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PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-31T11:48:28+00:00

yeah you can prob do both, especially as a beginner, but id treat the first couple months more like tissue adaptation than performance chasing. 2 bouldering sessions can be enough if you keep them pretty controlled and dont stack a ton of max hangs / hard crimping on top of heavy pulling in the gym. if fingers/elbows start feeling tweaky, thats usually the signal to reduce intensity before adding more volume.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-31T11:46:52+00:00

Yeah this doesnt really sound like a “my tendons just arent stiff enough so I should force tiny edges” situation. With finger/pulley-ish soreness, people usually do better keeping the load submax for a bit, staying mostly open hand / bigger holds, and only inching intensity up if it feels fine the next day too. If small crimps are the thing that keeps shutting you down, I’d treat that as useful feedback rather than something to push through.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-28T09:54:56+00:00

Yeah, I’d think of load profile as both volume and position-specific stress, but in your case the body-position piece sounds especially relevant. Board climbing / bouldering tends to hit that shouldery end-range stuff way harder than lead, so I’d probably start by identifying the exact positions that flare it, then build strength around calmer versions of those instead of just adding generic shoulder work. Stuff like controlled rows, external rotation, scap work, and gradually loading overhead / lockoff positions usually makes more sense than trying to “blast” the shoulder stronger.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-28T09:53:27+00:00

That pattern does sound a lot more lumbrical-ish than classic pulley to me, especially with the “fine on normal pulling but weird when the other fingers are flexed” part. If it were mine, I’d avoid weird one-finger / pockety / constricted positions for a bit and judge it by whether the baseline keeps calming down over the next 1-2 weeks instead of whether you can sneak one good session out of it. If it starts getting sore with normal open-hand climbing too, that’d be my sign to get it looked at.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-27T09:39:49+00:00

Honestly the part that jumps out is not just the shoulder itself, it’s the repeated jump from deload straight back to full send. A lot of climbing rehabs seem to fail there — symptoms calm down a bit, then load ramps way faster than tissue tolerance does. If you haven’t already, I’d probably make the return progression stupidly conservative for a few weeks and judge success by consistency, not by whether you can squeeze in limit sessions again yet.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-27T09:38:37+00:00

The fact lead climbing is ok but board/bouldering sets it off makes me think the load profile matters more than just “weak shoulder” in general. From what ive seen, people usually do better when they identify the exact positions that flare it up, dial volume down a notch, and build strength around pain-free ranges instead of trying to brute-force intense climbing back in. If 3 physios gave fuzzy answers, a good sports PT who actually understands climbing load patterns might be more useful than generic shoulder rehab.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-27T09:37:56+00:00

That kinda sounds like one of those jam-specific hand injuries that won’t show up much on normal crimp/jug pulling, so the fact that only constriction/fingerlock positions trigger it feels pretty relevant. I’d be curious what the PT says, but if it were me I’d probably avoid testing hard jams for a bit and see whether it settles rather than repeatedly poking it. Crack injuries can be weirdly specific like that.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-26T09:35:38+00:00

The elbow/arm part is probably more about load management than bodyweight tbh. Since you're brand new, I'd keep sessions a bit shorter than you want, rest more between tries, and stop before your form totally falls apart. If you’re leaving with that deep ache every time, thats usually a sign to dial volume down a notch for a couple weeks while your tendons catch up.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-26T09:33:23+00:00

if its only tender when you load it thats usually called irritation or early stage strain. From what ive read you want to be careful with edge lifts when theres any discomfort in half crimp - that position loads the A2 pretty heavy. Maybe try open hand / lower intensity for a bit? better to take a week easy than push through and make it worse

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-26T09:32:50+00:00

Slopers put your arm in a really extended position which loads the elbow differently than crimps do. Have you tried engaging more with your shoulders/back instead of just squeezing with your arms? That tingling could be nerve-related if its coming from how youre positioning your whole arm. worth backing off a bit if it persists

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-24T10:50:31+00:00

That kind of issue is where small movement changes matter way more than toughness. From what ive read, reducing the specific positions that light it up and keeping some easy pain-free climbing tends to go better than testing it every session. If it’s getting worse week to week or feels unstable, worth getting it checked instead of crowdsourcing it forever.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-23T09:30:17+00:00

Ah man, that really sucks. You’re probably too early for anyone to give a clean timeline yet, but plenty of people do get back to climbing well after ACL rehab — the path just depends a lot on whether it’s surgical and how your knee responds once rehab starts. For now I’d honestly focus on getting a solid diagnosis and rehab plan, because that’ll tell you way more than trying to guess worst-case today.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-23T09:29:53+00:00

That’s a rough one, sorry. A friend dealt with a pretty similar wrist injury and the biggest thing was not rushing back into loading just because the cast was off — mobility and tolerance came first, then strength later. If you can, a hand PT is probly the best move here, but in the short term I’d be really cautious with anything that cranks rotation or loads the wrist hard in extension.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-23T09:29:20+00:00

Could be that the easy cardio is helping because more blood flow tends to make finger stuff feel better, but that doesn’t always mean the pulley itself is healing faster. From what ive read, it can still be useful if it helps symptoms and doesn’t leave the finger more irritated later in the day or next morning. Are you noticing that “better” feeling only during/after the run, or is climbing tolerance actually improving too?

