors but the pain may limit that.
Anything that makes it hurt in the wrong way is a big no no. You might have to become a lefty to give the right hand adequate rest.
Don't stop moving it though. Nothing in excess, but motion is what these parts are made for so don't keep it in one position for too long and maintain range of motion.

Even a well established internet quack like myself has trouble diagnosing an injury like this. Most of your flexors run through that general location. They're all held in place by "tendon sheaths" that act like the eyes on a fishing pole that the line runs through.  They keep the tendons running close to the bones where joints bend.
Most likely these got worked when you were smacking at that sloper with a bent wrist. The issue with inflammation is that these "eyes" close down on the tendons (and adjacent nerves and arteries) and the problems get worse.  

Take care of it, don't worry about your "crew", and let it heal. You don't want to have to wear some goofy, placebo, brace to pretend it's OK, you want to be 100% and climb! Focus on the long-term and find a different fix for the short-term.

Good luck!

I had a similar injury almost two years ago and I agree with Brandon that it could have to deal with the TFCC. My symptoms sounded very similar and everything online told to me rest and stretch. This helped but every time I begun to climb again I would still feel pain and my wrist would still be very tight when I tried to stretch.

I used the "wrist widget" for over a year and it allowed me to climb without so much pain. I continued to get stronger with the injury and sent my hardest boulder and sport climb using the "wrist widget". But I knew my wrist was still injured and needed to figure something.

One day at the gym my friend was doing reverse wrist curls and told me it was a good antagonist exercise for the wrist. I did (3) set of (10) reps with a 5 lbs weight and continued to do these at least 3 times a week. I started feeling relief right away and in about one month didn't have to use the "wrist widget" anymore. About 6-8 months of doing this exercise I feel close to 100% and def recommend it to anyone dealing with wrist issues.

I hope this helps!

Did that too...sucks.

I’ve been managing it for 6 years.  Saw a surgeon when it got so bad I could barely place cams.  

Go see a doc before you make it worse.

If you don’t see a doc let it be for a few months.

If you’re impatient try using a wrist widget recommended above.

Not seeing a doc would be a mistake.  Wrist are easy to hurt and hard to repair. 

You should consider getting an X-ray-.  If it is a ligament tear, then surgical repairs, if needed, have an efficacy timeline, usually 4-6 weeks.
  I had a scapho-lunate ligament tear, waited too long, and had to have a more advanced procedure in order to repair.  They said if I had come in sooner, a temporary pin would have allowed the ligament to repair properly.   Good luck.