Finger clicks/cracks above joint

Hi The way you describe this it sounds like a small cartilage or bone piece is loose in the finger joint - this piece might dissolve by itself- if it gets worse -surgery might be nessecary. A MRI or ultrasound exam of the joint should give the diagnosis but my best bet would be for you to try to see a handsurgery specialist he/she would proably be able to diagnose it right away and advise on proper action best of luck Björn

Hi Björn, thanks for such a quick reply - appreciated! I will go see someone and post here again when I know more. Thanks again, M

Hi, I promised to post the latest, so here it is: I have just been to see a good sports doctor who is also a (good) climber to get the diagnosis. He used 'ultraschall' (I think this is 'sonor' or 'ultrasound') to look at the joint. Aparently there is fluid (I guess synovial fluid) on the joint which needs to be squeezed out after climbing. You can do this using power putty, for 10 minutes after climbing. Aparently there is no advantage to take a climbing break as the next climbing session will most likely put some more fluid back in the joint. It seems the key is to get a balance between load (which causes the fluid build up) and repairing the 'damage' with massage with the putty to get the fluid out again. He also showed me how to tape the middle finger to the first finger to reduce some of the load. I was surpried by how thin the tape was (1cm) width. He suggested taping below the first joint and below the second joint. I reckon I can climb without the tape getting much in the way. He also stressed warming up properly, avoiding snatching for holds and using slopers rather than crimps. All sound advice. Hope this helps someone else. It was good to get the diagnosis, I will look after my fingers a bit better, but know that I have still some years left in them yet! M  

Hi, I have a similar problem with my left middle finger. When i fully close my fist or just that finger and then extend it there is a quiet clicking sound just above the top joint (nearest the fingernail) and it feels like something snaps into place. Sometimes it feels like a small chunk of something is stuck in there but mostly it's just that little click... I have been having problems with that finger for over a year now but with the join under that one... It keeps swelling after crimping a lot and even when it gets better I can't close it as I could 2 years ago... I never got that full range of motion back... I had some pulled tendons and stuff but this worries me the most... I'm trying not to crimp as much, take more rest days, move my fingers more, strech them a bit, massage them. BTW the range of motion does get better after warming up... Would trying to close the finger a lot help? Either by it's own muscles or assisted with the other hand? p.s. climbing would be so much more fun if you wouldn't get injured all the time :-s UPDATE: I have noticed a lump (bump) on top of the joint nearest to the nail. It's a bit on the side on the upper part of it. It's not soft it's as hard as the other parts of the joint... It's not present on other fingers...