Seeking PIP Injury Experience

[octopus]

I noticed for the past 3 months that after bouldering indoors or climbing routes with small pockets (especially IM pockets), I would have slight numbing pain if I stretch my right middle PIP joint, usually when I hyperextend during the stretch. Once every month, maybe I would have slight redness on the PIP joint on the extensor side. At first, I thought it to be a PIP sprain and did not climb if the pain ever increased during the stretch. I also taped the finger and sometimes iced it. Of note, the pain is never persistent and only occurs during stretching. It stops whenever I cease climbing for more than 2 days. It never affects my performance, but I am careful after reading horror stories.

However, I've recently realized from climbing and hangboarding that bearing weight and crimping on that finger causes no pain during or after whatsoever. It hurts slightly if I hyperextend the digit, but more if I bear weight on the digit sideways downwards. This leads me to believe that it's collateral ligament damage and worsens only when I have to crank on a 2-finger side-pull pocket, (which coincidentally happens often on limestone and indoor problems). Does anyone have experience with these symptoms and healing?

[MarkAnderson]

Why the heck would you want to hyper-extend your PIP joint? I can't imagine a good reason to do that. I would think it would hurt though, the joint is not designed to bend that way. Often our bodies send pain signals to discourage our know-it-all brains from doing things that could hurt us

My treatment recommendation is: stop doing that.

[octopus]

Whoops! My middle and ring fingers are hypermobile, so I suppose I should have just said extend... I only mean stretching, something like this: thecarriecorner.com/drupal/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/finger%20extension.jpg

[MarkAnderson]

Ya, I wouldn't do that (either). I stretch my fingers too, but I don't "lock" the PIP/DIP joints while doing so. Instead, I keep them contracted at a slight (5-10 deg?) angle to avoid stressing the joints. The point of that stretch is to stretch the flexor muscles, not to stretch anything in the joint itself. You can accomplish that without locking the joints.