Lesions in Escalada sport
The fingers of the climbers are a very careful anatomical part of these athletes. They know that bodily kilograms are suspended there in the rock. If the fingers do not work correctly, a fall can occur.
The climbers train their fingers and protect them with some accessories specially designed for this. But still, the injuries there happen repetitively, and although preventable, it is logical to suspect that every climber will cross an injury in any of his fingers.
While the body weight is distributed, by climbing, in all the upper members and part of the lower ones, the transmission of the fingers is not complete. Only part of energy is shared with other joints such as shoulder.
Among the injuries associated with sports climbing, 41% happens in the fingers, and far away, 13% in the elbows, secondly. This denotes the importance of this anatomical region in sport.
According to the internal configuration of the hand, the main problem is extreme tension. When climbing, the fingers suffer pulls towards either side, which can sometimes bear, and other times not.
Anatomy of the fingers of the hand
The hand has countless components, between hard and part of soft. It also has blood vessels, lymphatics and neuronal system elements. Everything works harmonically to perform the movements.
Focusing on the fingers of the climbers, which interests us to highlight are tendons, ligaments and pulleys. In these elements the bulk of the sports injuries of this group of athletes are concentrated.
The tendons join a muscle with a bone. In the hand, those found above, in the back, are the extensive tendons. Those that circulate below are the flexors, and serve to close the fist or grab something.
Among the ligaments there are several and in various ways. They have a stabilization function of the joints, containing them so that they do not get out of their site. The ligament is elastic, but it has a stretch limit, on which the sprain occurs.
Finally, there are the pulleys. The pulleys can be annular or cruciform, and it is soft tissue that covers the phalanges – southeastern interior of the fingers. The annular pulleys are shaped like rings and the cruciforms are cross -shaped. One of its basic functions is to keep tendons near the bone.
The 3 most common lesions in the fingers of the climbers
Although exposed to various trauma and problems in the hands, there are actually three most common lesions in the fingers of the climbers:
- Flexor tendon tear: the flexor tendons are very long, since they are born above the hand and reach the fingers. The pulleys keep the tendons near the phalanges. If they tear, the flexor tendons hurt at some point on their route and the fingers movement is limited. In general, it is impossible to close the fist.
- Pulley breakage A2: finger pulleys are numbered for anatomical study. One of them is the so -called A2. This point is extremely sensitive for climbing and possibly represents the fingertips of the most frequent climbers. When the A2 pulley is torn. Liquid accumulates and edema inflames the area. I rarely need surgery to correlate. Immobilization usually is enough.
- Collateral ligament injury: All fingertips have a collateral ligament to their sides. As during the climbing maneuvers there can be pendulum movements with the body, to one side and the other, the overexertion of this ligament is large. It will not always require surgery, although it is a possibility.
Treatments and conclusion
The first measure indicated when there are injuries on the fingers of the climbers is rest. The climbing must be stopped until the scope of what happened can be evaluated reliably.
They are basic, but efficient measures, apply cold in the pain zone and make soft movements. The movements must be controlled, guided by the other hand, and at a slow speed.
In the medical consultation, complementary image methods will be requested to evaluate the case. Not all climbers always consult, but it is recommended to do so, especially if the fingers are very inflamed, the skin has changed color or functional impotence is excessive.
Among the images most requested by doctors we have nuclear magnetic resonance. It is also possible that ultrasounds of the fingers are requested, specifically of its soft tissue, to know the amount of accumulated liquid.
With the results and the established diagnosis, a therapy is raised. It is almost always rest and immobilization, plus the use of an anti -inflammatory. Surgical cases are defined by a traumatologist, in general when there are complete tear or when it spent more than a month without complete recovery.
The return to activities after an injury to the fingers of a climber must be progressive. You cannot immediately go to climb with all the power. A medium -term rehabilitation training must be planned.
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