As climbers, we are especially talented at “hiding the dirt under the carpet”. One might say it comes with the sport. As a result, beating climbing synovitis can be challenging since it’s easy to confuse or ignore it.
If you are waking up with stiff joints lately and you keep ignoring them, you feel your fingers especially sore in the morning, before a climbing session or training and you still push hard, keep on reading.
This article might save you a lot of climber problems in the future. And if you are here because you are experiencing pain and you are already looking for solutions, we cover some interesting aspects of how to manage climber joint problems as well.
Easy anatomy for climbers – what is the synovial joint?
There are many definitions Google can give but simply put, a synovial joint is a strong, flexible, and protective cartilage we find between the bones. It serves as a buffer and it stops the bones from rubbing against each other.
Synovial fluid is found inside the synovial joints and it basically reduces friction between the articular cartilages of these joints.
Be it for the quality of life, sports performance, or ideally both, cartilage is very precious to the good functioning of the human body in the long term because it acts as a shock absorber.
What is climbing synovitis?
The structure of the finger has three bones: the proximal phalangeal, the middle phalangeal, and the distal phalangeal.
Between these bones, there are two main finger joints: the DIP (distal interphalangeal joint) and PIP (proximal interphalangeal joint).
Synovial fluid is essential to joints because it lubricates and delivers nutrients to the upper-mentioned joints so fingers can have fluidly.
Crimping, finger jamming, and pulling on pockets put a lot of stress on these finger joints. Improper climbing or training practices can end up pressuring the synovial tissue up to the point it starts releasing more synovial fluid.
As a response to inflammation, you’ll notice your fingers are thicker and stiffer than usual. Sometimes even painful.
When there is no synovial fluid there is friction between the bones and movement becomes painful.
In climbing, when there is joint synovitis or synovial inflammation one can see it as swollen finger joints and it’s felt as pain, soreness, and stiffness before, during, and after movement.
Stiffness can feel worse in the morning, and pain is experienced often while climbing or training.
Left untreated, climbing synovitis can lead to osteoarthritis, and trust me, no one wants that!
Common reasons for having finger joint pain in climbing
- Synovitis which usually is caused by overuse
- Collateral ligament sprain which is caused by a traumatic injury or overuse
- Volar plate injury usually from a traumatic injury
- Growth of bones due to tissue adapting to climbing
How to spot the early symptoms of joint synovitis in climbers
When it comes to finger injuries in climbers joint swelling is one of the most common injuries out there. The hall of fame.
I find that climbers are particularly good at ignoring body signs, maybe due to a lack of experience in sport, maybe because being used to pushing hard.
Therefore, I feel like we should explore together how inflammation in the joint feels when it is near!
The most obvious one is very obvious: a warm, red, and swollen joint that kind of feels puffy to the touch.
Hoping you’re not there yet, other ones can be:
- Finger stiffness when you wake up
- You can’t squeeze your fist as you would normally do because you have less range of motion in the fingers
- You experience finger pain after training or climbing
How does one prevent joint swelling in climbing?
Although it is often an issue of joints being overly used during climbing and training, injuries can occur for so many reasons when performing a sport. Therefore, prevention is a big word.
However, while we can’t stop that from happening 100% there are ways we can reduce the chances of getting climbing synovitis.
Are certain climbing techniques more likely to cause synovitis?
Yes. Poor posture leads to over-gripping and unnecessary pressure on other joints but also on fingers.
Therefore, make sure you correctly engage your body muscles when you climb so to avoid other climbing-related injuries. Such as not having your elbows flared out (for example).
More hangboarding means less chance of joint swelling in climbing?
If your joints are healthy, yes. Training open-handed grips along with preventively strengthening wrists can decrease pressure on the finger joints.
Care for your fingers before and after climbing
Climber joint problems can be reduced by thoroughly warming up your fingers before climbing and massaging/stretching them afterward. This improves coordination and finger mobility and it releases the tension that later can lead to injury.
Finger mobility is really important in climbing
And in real life. Tools such as power fingers, finger strength extensor bands, or climbing rings not only gain you mobility thus decreasing injury but also make your fingers stronger.
Here’s a video on how to properly use finger strength extensor bands.
Make sure to check out our range of products in the Boulderflash shop to develop your finger strength even more!
Note to climber:
It’s important to mention that climbers develop thicker fingers. The more you climb the thicker your fingers will become.
As long as this is not painful to you this means your body is only following its natural course
How to beat joint swelling
At first glance, google says to take a break from the activities that provoked the pain in the first place and ice the joint. And while you’re at it remember to check out our Climbing Injury Recovery: How To Stay Strong And Motivated guide for more ideas and good vibes!
