Climbing's most popular finger injury

Wow… yet again I’ve made one move too many. This time I heard my middle finger pop on a route at the gym. It’s been swollen for weeks and I’m unable to move it. An MRI showed a full-thickness rupture of the A2 pulley tendon. Of course I consulted Dr. Volker Schoeffl, author of One Move Too Many. And just to learn more, I started Googling the injury. Almost every site references Volker’s research and diagnostic criteria. Both National Institute of Health papers rely heavily on his work. Since this injury is almost exclusive to rock climbers, I feel we’re very fortunate to have a doctor dedicated to the cause.

It’s also a reminder that the only climbing injury book written by an actual medical doctor (not a chiropractor or PT) is One Move Too Many: How to Understand the Injuries and Overuse Syndromes of Rock Climbing.