By Dr. Nicole Laird, DC
Rock climbing pushes physical and mental boundaries, and the strain it places on the upper body, especially the elbows, can lead to frustrating and painful setbacks. For climbers, elbow pain is all too common, whether it’s on the outside (tennis elbow) or the inside (golfer’s elbow) of the joint. These issues, often resulting from overuse and the intense demands of gripping and pulling, can sideline climbers from the sport they love. However, by incorporating proper warm-ups, targeted strengthening exercises, and refined climbing techniques, it’s possible to build resilience, reduce pain, and keep reaching for new heights. Here’s how climbers can take proactive steps to protect their elbows and stay on the wall longer.
These are the top two elbow conditions in rock climbers:
1) Pain on the outside of the elbow – “Lateral epicondylalgia” or “tennis elbow”
2) Pain on the inside of the elbow – “Medial Epicondylalgia” or “Golfer’s” elbow
Here are 3 ways to help reduce pain:
1) Warm up
There are very few activities that require as much finger strength and engagement as climbing does, so it is really important to warm up well.
- Finger flicks: imagine there is water and you are flicking it off of your fingers
- Finger tents: place your palms on the floor. Push your palm off the ground so you are making a tent with only the tips of your fingers on the ground. You can gradually add more body weight as you are able.
- Graded swinging on different hold types (climbs, slopers, jugs).
2) Muscle Strengthening + Stretching
A common issue with climbing is related to strength. If you want to hold + pull your body weight around with just your fingers, they have to be strong! This can also lead to imbalances if you are only working muscles on one side of the joint.
- Banded finger extension
- Finger Tenting
- Flexion-Pronation Stretch
- Dumbbell Wrist Extension
- Dumbbell Wrist Flexion
- Finger boarding: Stay Tuned for more info on how + when to train with a hangboard!
3) Technique
Climbers, try this!
1) Hold your hand up in front of your face. Now imagine you are grabbing onto a crimp. Did you watch to see if your wrist or fingers moved first? Try it again!
If your wrist moves first you are engaging your forearm extensor muscles more. Since they attach on the outside of the elbow, this is usually a culprit for pain there.
If your fingers moved down first, and there wasn’t a lot of bending at the wrist, you are using your finger extensor muscles. These come up and attach on the inside of your elbow, causing pain in this area. These are already very commonly overused in climbing, especially if you aren’t giving yourself enough rest between climbs or sessions.
2) When you are climbing, you should be using the least amount of strength possible to hold onto the wall. To see if you are over-gripping go to a hang board or an overhanging section and grab on like normal. Then slowly hold on less and less until eventually you slip off. This will help you to learn how little force you need to stay on the wall!
Still having problems?
Epicondylalgia is the Latin word for pain at the epicondyle (the part of the bone that both these groups of muscles attach on). These diagnoses are quite generalized, and if you are having problems it may be best to talk to one of our amazing practitioners at Ascent Health and Sports Therapy.
Click below for access to a FREE strength & stretch exercise program for Climbers