Injury and Healing

" Face the simple fact before it

becomes involved.

Solve the small problem before

it becomes big.

The most involved fact in the world

Could have been faced when it was simple.

The biggest problem in the world

Could have been solved when it was small."

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, verse 63'

This Chinese saying has a lot of truth when it comes to rock climbing injuries.  When an injury does occur, the number one thing to do is rest and allow for healing time. Continuing to climb is unsafe and may cause further injuries. Unfortunately, there are many minor, unnoticeable mistakes in climbing that are simple to make.Microtrauma- "microscopic damage to muscle and connective tissue." This microscopic damage will add up, causing muscles and ligaments to become even more injured, such as tendinitis. Younger climbers- adolescents- should seek professional help when injured because their body isn't done growing and developing. Injuries in adolescents may also result in arthritis later in life. Even experienced climbers can get injuries from overuse of a muscle because of how much weight it must support at certain times on the wall. Finger injuries occur most frequently of the upper limb because just one hand, at times, supports more than half the climber's body weight. The middle and ring fingers have the most injuries in what's called the annular flexor pulleys. In a more severe injury, swelling and bruising occurs. Swelling is a sign that there is a stress fracture and climbing should be put on the back burner for about a month to allow for proper healing. Workout-x.com states that, "75% of sport climbers eventually suffer high-stress or repetitive injuries in the shoulders, arms and hands," and according to ScienceDaily, "Study findings revealed a 63 percent increase in the number of patients that were treated in U.S. emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1990 and 2007." Although injuries are damaging, our bodies heal in incredible ways. The more a person climbs, the stronger their body will get and will start to repair much faster.