Common hand injuries in rock climbing
1, finger collateral ligament injury
The sprain or fracture of finger collateral ligament is the most common sports injury in rock climbing, in which the "proximal interphalangeal joint" of middle finger, index finger or ring finger and the "metacarpophalangeal joint" of thumb are the main injuries.
Cause of injury:
When a climber digs a cave with dynamic movements, the "proximal interphalangeal joints" of the middle three fingers will bear great force and bend greatly in an instant. However, the action of pinching is easy to sprain the "metacarpophalangeal joint" of the thumb. The most common symptoms of patients are joint swelling, stiffness, chronic pain and limited activity. If the fingers bend unsteadily when applying pressure to the affected part, it means that the lateral collateral ligament has been completely broken. If the patient only feels pain, but the affected part is still stable, it may just be a sprain.
First aid:
(1) If the ligament is just a sprain, let the affected area rest, ice compress and reduce the swelling. Bind the affected finger with the adjacent finger by the method of "adjacent finger combination and fixation", and gently press the deformed joint back to guide it to reset. After two weeks of fixation, you can let your fingers do a trial exercise. The swelling and pain in the affected area will last for months, but you can still climb.
② If the ligament is completely broken, the patient should see a doctor for further diagnosis and treatment to evaluate the feasibility of surgical treatment. If non-surgical treatment is used, it may be difficult for fingers to exert force after recovery.
2, flexor tendon injury
Cause of injury:
Each finger has two flexor tendons (except thumb), of which the superficial flexor tendon can bend the proximal interphalangeal joint and metacarpophalangeal joint. Flexor digitorum profundus can bend distal interphalangeal joint, proximal interphalangeal joint and metacarpophalangeal joint. When climbing, locking the grip is easy to tear the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon. However, digging the rock point is easy to tear the flexor digitorum profundus tendon.
First aid:
① When the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon is torn, the proximal interphalangeal joint will be difficult to bend. When the flexor digitorum profundus tendon is torn, the distal interphalangeal joint is difficult to bend, and the affected part is painful and swollen, which is the same as the loss of grip strength and pinch strength.
② Straighten the proximal interphalangeal joint and bend the fingertip as much as possible. If the affected finger cannot bend the distal interphalangeal joint, it means that the flexor digitorum profundus tendon is injured. Put your palm on the table, keep the four fingers on the outside of the affected finger in the extended position, and bend the affected finger. If it can't bend, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon of the finger will be injured.
③ After injury, patients should see a doctor quickly, correctly judge the condition and evaluate the possibility of surgical repair. If surgical treatment is decided, it must be completed within two weeks.
3, the second ring pulley damage
Cause of injury:
There are five annular pulleys in each finger to connect and fix the bone finger and tendon (except thumb). Frequent bending of tendon will rub the pulleys and cause tearing. The second ring pulley is located near the proximal phalanx and metacarpal joint and interphalangeal joint. Climbers often tear their middle finger and ring finger because of excessive force when locking the grip. According to statistics, about 40% professional climbers suffer from the "second ring pulley" injury. In severe cases, the second annular pulley will be completely broken, resulting in the flexor tendon can no longer fit the phalanx and will bow up, which is called "bowstring phenomenon".
First aid:
① It is difficult to diagnose the damage of the second ring pulley, and only by nuclear vibration or computerized tomography can the cause be correctly found out.
(2) If it's just a pulley laceration, you can wrap your fingers with adhesive tape and stop climbing for 2-3 months. But if the endless pulley has been completely broken, it must be repaired by surgery.
The benefits of rock climbing
1, increase body softness and sense of coordination.
This is the key ability of rock climbing, and its importance exceeds physical strength; Rock climbing has been used in the medical field abroad to correct children's muscle development and coordinate the training of hands, eyes and body.
Step 2 strengthen your physical strength
Rock climbing requires a balance of strength and beauty, and it is enough to bear its own weight and defying gravity. In this matter, girls are no less than boys.
Step 3 focus (attention)
Stepping on the rock with full attention and paying attention to every detail of the body's displacement on the rock can cultivate a person's concentration on things.
4. Sense of balance
Known as Spider-Man walking on a rock wall? What is the basic posture of walking? Don't move at three o'clock. Move a little? It depends on the sense of balance!
Common equipment for rock climbing
1, rock climbing requires us to prepare some protective equipment and some sports tools. Among them, the safety belt is the most needed tool for climbers, mainly to protect the personal safety of climbing friends. This is one of the tools that new climbers need.
2. When climbing, you need to climb up, so you need to descend, so as a beginner, you also need to buy a descender. As a beginner, it is generally possible to use the eight-character ring to downlink, which is the most commonly used downlink at present.
3. Rock climbing needs a lot of preparation. As a beginner, the safety of rock climbing is very important. Therefore, it is also necessary to prepare safety iron locks and lassos, so that you can rest during the climbing process and perform other operations, mainly tools for self-protection.
Another climbing tool that we must prepare is the helmet, because pebbles will inevitably fall when we climb, which sometimes reflects the role of the helmet, so it is necessary for us to buy a helmet.
We also need special shoes when climbing the mountain, so that the mountain can go smoothly. I suggest you buy professional hiking shoes, because they are special shoes with great friction. You can save a lot of energy by climbing mountains with these shoes.
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