Slight pain at the base of finger (not believed to be a pulley injury)

I’ve got a slight pain at the base of my finger, starting after I climbed on tuesday. I’d just recovered from a slight pulley strain, and wasnt doing any crimps, just jugs and easy dynos. I don’t believe it to be another pulley injury (still trying to not use it much, and not climbing, that isn’t an excuse for me to skip recovery). It doesn’t cause me any pain to pull down on things, or when I test putting load on it by crimping on the edges of surfaces. However, it is tender to the touch, and hurts when pressure is put on it. Any (possible) diagnosis’s? How long might I stay off climbing? I know there (probably) aren’t any doctors here, but I’m just looking for some advice and hearing other people’s thoughts. Thanks!

Area of pain when touched: 

Go see your doctor.

That area of tenderness is generally where an A2 pulley is aggravated. Climbing on jugs and doing ‘easy’ dynos is actually what will aggravate that type of tenderness because of high velocity, potentially uncontrolled movements, and compressing of the tissue

resources: instagram.com/p/ComyhQ8L17z…

Preston D wrote:

That area of tenderness is generally where an A2 pulley is aggravated. Climbing on jugs and doing ‘easy’ dynos is actually what will aggravate that type of tenderness because of high velocity, potentially uncontrolled movements, and compressing of the tissue

resources: instagram.com/p/ComyhQ8L17z…

Thanks for the feedback :)

have that same malady .......same spot......deep in the joint.....feels like there's a mass or possibly some local inflammation.......and the first knuckle up from that area seems to "catch" when i articulate the finger.  The joint catches or sort of pops.....but the pain associated with that symptom is in the same area you've indicated.  I figure seeing a hand doc is the best advice. 

Jeff G wrote:

The circle he has drawn is over the A1 pulley not the A2

Although that’s true, we know the A2 is much more commonly injured in climbers. The pain of the A2 is commonly on the proximal end of it which would occur right at the base of the joint, and could have some lower radiating pain. Ask someone who’s injured their A2 and they’ve probably had pain there.

@Jeff I’m curious - do you know anyone who’s ever injured their A1 from climbing?

https://mskemergencies.com/2020/02/03/climbers-finger-a-sport-injury-on-the-rise/

Hi Nathan,

I've attached an article regarding finger pain that is not pulley related in addition to one that is to help you sort out what is going on. There are also a few recommendations for basic treatments to try if you feel like your symptoms align with the conditions described in either article. These articles are written by doctors of physical therapy so they're a good resource to start from. If you feel like your symptoms don't align with what is described then I would recommend finding a doctor of physical therapy or certified hand therapist that is familiar with the hand and climbing injuries. Overall, it doesn't sound like it would be finger tenosynovitis based on the holds that are aggravating for you and the location of your pain but I'd check out both articles to see if anything adds up. 

Finger Tenosynovitis (not highly likely): https://theclimbingdoctor.com/rock-climbing-finger-tenosynovitis/

Pulley Injuries (more likely): https://theclimbingdoctor.com/pulley-injuries-explained-part-1/

Pulley Rehab/Guidelines: https://theclimbingdoctor.com/how-to-rehab-a-climbing-pulley-injury/

Reach out if you have further questions!

Eirin could probably help

Thanks everyone! The pain has nearly disappeared，and I’m going to continue icing it and doing some rehab exercises. May go for a short session on monday to test the discomfort level, depending on how it feels that day. (leaving if it hurts) thanks again, I’ll keep everyone updated :)

-Nathan