Claw-finger issue

This isn’t really an injury, and might not qualify as anything medically serious, but...

Basically, the problem is that my fingers get stuck in a curled position when I grab a hold in the middle of a climb, and the only way to uncurl them is a combination of resting and pulling them back open with the other hand. It is primarily the index finger on the right hand, sometimes the middle and ring, and occasionally on the left hand too

It has been going on for the past couple of months; it is something I noticed after returning to climbing after a few months of nothing during the summer. It usually happens later in the day, and usually on harder climbs. Probably more so on smaller, crimpy holds, but has also happened on bigger holds at the end of the day.

It doesn’t really cause any pain during or after, and there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable associated tightness in the forearms. On one occasion the tricep area of the right arm cramped at the same time, which may or may not have been related.

My first instinct was that it is probably a cramp, which I do get in my legs and back occasionally as well. But the lack of any pain seems unusual for a cramp, and I don’t think I am especially dehydrated (clear urine, for one thing). Last Sunday I made sure to drink a lot of water and stretch my forearms throughout the day while warming up, but it still happened in the afternoon.

If anybody has any thoughts on what this could be, or how to deal with it, any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Google "trigger finger". It's a condition where your tendons get hung up in their sheaths, and can get stuck. I know a guy who had a mild case; for him, I think rest was enough to alleviate, but I'm not sure what the other interventions are.

When this used to happen to me, I was told just to drink gatorade instead of water during the day. That pretty much took care of it. (I dilute the gatorade 50/50 with water.)

It does sound like trigger finger, which might make sense if you jumped back into climbing the same difficulty after having not done so for a while. But if it is simply electrolyte related then as phylp said, water won't cut it or will even do you wrong so you need actual supplemental electrolytes. Try gatorade, but if you don't want to buy a plastic bottle of pure sugar every time you climb, this is what I use: amazon.com/gp/product/B01II…;psc=1

Something similar would happen to me in the morning, and it was caused by too much typing, cycling, and climbing without stretching. Getting back on a regular generic vinyasa yoga program cleared it up.