Preventing Long Term Injuries Climbing

Mallett

Mallett

Location
Sonoma county
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I’m 22 years old and although I haven’t had any injuries as a climber yet, I get really paranoid about what I could be doing to my body- and how I could be taking measures to prevent unnecessary wear and tear.

Mainly I’m worried about 4 things: my knees, shoulders, back, and hands.

My knees feel shitty after a long day of climbing in spikes. I think it’s my MCL, and I think it’s from having my legs locked out and having the shank of my spikes pressing my knees outward. This one worries me the most
Shoulders don’t feel bad yet but I see people all around me with rotator cuff injuries.
Back has always been strong but recently I’ve noticed a little pain in my lower spine.
My fingers suck, all my knuckles are really swollen and stiff as hell. They loosen up during the day but in the morning and after work it’s almost difficult to make a fist.

Anyone else have similar issues? What do you do to prevent long term damage? What other areas of your body do you think are susceptible to damage in this industry?

I know it’s a rough job on your body and nothing will change that, but any insight on how to slow it down would be greatly appreciated. Less injuries=more years climbing


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I'm mostly retired, but do tree work regularly. Usually 1 or 2 days a week, but I have done jobs that took 6 long, consecutive days. If I'm not in a tree, I may be doing something equally or more physically demanding. Anyhow, I don't feel like I'm putting excessive wear and tear on particular body parts doing tree work. I may be tired after a long day, but no particular aches or pains. I do work by myself, so I can set my own pace. I work steadily and hardly ever take a lunch break, even working 10+ hours. I supposed I'm blessed to be 59 and have no musculoskeletal problems.
 
Mark Chisholm did a talk about “Longevity as an Arborist” at TCIA last week. Key points: Improve your technique, eat/train/behave like an athlete, get strong, practice, allow rest/recovery. That’s the quick and dirty…. Mark is savage, and his talk was super inspirational!! Here’s my two cents: learn SRT at the very least for canopy access, it’ll save your shoulders, and possibly your hands. You didn’t mention how long you’ve been climbing, but if your new to it, these motions and activities could be very foreign to your body, and in time you will adapt, and your techniques will improve…. leading to less fatigue/strain. As I improved I was able accomplish more work with less physical effort. I got smart, and my efficiency went up. That knee pain your mentioning could either be your technique or your gaffs? Is it possible to borrow a colleagues different make/model spikes?
 
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Mallett said:
I know it’s a rough job on your body and nothing will change that, but any insight on how to slow it down would be greatly appreciated. Less injuries=more years climbing


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There's lots of stuff on TreeBuzz on this - search things like climbing ergonomics, muscle strains and pulls, safe cutting, and more. I recall discussions on diet and supplements too (glucosamine and chondritin, etc.). Look at stuff like Craig Bachmann's video on Treestuff/ Youtube about lanyards and work positioning. Dave from Wesspur has comments in videos on spur use and on static ropes v.s. slightly more springy ropes. Reg Coates has Youtube videos on spur use and many many other things helpful to stay in the game longer (and in one piece). BC WCB has a video on stretching before falling/ bucking/ limbing (again Youtube). Huge amounts of stuff out there to sort through. Gloves/ brain bucket/ safety glasses and hearing protection are daily wear items. Same with chainsaw protective pants and boots. Stay safe out there.
 
What they said, and do some digging in past threads. Stay in warm country, no joke. Weather cools off and every fucking ache and old injury pops back up despite following the above recommendations. Planks have done more for back issues than anything else (personally), resistance bands for shoulder strengthening have helped immensely.

You are ontop of your game with thinking about this early, please follow through and keep on it. I’ve got shoulder replacements in my future I’m sure.
 
Chris Schultz said:
Mark Chisholm did a talk about “Longevity as an Arborist” at TCIA last week. Key points: Improve your technique, eat/train/behave like an athlete, get strong, practice, allow rest/recovery. That’s the quick and dirty…. Mark is savage, and his talk was super inspirational!! Here’s my two cents: learn SRT at the very least for canopy access, it’ll save your shoulders, and possibly your hands. You didn’t mention how long you’ve been climbing, but if your new to it, these motions and activities could be very foreign to your body, and in time you will adapt, and your techniques will improve…. leading to less fatigue/strain. As I improved I was able accomplish more work with less physical effort. I got smart, and my efficiency went up. That knee pain your mentioning could either be your technique or your gaffs? Is it possible to borrow a colleagues different make/model spikes?
Click to expand...

I wish I could have made it out there to the convention! Those are some good points, I think my diet could definitely be improved, I’m trying to cut out sugar as much as a can. Learning single rope was definitely a game changer.


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ghostice said:
There's lots of stuff on TreeBuzz on this - search things like climbing ergonomics, muscle strains and pulls, safe cutting, and more. I recall discussions on diet and supplements too (glucosamine and chondritin, etc.). Look at stuff like Craig Bachmann's video on Treestuff/ Youtube about lanyards and work positioning. Dave from Wesspur has comments in videos on spur use and on static ropes v.s. slightly more springy ropes. Reg Coates has Youtube videos on spur use and many many other things helpful to stay in the game longer (and in one piece). BC WCB has a video on stretching before falling/ bucking/ limbing (again Youtube). Huge amounts of stuff out there to sort through. Gloves/ brain bucket/ safety glasses and hearing protection are daily wear items. Same with chainsaw protective pants and boots. Stay safe out there.
Click to expand...

