Anyone have strong pain w/wrist or thumb flexion & extension?

A couple weeks ago I developed a strong pain in my lower forearm (maybe upper wrist) on the inner and top part, ~3-4" up from the base of my thumb. It hurts and feels "gross/crunchy/swollen" when I wiggle my wrist back and forth or when I articulate my thumb across the full range of motion.

Something like holding and pinching a large plate or frying pan so i can scrub it is very very painful.

Anyone ever have this or similar? I don't know what brought it on. I'd recently done a pretty long day of climbing, including some wide hand cracks, but don't think I did anything dramatic, and it didn't really hurt that night or even the next day. It doesn't seem to be irritated by crimping or using just my fingers if my wrist isn't flexing or extending. 

Thanks

I'm having almost the same issue as you describe, but the pain is localized to the inner forearm. I'm getting the same crunchy/grinding feeling when articulating the thumb.

I know that mine is from a bike race last week that took me twenty hours to complete. I was using my thumb to shift and my shifter was oriented a bit high on the bars, making it a bit of a rotational stretch to hit the downshift lever.

I'm just waiting it out for now, since it doesn't interfere with my hangboarding protocol. I just have to be wary of wide pinches in the gym.

Perhaps the motion of cupping your hand while  wide-hands jamming is what did it? A couple months ago I hopped on Infrared after not having crack climbed in many months, and my small hands got wrecked in those sustained #3 cracks.

F r i t z wrote:

I'm having almost the same issue as you describe, but the pain is localized to the inner forearm. I'm getting the same crunchy/grinding feeling when articulating the thumb.

I know that mine is from a bike race last week that took me twenty hours to complete. I was using my thumb to shift and my shifter was oriented a bit high on the bars, making it a bit of a rotational stretch to hit the downshift lever.

I'm just waiting it out for now, since it doesn't interfere with my hangboarding protocol. I just have to be wary of wide pinches in the gym.

Perhaps the motion of cupping your hand while  wide-hands jamming is what did it? A couple months ago I hopped on Infrared after not having crack climbed in many months, and my small hands got wrecked in those sustained #3 cracks.

How is it when you just wave your hand and wrist up and down but keep your thumb stationary?

blakeherrington wrote:

How is it when you just wave your hand and wrist up and down but keep your thumb stationary?

Like doing reverse wrist curls with a dumbbell? No problems there. 

De Quervain's tenosynovitis

Have you performed the Finkelstein test? I self diagnosed de quervain's tendonitis based on this test last week and am trying wearing a wrist brace for a few weeks to see if it helps.

Spencer BB wrote:

Have you performed the Finkelstein test? I self diagnosed de quervain's tendonitis based on this test last week and am trying wearing a wrist brace for a few weeks to see if it helps.

I have the same and I am also wearing wrist brace to hold up and avoid twisting hand when crack climbing. I took a break from trad and still hurts but I climb what it doesn’t bother me 

Thanks guys!

Anyone suggest a style or method (or link) to how best to wrap with tape? (assuming it's the De Quervain's syndrome)

Hi Blake!

Everyone in this thread has had the same thought that I do with possible DeQuervain's tenosynovitis. I am a doctor of physical therapy and this is a very common problem for climbers and people who do a lot of forceful gripping. I am going to include a link to managing this condition from The Climbing Doctor blog which Dr. Jared Vagy, a physical therapist in Southern California, oversees. I would recommend looking through the article to see if it aligns with your symptoms. If not, there are additional articles for other types of wrist pain on the blog for you to explore! If you feel like you need additional help I would reach out to a doctor of physical therapy in your area. 

https://theclimbingdoctor.com/thumb-sided-wrist-pain-in-climbers-2/

In addition to the advice in the article, I would do what you can to reduce inflammation and facilitate healing in the area. These are things that are good for overall health as well. Options include any kind of cardio (your preference) to get new blood pumping to flush out any pooling inflammation. Additionally, prioritize quality sleep by reducing the temperature of your sleep environment to 60-65 degrees F, avoiding stimulants such as caffeine in the afternoon, and making sure the room is pitch black/using an eye mask. Reducing inflammation also includes increasing water intake and limiting alcohol and processed sugars. 

Other people in this thread have mentioned a wrist brace which would be great to wear while sleeping! I'm hopeful that with all of this advice, you'll be back to climbing in no time! Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments. 

No.  But if I did, I'd go see my doctor. . .

The Climbing SIG wrote:

Hi Blake!

Everyone in this thread has had the same thought that I do with possible DeQuervain's tenosynovitis. I am a doctor of physical therapy and this is a very common problem for climbers and people who do a lot of forceful gripping. I am going to include a link to managing this condition from The Climbing Doctor blog which Dr. Jared Vagy, a physical therapist in Southern California, oversees. I would recommend looking through the article to see if it aligns with your symptoms. If not, there are additional articles for other types of wrist pain on the blog for you to explore! If you feel like you need additional help I would reach out to a doctor of physical therapy in your area. 

https://theclimbingdoctor.com/thumb-sided-wrist-pain-in-climbers-2/

In addition to the advice in the article, I would do what you can to reduce inflammation and facilitate healing in the area. These are things that are good for overall health as well. Options include any kind of cardio (your preference) to get new blood pumping to flush out any pooling inflammation. Additionally, prioritize quality sleep by reducing the temperature of your sleep environment to 60-65 degrees F, avoiding stimulants such as caffeine in the afternoon, and making sure the room is pitch black/using an eye mask. Reducing inflammation also includes increasing water intake and limiting alcohol and processed sugars. 

Other people in this thread have mentioned a wrist brace which would be great to wear while sleeping! I'm hopeful that with all of this advice, you'll be back to climbing in no time! Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments. 

Thank you