Post by Laurent on Jul 3, 2014 6:44:24 GMT -7
Hey guys,
I suffered an A3 or A4 (not quite sure which one it is) injury in the ring finger of my left hand on June 22nd. Although I didn’t hear the distinctive ’pop’ I definitely felt something tear in my finger. I’ve never had this type of traumatic injury before, I’m well versed in chronic elbow injuries, and am wondering about what I can do to promote recovery.
After a week of full rest and frequent ice baths I went to the gym for a very mellow ARC-style session. I climbed on easy terrain for roughly two 20-minute sets with no pain but did notice a little more swelling after I was done. I was pretty excited to see it respond well to the first workout and upped the intensity a couple of days later by climbing on moderate boulder problems. I felt no pain while climbing and iced once I got home.
My 2 month summer vacation has just started and I’m trying to decide how to move forward. The way I had organized my training was that I would peak for July, rest at the end of the month and cycle back into a strength block in August in order to prepare for the fall season. This obviously isn’t going to happen due to the finger, but I still really want to get out and climb outdoors. Would you recommend ARCing for July as a rehab/prep for the strength cycle that will begin in August? My game plan is to climb on moderate sport routes and basically adopt a ‘no pain’ mentality. Full crimping is out of the question as I can feel the strain it places on my finger and I’m going to avoid any MR 2-finger pockets, too. I would probably structure a 1 day on / 1 or 2 day off schedule.
It’s been interesting to observe my thoughts during the first 2 weeks of rehab. One the tears dried I realized that being outside at the crag with my friends is what I was really afraid to lose out on. Not being able to climb the season’s projects sucks, but I’ll admit that this forced layoff has lit a fire under my ass and I’m probably more motivated than ever to start the next strength cycle.
Thanks for reading and I’d appreciate any thoughts you may have.
Laurent
I suffered an A3 or A4 (not quite sure which one it is) injury in the ring finger of my left hand on June 22nd. Although I didn’t hear the distinctive ’pop’ I definitely felt something tear in my finger. I’ve never had this type of traumatic injury before, I’m well versed in chronic elbow injuries, and am wondering about what I can do to promote recovery.
After a week of full rest and frequent ice baths I went to the gym for a very mellow ARC-style session. I climbed on easy terrain for roughly two 20-minute sets with no pain but did notice a little more swelling after I was done. I was pretty excited to see it respond well to the first workout and upped the intensity a couple of days later by climbing on moderate boulder problems. I felt no pain while climbing and iced once I got home.
My 2 month summer vacation has just started and I’m trying to decide how to move forward. The way I had organized my training was that I would peak for July, rest at the end of the month and cycle back into a strength block in August in order to prepare for the fall season. This obviously isn’t going to happen due to the finger, but I still really want to get out and climb outdoors. Would you recommend ARCing for July as a rehab/prep for the strength cycle that will begin in August? My game plan is to climb on moderate sport routes and basically adopt a ‘no pain’ mentality. Full crimping is out of the question as I can feel the strain it places on my finger and I’m going to avoid any MR 2-finger pockets, too. I would probably structure a 1 day on / 1 or 2 day off schedule.
It’s been interesting to observe my thoughts during the first 2 weeks of rehab. One the tears dried I realized that being outside at the crag with my friends is what I was really afraid to lose out on. Not being able to climb the season’s projects sucks, but I’ll admit that this forced layoff has lit a fire under my ass and I’m probably more motivated than ever to start the next strength cycle.
Thanks for reading and I’d appreciate any thoughts you may have.
Laurent
