morning finger stiffness

Rok Bric

•

Hello, Im hoping for an advice. Im experiencing morning finger stiffness which started one day after climbing. I usually had the same tension in my fingers after a hard day climbing, but it usually disapeard after two or three days. Now it just wont go away and it there since november. I went to see a doctor who prescribed ibuprofen and magnetic physiotherapy which didnt have a big effect. When i wake up and im aware of the stiffness i tried different movements to see what is happening. If i strech out my fingers the tightness is still there and i dont feel any discomfort in any part of my finger. When i make a fist, then i can feel the strain and after 2-3 movements  the stiffness is gone (10 sec.). If i use lets say my right hand to break up the stiffness in my left hand (breaking up the stiffness in my left hand without using left hand power) then i dont feel the pain. Is it normal to have such a long recovery from climbing since i never had real pain during the day?  I have to say, that i was tested for rheumatoid arthritis and it was negative and everything started after a hard training day. Can i make it worse if i start climbing before the stiffness goes away?

7 replies

JUMP TO THE LATEST POSTS

Luc Laflamme

•

I will follow this new conversation because I have the EXACT same thing. My left middle finger is super stiff when I wake up. It last for about 10 to 15 seconds , I need to move it around and stretch a bit. I does happen after a hard day at the gym , but also when I choose to climb super easy routes as an "active rest day" ... When I soak my left hand in very cold water (20+ min) after a big climbing session , the stiffness (next morning) is not there , or very very diffuse ... Check out Dave MacLeod's video blog about this technique : http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2007/06/finger-injury-treatment-videocast.html

Rok Bric

•

thnks for the linki :D Im freezing my ass off 30 min per day, now for two days :D :D :DHope it will help a bit. Does anyone knows why does the stiffness comes after a long rest?When it got a little better i started squeezing the foam ball for the circulation and the next morning it was worse again.. I will try the ball + the water stuff + massages with voltaren for a longer period and ill see how it goes. The one thing that helped me a little bit when i put on one of the creams (relaxation/regeneration type of creme) and put some gloves on so the cream was on for the whole night - it felt better and the stiffness in my right hand slovely dissapeard. When i stopped... wholaaa ... were back :D

Bjoern Alber

•

Hi Roc you have early signs of overuse of the joint, what you have tried with the gel , the tablets and especially the foam ball is ok. Mclouds icing is intended to stimulate tendon healing and should not be used if you think it is the joint structure itself that is engaged , and it is -as I have discussed earlier on the forum- a highly questionable theory anyway ( you should instead as for most joint dissesases warm the joint).If you after 3 weeks of the above therapy still are feeling the stiffness in your fingers I think it is time to see a physician to take some tests on inflammatory dissease.Best of luck Björn

Rok Bric

•

Thank you for your help, it means a lot!..! I will report after a few weeks, when the whole story reveals itself :DI never used suplements, but i guess that glucosamine would be helpfull in my situation? Cheers!..!

george metaxas

•

if yoy have no pain at all and it is just the feeling of stifness that comes every morning i would suggest trying to use a cream for hydration of the skin of your palm....i ve felt stifness from dry skin...just a suggestion

Rok Bric

•

Yeah, im pain free, but i have some discomfort when my hands are really cold, like now in the winter.(but i think, that is more or less normal) Its strange, because creams do help me if i have them on during the night, but after all those creams my hands are like a baby bottom :D Not a climbers hand, thats for shure :D I hope that its not all in the head - i dont wanna get institutionalized :D :D :D hehheeee Im more or less certain, that i hurt my joints, but its strange because of the long time its taking to heal. I will go back to climb some easy routs, see how it goes and take it from there...

Lorenzo von Matterhorn

•

Hi, my fingers are also very stiff in the morning after hard trainings. when i try to move them, is´s quite painful and i can´t bend the fingers more than 70°. after ten minutes of easy movements it´s getting better and it stops to hurt. sometimes it takes three restdays to recover from this condition. other climbers told me that this is common and that the fingers will get used to the stress eventually. but i have this problem since more than a year.. still looking for good advice ;-) esteban