Are Your Shoulders the Reason for Your Wrist Pain When You Rock Climb or Boulder?

Bouldering and Rock Climbing have been growing in popularity over the past years, especially with the theatrical release of climbing movies like Free Solo and The Dawn Wall that brought a boom of curious novice climbers. Although bouldering and rock climbing aren’t new sports, the increase of climbing gyms and facilities that specialize in training individuals to improve their climbing performance has exponentially grown. 

 With the increase in accessibility for anyone to start climbing comes a growing number of injuries. Climbing, whether bouldering or rock climbing, requires a great amount of physical and mental strength. There is some debate as to what makes a “great” climber in the sport, with a lot of focus on the strengths of your upper body versus core versus lower body, however it’s important to also consider how your shoulders can make a difference in your grip strength and technique.

Do Your Shoulders Affect Your Wrist When Climbing?

Your wrists are the anchoring points that connect your body to the structure you’re climbing. Without appropriate mobility, your wrist may take on a larger stress load than necessary. Finger sprains, blisters and hand abrasions are common climbing injuries that may seem unavoidable, but there are things that can be done to prevent them.

 To start, your grip strength and mobility can be used as an indicator of whether the nerve pathways in your arms are firing properly. If the right muscles are not contracting, then your grip may feel weak, but if you get properly assessed by a health professional, then the right muscle groups can be trained. At your shoulder joint, there is a group of nerves, referred to the Brachial Plexus, that run though the joint. Tight, fatigued or weak shoulders may lead to unnecessary stress in the shoulder joint. Shoulder joint instability can result from various issues, and identifying the problem early on is crucial for devising the right treatment for you. To clarify, if your shoulders are experiencing some kind of mobility issue, chances are it can be traced to your muscles not activating properly.

 If your shoulder has been acting up with each climb and it doesn’t seem to get better, then maybe it’s time to get yourself checked out by a physical therapist or chiropractor. 

 Each joint in your body correlates with another joint in some form, and is often referred to as a chain. With your wrist being the anchor point, and the shoulder acting as a base, mobility and control is essential to minimize injuries. If your wrists are weak, then your elbow and shoulder joints may experience additional stress. The effectiveness and grip strength of your hand will result from the stability of your shoulder joint. When it comes to climbing, your shoulder plays a large role and can lead to serious injuries if your mobility is limited.

 How Do Your Shoulders Affect Your Elbows In Climbing? 

We discussed how the wrist are the anchoring points and the shoulders are the base, and now we’ll talk about how the elbows connect everything together. The elbow joint is the midway connection that heavily relies on the positioning of the shoulders and wrist joints. In order for your forearm to rotate comfortably while climbing, which is often referred to as pronation and supination, the elbow must be stabilized properly. That stabilization comes from the shoulders, and you’ll notice your shoulders moving more with your elbow’s pronation and supination.

 With pronation of the forearm, muscle activity of the triceps increases, but if the wrist joint is restricted in some way, that limits pronation altogether. This will cause the shoulder to abduct and elevate, resulting in less engagement from the triceps. This means the anchor point of the triceps, which is the shoulder, can limit the pronation of the forearm, which is affected by the wrist and elbow. 

 How Do You Know If Your Shoulders Are Not Ready For Climbing?

Now that you have a better understanding of the role of your shoulders in climbing, ask yourself: Are my shoulders ready for climbing? 

 The only way to know is if you actually start climbing, but there are some signs that you should not ignore, such as:

·      Pain with lifting your arms above you head.

·      Uncomfortable clicking or popping with lifting your arms above your head.

·      Swelling or inflammation in your shoulder after activity.

·      Tingling pain or radiating sensations that run up or down your arm with activity.

 These are just a few of the signs you shouldn’t ignore, and if you are experiencing more severe   symptoms, you may want to seek professional help from a healthcare provider. Muscling through the pain or taking pain killers will not truly resolve the issues within your body. Some aches and pains are expected after a long day of climbing, but those issues should not persist for more than a day or two.

 Things To Remember When Training Your Shoulders

Make sure to use the right movement mechanics!

 In climbing, if you lack stability, your body may wind up in positions that may be painful. It’s important to utilize proper body mechanics, and understand how to move correctly. Strength alone will not make you an efficient climber. The mobilization of all your joints and their harmonious collaboration will put your body in a better place for each climb.

 You can start off with simple shoulder exercises for strengthening and flexibility. Make sure to keep your joints as mobile as possible by creating an exercise program that balances static, dynamic and compound exercises. 

 If you are not sure how to get started, ask a healthcare professional like Dr. Cheri Chan, Dr. Shaina Ung, or Dr. Daphne Tan. As experienced climbers, they can relate to the issues you face on your daily climb and will approach your treatment with a holistic view that focuses on your passion and quality of life. Don’t be surprised to find out how much more efficiently you can climb by changing your body mechanics. 

 Climbing and Bouldering are great activities to challenge yourself, but you don’t have to settle with the pain you may be experiencing. Small changes can lead to big results, but only if you take the first step. 

 If you would like to inquire more about Appointment Information, click the link. 

 If you feel some discomfort in your shoulders, or anywhere else, but are not sure if you need physical therapy or chiropractic treatment, then schedule a Discovery Visit by clicking the link to see how HealthFit can help you. 

 Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, and check out @healthfitla for weekly exercise tips!