swollen, painful first knuckle

After a day of hard climbing three days ago, my first knuckle (at the base of my middle finger) became swollen and very painful. The second knuckle aches a bit too.  It seems like it is some kind of overuse injury. It is currently difficult to use my right hand for some daily activities.  In the two weeks previous, I had noticed some minor swelling and pain in the knuckle and the middle finger after short bouldering sessions, but nothing like this.  Looking down at my hand, it is particularly swollen just to the right of the first knuckle, and the middle finger is a bit resistant to being fully straightened, and it feels tight when I do so.  I'm an older climber, and I've had pulley injuries in the past, but I've never had anything like this before.  Does this injury sound familiar to anyone?  Thanks.

Yes,
I’m dealing with what sounds like the exact injury now. I’m older as well and was thinking it is arthritis.
I’ve been drinking bone gelatin which has helped my finger pain in the past.  Thinking of getting an x-ray soon to see if they can tell me something new.

Nick Grant wrote: After a day of hard climbing three days ago, my first knuckle (at the base of my middle finger) became swollen and very painful. The second knuckle aches a bit too.  It seems like it is some kind of overuse injury. It is currently difficult to use my right hand for some daily activities.  In the two weeks previous, I had noticed some minor swelling and pain in the knuckle and the middle finger after short bouldering sessions, but nothing like this.  Looking down at my hand, it is particularly swollen just to the right of the first knuckle, and the middle finger is a bit resistant to being fully straightened, and it feels tight when I do so.  I'm an older climber, and I've had pulley injuries in the past, but I've never had anything like this before.  Does this injury sound familiar to anyone?  Thanks.

Yep for sure I have that. I googled it and decided it was the tendon that wraps around that first knuckle, and it had probably stretched (not torn maybe). Massaging it helped. My finger at that knuckle almost seems to partially dislocate, it's certainly very loose. 

wit untill you get old and all your finger joints are swollen and hurt even if you havent pulled hard on them in a week... 

Nick, I am old—not Fred Becky-at-the-end-of-his career old—but still old.  (But still totally psyched.)