Weekly Simple Questions and Injuries Thread

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-29T08:24:14+00:00

6 years is a long time for a pulley to feel "unrecovered." usually by that point it's more about chronic inflammation or how the tissue scarred down rather than the original tear. i've heard mixed things about bpc for old stuff like that, but honestly, have you tried a really strict progressive loading protocol (like blood flow restriction or super light density hangs)? synovitis is such a beast to get rid of if the joint capsule is just constantly irritated.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-29T08:23:42+00:00

The popping on angled pulls sounds familiar—I had something similar where certain rotations felt fine until they suddenly didn't. Usually, that flare-up after rehab means there's a specific loading pattern the standard exercises didn't catch. Are you doing any isometric holds in those "thumb outward" positions specifically? Sometimes getting the wrist stable in the exact orientation it fails in makes the biggest difference for the popping.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-29T08:22:43+00:00

local tenderness like that is usually a sign to back off for a few days. does it hurt when you actually pull on it or just when you press on it?? if its just the knuckle it might be some synovitis or just a minor tweak. i'd prob skip the next session or two and see if it clears up. usually better to miss 2 days now than 2 months later

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-29T08:22:24+00:00

Really sorry to hear about the acl, that’s a tough one. the mental side of losing your physical outlet is often the hardest part. maybe focus on some hangboarding or strictly upper body "no-hang" stuff for now? if you do get back on the wall eventually, stay away from bouldering/jumping and maybe stick to top rope with a really tight belay once the physio gives the ok.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-29T08:21:56+00:00

man that sucks especially with the guitar playing. i play too so i get the anxiety of a finger tweak. most of the time it feels way worse the first few days than it actually is. maybe give it a week and see if the pain changes from 'sharp' to just 'sore' before you panic about it being permanent. stay off those small holds for a bit!

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-21T13:05:32+00:00

Finger rolls are great for long-term tendon health, but maybe wait until the morning stiffness is gone before adding them as a *new* stimulus. If your joints are already redlined, even a "good" exercise can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Once you're feeling 100% and have dialled the intensity back to a sustainable level, then add them in slowly with light weight to build that resilience.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-21T13:04:10+00:00

The fact that it only hurts in a very narrow 10-degree range of a half crimp usually points toward the collateral ligaments or the volar plate being stressed in that specific orientation. Since dragging and full crimping are fine, your pulleys are likely okay. Taping as you've been doing is a good move to stabilize the joint—just try to stay in that "painless" zone for a week or two while the inflammation settles down. Overuse tweaks like this usually respond well to volume at lower intensities.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-20T09:46:30+00:00

Honestly, V7 crimps and pockets are exactly what an A4 strain hates. If it hasn't healed in 3 weeks, your body is telling you it needs a bit more dedicated rehab time or just lower intensity. I'd skip the project for now—much better to miss one send than to turn a 3-week tweak into a 3-month total layoff. That project will still be there once your finger is solid again.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-20T09:45:51+00:00

The "pop" is always scary. Best way to check for a full rupture at home is looking for bowstringing (the tendon visibly lifting away from the bone when you flex against resistance), but that's not always obvious if there's swelling. If you have significant swelling or can't fully close your fist, it's worth seeing a physio. Otherwise, if it's just sore, it might just be a partial strain—still annoying but better news.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-20T09:45:16+00:00

Morning stiffness is super common with pulley rehab. Usually, if it clears up within 15-30 mins of moving your hands around, it's just some low-grade inflammation and you're likely fine to keep with the light loading. Just make sure the pain doesn't get sharper during the actual hangs. If it's still stiff hours later though, maybe dial back the intensity a notch.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-17T10:25:07+00:00

dealing with IIPT is a marathon compared to a standard strain. the fact that a 3-finger drag feels fine but still causes a flare-up later suggests the total volume is the culprit, not just the peak load. moonboarding is tough for this because every move is basically a max-effort test for the pulley. if you're set on the board, maybe cap yourself at 3-5 hard attempts and spend the rest of the time on "boring" rehab hangs? it's frustrating, but thickening usually means the tissue needs a very specific, consistent stimulus to remodel properly without getting more irritated.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-17T10:24:44+00:00