In his Climb Injury-Free book, Dr. Jared Vagy talks about the Rock Rehab Pyramid – an interesting concept I believe because it includes wide and clear four stages: Unload, Mobility, Strength, and Movement.
Unload
Injury usually happens when you are psyched more than ever for climbing. Trust me, I know how frustrating that is! However, even if you prefer climbing there are other other skills you can work on. After all, maybe this was partly why you got injured in the first place.
Understanding why you got injured will not only prevent it from happening again but it will also bring knowledge on how your body works.
Besides rest and anti-inflammatories, try to see this period as an opportunity to do other things and also as a time for recovery and getting stronger and solid.
For example, when I had my SLAP tear and my pulley, both my osteopath and doctor suggested I should try running to keep the blood flowing in my shoulders.
Doing this kept me busy and it also gave me a sense of purpose and involvement in my recovery process.
For a climber, taking a break and waiting is unbearable and is rarely recommended.
Mobility
When your body goes into healing, inflammation passes and your pain is less, the action begins! Start by massaging so you increase blood circulation. By the way, this is a good thing to do also for warming your fingers up or relaxing them after climbing!
Here are 3 great explanatory videos posted by The Climbing Doctor on how to release joint pain, increase lubrication, improve range of motion, and decrease symptoms and pain.
Watch about self-joint mobilization for rock climbing synovitis here:
Learn about passive mobilization here:
Watch about active mobilisation in the video:
Strength
It’s hard to believe all the power you had is gone and your injured part feels so weak. Yet, in a way, I find it amazing that one can actively and consciously contribute to becoming stronger by just caring for an injured part.
Your brain and your body need to agree upon the fact that you need to rebuild strength step by step and not push it “the way you used to and remember” just because now you feel better and you have no pain.
Hangboarding is a great way to slowly come back because it allows you to control the load you want and you are capable of. You can find many versatile hangboard options to buy in our shop here.
The climbing doctor suggests:
“Long-duration hangs and repeaters are good hangboard protocols to use, and will help support fluid change in the joint. Open-hand hangs are a good place to start since they require less stress on the PIP and DIP joints. Use an edge around 20-30 mm and perform the hangs at an intensity of around 50-75%. If needed, use a pulley system to reduce the weight. A pickup device is another great tool to use where it is easy to control the load of the fingers. How many sessions per week will depend on your training history and severity of the injury.”
- 4 sets of 30-second hangs and rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
- Hang for 7 seconds rest for 3 seconds, and complete a total of 6 hangs. Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
If you’ve never hangboarded before, I recommend our guide to Hangboarding for beginners: A simple guide on how to hangboard.
Movement
Here’s to my favorite part: Enjoy it, you earned it but proceed with care. As I mentioned climbing techniques and poor posture can favor finger joint synovitis.
One way to prevent this from happening is reducing repetitive movement. This goes for any other part of your body.
Becoming aware of how you climb and restraining yourself from giving one too many tries on a boulder problem that involves crimping is a good idea!
I personally prefer taping when I come back from a finger injury.
If you want to know more about taping and how to properly do it, I recommend Hooper’s beta on taping.
If you want to understand more injuries work and how you can prevent them do read the Climb Injury-Free book, by Dr. Jared Vagy.
I have said it before and I will keep saying this: the human body is fascinating! The irony of me saying that is that I came to realise it every coming back from
It is not until something is lost one realises they are taking things for granted. Health, friendship, romantic relationships, our bodies, and so on – I feel like it’s only human to take things as a given, and be wrong to do so.
But don’t you worry – it is human as well to not know any better and to learn to do better next time.
After certain climbing sessions, I am honestly surprised my fingers kept up with it and how strong they are.
Many times I think I could do better with caring for my joints, especially climbing synovitis or other joint problems, pulley ruptures are typical injuries for climbers.
Why should climbing injury-free be any different?
When it comes to education, one needs to learn and be patient to succeed. If it comes to friendships one needs to spend time and be willing to share to create a connection.
Or is it comes to climbing, from muscles to joints, one needs to not only climb but also build strength gradually.
As you can see, climbing is quite demanding on the fingers.
That’s why properly preparing your fingers before climbing but also working on any other part of your body such as core, coordination, big muscles, footwork, and so on is helpful!
Allowing the body to adapt is to become stronger, reduce wear and tear, and also the real risk of injuries.
If you are curious to know more about swollen fingers and joints, check this full study Clinical management of finger joint capsulitis/synovitis in a rock climber.
Let us know what other climbing-related subject you’d like to read about and we’ll do our best to deliver!
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