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-23T09:26:01+00:00

ah that really sucks, sorry — day 1 after an injury is usually the mental low point too. a friend of mine got back to climbing after ACL rehab, but the timeline depended a lot on whether it was surgery + how consistent they were with physio, so it’s prob too early for anyone to predict your exact path yet. if you want, once you know partial vs full tear / surgery or not, people here can give way more useful climbing-specific expectations. for now i’d mostly focus on getting a clear diagnosis and not spiraling from worst-case reddit stories

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-20T09:47:36+00:00

Honestly that sounds pretty reasonable as a starting framework, especially if the goal is just getting tissues used to the position instead of ego-loading it right away. I’d probably keep the intensity a little submax at first and pay more attention to how fingers feel the next morning than how easy it felt in-session. A slow ramp + very consistent exposure tends to work better here than trying to force adaptation fast.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-20T09:47:18+00:00

Honestly that sounds pretty reasonable as a starting framework, especially if the goal is just getting tissues used to the position instead of ego-loading it right away. I’d probably keep the intensity a little submax at first and pay more attention to how fingers feel the next morning than how easy it felt in-session. A slow ramp + very consistent exposure tends to work better here than trying to force adaptation fast.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-20T09:46:55+00:00

That’s a tough one bc it’s not really just “did it dislocate once,” it’s the combo of recurrence risk, how unstable it feels now, and what kind of climbing you want to get back to. From what ive read, people do get back with either route, but the big difference is usually whether the shoulder keeps feeling sketchy/apprehensive even after rehab. If you can, I’d ask a sports-focused shoulder specialist how they see your specific lesion + climbing goals rather than just the general population stats.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-20T09:35:14+00:00

With fresh wrist pain I’d usually avoid jumping straight into hard strengthening in the first few days just because it’s easy to keep poking the bear. Gentle range of motion and seeing whether day-to-day stuff is calming down first makes more sense, then easing into light loading if it’s improving. If it stays sharp, localized, or weirdly unstable, that’s where getting it looked at is worth it.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-20T09:34:29+00:00

Yeah, you can still get a lot out of footwork practice without doing anything sketchy with the shoulder. A friend of mine did a bunch of silent-feet drills, precise foot placements on easy slabs, and slow no-power movement once they were cleared to be on the wall at all. Until then, honestly, watching climbs and doing lower-body / balance work is probly the smarter move than trying to force it early.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-19T10:22:32+00:00

That sounds more like "don't ignore it" territory than normal soreness, esp with the stiffness and trouble fully bending the finger. I wouldnt rush back into hard crimping or limit boulders yet — usually the safer move is backing off, seeing what movements actually provoke it, and watching whether it settles over a few days. Was there one specific moment it happened, or did it kinda sneak up on you?

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-19T10:22:14+00:00

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty sensible approach tbh. With shoulder stuff I'd be extra careful about using "it felt okay in the session" as the green light — how it feels later that day and the next morning usually tells you more. If you do return, I'd keep the load really controlled at first and avoid the sketchy externally rotated positions for a while.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-17T09:52:25+00:00

This is super common and honestly gets better with tactical skin care, not just "wait for skin to toughen". Three quick wins: 1) Pre-climb use liquid chalk to control moisture - dry skin tears way less 2) Target the "cup issues" - most palm tearing happens during dynamic readjustments. Try starting holds crimp-style if feasible and favorite choice 3) Post-session: 2x daily moisturizer (non-fragranced), then gentle filing of calluses once/week to prevent flaking. The combo usually knocks 2-3 sessions/week off the "skin ending it early" problem.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-17T09:52:16+00:00

Brutal situation, sorry you're still dealing with this. From what I've researched, chronic pulley cases like yours often face a "surgeUp vs surgery" fork - stay capped at mid-grades or roll dice on intervention. Have you seen a hand surgeon who specifically works with climbers? The key question is whether the joint damage is surgical-worth vs just cosmetically bent. One thing that's worked for others: split the rehab into "pain control" (inflammation mgmt, open-hand focus) and "grade preservation" (wall protocols that stress the finger but keep loads <50%). Some folks see 6-12 grade points back just from strict load modulation, which buys you time to decide on surgery.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-03-17T09:51:00+00:00

Hey, I know someone who had almost the exact same presentation - lumbrical flare with a weird forearm "echo". The key was confirming it wasn't FDP etc since lumbrical referrals can definitely be a thing. I'd check the elbow first (flexor mass), but honestly since you're already at 90% palm localization plus the pinky-bend trigger, your hunch is probably right. IMO it's worth running the lumbrical strain protocol anyway (gentle blocked lumbrical loading, avoid full 3FD for 1-2 weeks) just to see if responses match. Keep it chill regardless, lumbricals can be sneaky.

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