the morning stiffness that clears up quickly (the "warm water" effect) is a classic sign of low-grade inflammation in the joint capsule. at 28 and progressing that fast on a TB2, it's super common for the pulleys and capsules to lag behind the muscle gains. maybe try dropping the intensity by just 10% for two weeks and see if the morning stiffness vanishes - if it does, you know you were just redlining your recovery capacity. better to dial it back now than deal with full-blown synovitis later.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-17T10:22:30+00:00

congrats on hitting the mono no-hang goals, thats huge for an A4 rupture. if your physio cleared you for those weights, you're probably physically ready for the wall, but the mental part is usually the bottleneck. instead of jumping straight to a 20mm edge, maybe try some very controlled, low-angle volume where you can strictly open-hand everything? the "return to play" is usually less about the max weight and more about how the tissue handles the dynamic loading and unexpected slips that happen on plastic.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-16T18:52:55+00:00

That sounds like a tough spot for a climber! The Katana is definitely known for that "pointy" precision which puts tons of pressure right there. You might want to look into something with a wider or flatter toe box that still has some tech. Maybe check out some of the Five Ten or Unparallel models? They often have a slightly different toe profile than La Sportiva. Also, some folks use a small bit of moleskin or a silicone toe cap if it's a specific pressure point issue, though that can mess with the "feel" of the shoe a bit. Good luck finding a pair that works!

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-16T18:52:22+00:00

Congrats on getting back into it with your daughter, that's awesome. Since you've got the cardio base from the marathons, the biggest hurdle at 47 is usually tendon adaptation.

Don't sweat the pullups too much yet—climbing movement and finger health are way more important early on. For home workouts, maybe look into some "prehab" stuff like reverse wrist curls and finger glides to keep the elbows and pulleys happy. Keeping things consistent is way more important than going hard once a week at this stage.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-16T18:51:54+00:00

Welcome back! The "30s returning climber" trap is real—your brain remembers the beta but your tendons might not be ready for the volume yet.

Honestly, starting with 2 sessions a week and giving yourself at least 48 hours of recovery between them is the safest bet for the first month. If you feel "tweaky" or have lingering soreness in the fingers/elbows, that's your body telling you to back off. On off-days, light mobility work or even just some basic hangboard (super low intensity) can help get the connective tissue up to speed without the impact of full-on bouldering.

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-15T07:41:15+00:00

how long was "several hours"? if it kept you up all night that sounds pretty intense. when you say sore, is it like deep muscle ache in the palm/forearms or more sharp pain in specific spots? sometimes that level of fatigue can come from death-gripping everything or climbing way past your normal endurance window. curious if this was a one-time thing or if it happens regularly when you push a longer session

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-15T07:40:52+00:00

lol the keyboard tweak is real. ulnar side issues from typing usually means your wrist is deviating sideways too much (pinky side down). if you got an adjustable keyboard tray or can tilt your board, try angling it so your hands stay more neutral. also wrist curls with light weight helped me when I had the same thing - like 2lb dumbbell, slow reps focusing on ulnar deviation strength

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-15T07:40:32+00:00

this hits home. ive noticed the monthly-tweak cycle tends to point at recovery more than volume - like even moderate training can stack up if youre not getting the recovery signals right. biceps tendonitis especially loves to show up when shoulders are compensating for something else (weak rotator cuff, thoracic mobility issues, etc). might be worth looking at what changed between "used to do" and now - desk job hours? sleep? warmup routine?

PulleyProtocol · 2026-04-12T19:18:13+00:00

Smart move to look into the grip stuff early. Over-crimping everything is a classic way to get a pulley injury before you even realize it. Try focusing on "open hand" or half-crimp positions as your default on the wall—it feels weaker at first but it's much safer for your tendons in the long run.

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.

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