Good shit, I’ve never taken supplements but sounds like I’ll give it a try. I hate wearing gloves but I think if I find a good pair I like I could get used to it. Sometimes I’ll cut the tips off of the first two fingers + thumb for dexterity


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Serf Life said:
What they said, and do some digging in past threads. Stay in warm country, no joke. Weather cools off and every fucking ache and old injury pops back up despite following the above recommendations. Planks have done more for back issues than anything else (personally), resistance bands for shoulder strengthening have helped immensely.

You are ontop of your game with thinking about this early, please follow through and keep on it. I’ve got shoulder replacements in my future I’m sure.
Click to expand...

I feel that! I’m from northern New Hampshire so I’ve dealt with some pretty cold winters. I’m moving to Hawaii at the end of this month, & I don’t think I’ll miss the snow haha


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Mallett said:
I wish I could have made it out there to the convention! Those are some good points, I think my diet could definitely be improved, I’m trying to cut out sugar as much as a can. Learning single rope was definitely a game changer.


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Click to expand...

And as for the spikes, I’m using geckos and I only noticed the pain recently. They’re adjusted correctly so I’m not sure what really caused the discomfort. I’m going to keep an eye on it and try to avoid locking out my legs as much. It would probably help to have some cushier pads


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Mallett said:
And as for the spikes, I’m using geckos and I only noticed the pain recently. They’re adjusted correctly so I’m not sure what really caused the discomfort. I’m going to keep an eye on it and try to avoid locking out my legs as much. It would probably help to have some cushier pads


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Some love em some hate them. My legs respond well to geckos, and edelrid talons. FWIW
 
I've been climbing for 12 years now and earlier on developed knee and wrist and elbow pain. The biggest thing I've found that has helped has been changing my diet. I don't eat refined sugar, very limited gluten, very very limited processed food, I'm dairy free as well, most of my meals consist of protein ( wild game or legumes), and a shit load of fresh vegetables. I can't tell you how much better I feel after eating like this for the past 4-5 years. It's incredible, I can out work, out climb and out last most guys I work with.

I do agree that techniques and ergonomics do play a big part of prevention of long term injury but personally diet has been the biggest factor in ridding me of the pain I had.

Get on the srt game too!
 
adolan said:
I've been climbing for 12 years now and earlier on developed knee and wrist and elbow pain. The biggest thing I've found that has helped has been changing my diet. I don't eat refined sugar, very limited gluten, very very limited processed food, I'm dairy free as well, most of my meals consist of protein ( wild game or legumes), and a shit load of fresh vegetables. I can't tell you how much better I feel after eating like this for the past 4-5 years. It's incredible, I can out work, out climb and out last most guys I work with.

I do agree that techniques and ergonomics do play a big part of prevention of long term injury but personally diet has been the biggest factor in ridding me of the pain I had.

Get on the srt game too!
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100%. The foods you cut out are all inflammatory foods.
 
I'd look into pole gaffs, I swear by them. The only tree you wouldn't be able to climb is a black locust with deep bark ridges. The pole gaffs don't have as much of a lever effect on your knees.

Also try a Ronin battery acender. And possibly stationary rope technique.

-Will
 
Will stein said:
I'd look into pole gaffs, I swear by them. The only tree you wouldn't be able to climb is a black locust with deep bark ridges. The pole gaffs don't have as much of a lever effect on your knees.

Also try a Ronin battery acender. And possibly stationary rope technique.

-Will
Click to expand...

Hahaha the ronin is my retirement plan. I’ve been interested in trying pole gaffs


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For a while I was kinda obsessed with having my chain cut as fast as humanly possible. Besides razor sharp cutters, I was taking the rakers down a below nominal. Result was a faster cut, bigger chips, but added vibration. It’s gentler on newer saws that have spring antivibe vs rubber buffer AV, but still not good on the hands, and can’t be good for the saw.
So yeah, don’t take the rakers/ depth gauges down too far.
 
I'm intrigued by those of you that follow strict, healthy dietary guidelines. I start the day with 3 mugs of coffee, smoke a pack of *organic* tobacco cigarettes, eat 2 or 3 desserts after dinner, enjoy a cocktail a few nights a week and love junk food. The only thing I do right is eat a reasonably healthy dinner. Blood work is always good, BP is good and I feel good and stay slim. Never had a headache and only get sick about 1 day every 4 years. I take no medications or supplements. I think I got good genes from my dad.
 
Dan Cobb said:
I'm intrigued by those of you that follow strict, healthy dietary guidelines. I start the day with 3 mugs of coffee, smoke a pack of *organic* tobacco cigarettes, eat 2 or 3 desserts after dinner, enjoy a cocktail a few nights a week and love junk food. The only thing I do right is eat a reasonably healthy dinner. Blood work is always good, BP is good and I feel good and stay slim. Never had a headache and only get sick about 1 day every 4 years. I take no medications or supplements. I think I got good genes from my dad.
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Must be nice! I do very little caffeine, no cigarettes, one dessert on occasion, and very little junk food. I don’t eat all that much either, and I still sit 20 pounds higher than I want to, and my BP is showing higher than it should too… I’m rarely sick, but I’ve had frequent headaches most of my life. You people who can eat anything annoy me!
 
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