Wrap it Up! How to Tape Your Finger Injury.

I got a lot of great feedback from my first blog post last week, thanks for all of the kind words, criticism and encouragement! As promised, this week is a short tutorial on how I would tape a finger following an A2 pulley injury.

For both of the methods I will show, all you will need is a roll of athletic tape and a pair of scissors. Although you can buy athletic tape at any Shoppers Drugmart, I prefer the tape that you get at physiotherapy clinics, as the adhesive tends to be of better quality, as well as the tensile strength of the tape itself.

With any taping, be sure not to wrap the tape so tight that you restrict all blood flow to the finger. Your finger should not be dark purple, and when you pinch your fingertip, the colour should easily return after releasing the pinch.

A Climber's Best Friend, and Worst Enemy.

I've decided to rediscover my interest in writing.  This is something that has been on my mind for the past few months, and now seems like the perfect time to start.  In my day to day interactions, I often have people inquiring about different aspects of my life, many focused around my diet, my training, or my career.  This medium will allow for my brain to spill over, and hopefully help spark some interest or understanding around topics I have some knowledge on.  With that, let's dive right into the deep end with a topic that is pertinent to myself as both a sport climber, and a Massage Therapist.

Finger injuries.  I can already feel everyone flexing and extending that one nagging finger, the one that is sore after a hard climbing session.  These tend to develop over time, especially once a climber has progressed to using smaller holds, using a crimp grip.  Many fellow climbers will use terms like "torn pulley" or "tendon tear" to describe these injuries, but let's get a little more specific with our anatomy.

Anatomy