by Dr. Greg Motley

Several of my friends have injured their finger tendons, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation before returning to climbing. Is there any prevention exercises or recommendations to avoid being sidelined by a strained finger?
-Michael B., Franklin, N.C.

Most climbers don’t warm up and stretch properly before hitting the rocks. A thorough warm-up and cool-down are the best preventive measures that climbers can take. Forearm muscles should be stretched in a climber, just like a runner would want to focus on their hamstrings and quadriceps before running. Here’s a single stretch that can serve just about all of your warm-up needs: Pull your wrist and fingers back as far as possible and hold for one minute on each hand for three sets. That’s a total of six minutes of stretching. This stretch will keep your fingers and forearms loose and limber on the rock.

Don’t pull too hard, however; focus on gentle stretching during your warm-up, as overstretching cold muscles can also lead to injury.

Any good climber knows that proper climbing is about lower and core body strength-not just arm strength. Developing overall upper and lower body strength is the best way to keep the finger flexors from holding the entire body weight and using them more as static holds rather than the typical crimp hold. Help spread out the stresses over all your muscles through strengthening and stretching exercises before and after your climb, and you’ll likely be climbing injury-free all season.

I am fairly new to the climbing sport and have watched various videos on the different styles and techniques. Do the different styles affect your risk of acute or chronic injuries?
-Kelly T., Asheville, N.C.

I remember my first free climb right after I had watched a video. A big mistake! In my haste to become a great climber overnight, I almost seriously injured myself on my first climb. Climbers in these videos are professionals with years of experience and maturity. The professionals have training partners and practice most of the advanced techniques in professional climbing shops with ropes, pads, and helmets before attempting what you see in the videos.

The best advice is look in your area for a coach, mentor, and club where people will help you advance in the sport with appropriate training. Take your time and enjoy the new friends you make. Learning to climb is a lot like the climb itself; it’s not just getting to the top of the rock, but enjoying the experience along the way.

Accompanying this column is a photograph of my five-year-old daughter climbing on an outdoor wall. The smile on her face when she hit the buzzer is what its all about. Before you worry about advanced techniques, make sure you’re smiling and having fun.

Dr. Greg Motley is an avid climber and orthopedic surgeon with Southeastern Sports and Fitness in Asheville, N.C.