Arm numbness, strain, and pre-mature pump.

Peter Hoang

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I feel like I'm a bag of injuries right now. I'm pretty sure it's due to tendonitis, but I wanted to get another opinion from Dr.8a . A little history. I used to have shooting pains in my right bicep due to a popping sound in my right shoulder after some dyno session. Went to sports doc, and made me do some rotator cuff exercises, since then the shooting pains have disappeared. New problems.. 1. My forearms or biceps go numb sometimes when I'm doing something as simple as typing on a computer. I really noticed this when I climb or train, I get premature pump, and I either fall off or can't hold onto anything anymore and end my day there. It's very discouraging. It can be also very hard to write exams that are 2hours..... 2. There seems to be this strain I get from two places. a. Rotator cuff area, when I lean my arm out 45degrees infront of me and flex hard, I feel a small secluded area hurt. b. When I preform an arm wrestling move type motion, my elbow gets really strained and I feel a pain up my tricep. So this occurs in both of my arms, not just my right, and all this crap started to come around since my one right shoulder injury it seemed. I don't know how it'd affect my left arm though. Seems like tedonitis though? I read that my elbow pain could also be due to muscle imbalance? Since my negative muscle contraction is really really weak compared to the regular. I've been meaning to visit my sports clinic again, but its been exam week, and I haven't found the time yet. Thank you!

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Peter Hoang

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Oh, I forgot to add about the premature arm pumpage. Sometimes when I climb, my forearm (specifically the left one) will pump out early, and I lose almost all my strength. Afterwards, I'm either done for the day, or it takes me a really long time to get the blood to leave my arm, and I'm fine afterwards.....

Bjoern Alber

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Hi really to hard to make an educated guess on such a complicated problem - you may have an inpigement (squeezing)of your Ulnar nerve at the elbow. The pump part seem more like an effekt of overtraining with a slight compartment induced slowing of cirkulation. I definitedly think you should see your the specialist at the sport clinic and cut back climbing till you do Best Björn

Peter Hoang

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Hi, thanks! I was wondering about the over training myself, but since I met my sports clinic the first time, I stopped training all together, only rehab exercises, so I'm not sure if it's an over training thing. I'm done school now though, so I just booked my appointment with the sports clinic again.

Alexander Stahl

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This is probably not the case but in my first two years of climbing I always got pre-mature pump. Yesterday I realized that it was probably because I was never breathing while I was climbing. Today I'm better at breathing and I don't have this problem anymore...

Derek Craig

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I've had tendonitus for 8 years. 4 years of which I have been completely debilitated. I've experienced the "flash pump" many, many times with the same results that you experience. The last two years I've found a winning combination of training and climbing styles that have kept me virtually injury-free (nothing keeping me off the rock for more than two weeks). One of the biggest keys (for me) to avoiding the flash pump: Warming up good and PROPER!!!! Take your time and climb long easy routes (relative to your climbing level (for me it's 5.7-5.10) in which the pump is sure to come on slow and there are plenty of rests to shake out on and get your heart rate down to avoid lactic acid build up. If there aren't any easy route options then: I like jumping jacks, light push ups, swinging the arms somewhat vigorously and jogging to warm up PROPERLY. I don't know what exactly causes the flash pump--could be tendonitus but I've seen perfectly strong 5.13 climbers get flash pumped from not warming up and they climb badly for the rest of the day (I'm done for days on end when I get flash pumped)--but I know that I've never felt the flash pump when I warm up correctly. Rest is the other main option if you ARE PROPERLY warming up and still getting pumped too quickly. Once your arms feel better then start a light work out regiment in which you feel like you are getting a work out but you aren't blowing out--the happy medium has been a huge key for me getting stronger. Wishing a good recovery...

oliver miller

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Has anyone mentioned Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to you? Im not sure exactly what it entails in terms of symptoms but i know a couple of climbers who have had it and they both say that they got flash pumped super easily and that it affeected basic movements like writing and so on... Ive never had it myself so i might be completely off target but just a thought. might be worth asking your therapist.