Injured my finger at the wall yesterday and as my favorite physio is 200 miles away and all the doctors here refuse to register me, let alone make an appointment, I thought I'd turn to UKC for a diagnosis. If multiple pulleys rupture, this may present with what is known as “bowstringing.” 5 To understand what bowstringing is, envision a bow (as in bow and arrow). And with good reason: While climbing is a full-body exercise, fingers make the most contact with the rock, thus taking more abuse than other limbs, especially from pockets. An A2 pulley strain is the most common finger injury for climbers and most often occurs in the ring or middle finger. The general consensus of “RICE” or “rest and allow it to heal” is not specific enough recovery. Finger Injuries. The three finger injuries that climbers frequently experience are an A2 pulley strain or rupture, a flexor tendon tear, or a collateral ligament strain. To Dan’s surprise and relief, rest was not the solution for his classic A2 pulley ligament injury. Closed injury to the finger flexor pulley system is found frequently in rock climbers. Climbing finger injuries are fairly common. Your foot or hand slips and your hand or finger gets tweaked. Common Methods to Diagnose Finger Injuries Radiographs: An X-ray will be able to rule out fractures or osseous tears of the fibrocartilago … You pulled on a hold hard, and one of your fingers felt like it strained and injured. Injury happened when pulling hard in crimp position in a pocket that was at about waist-height on a slightly overhanging wall. INJURIES. Rock climbers use an excessive amount of force on their fingers, especially when a climber’s foot slips and their hand grip tightens. The most common injury in climbers is the A2 pulley sprain or rupture and is caused by overloading the tissue. Each finger has tendons and ligaments that helps the finger bend, move, and grip. The “upstream" imbalances and the local damaged finger tissue culminated in a chronic injury and a finger that was unable to tolerate the demands of climbing.