What are Repetitive Stress Injuries
Along with overtraining, repetitive stress injuries (RSI) are the most common cause of performance declines during training. In fact, repetitive stress injuries are frequently an indication of overtraining.
Repetitive stress injuries are the result of overusing particular muscles, joints and connective tissue. They are caused, in general, by performing the same motion, repeatedly, over a significant number of reps. Though they most commonly occur during training periods of high difficulty, they can crop up at any time as the result of training the same style of move at high volume.
Common RSI’s for Climbers
The most common repetitive stress injuries for climbers are:
- Finger pulleys
- Shoulders (rotator cuff and tendonitis)
- Elbows (“tennis elbow”)
- Wrists
Each of these injuries tends to be correlated with particular movement patterns, though it is not always easy to spot trouble before it begins. In general, though, the best way to reduce the risk of an RSI is to vary your movement. Choose climbs that have a variety of hold types, body positions and angles.
To help minimize your risk, the following list describes the most common movements that, over time, can lead to RSI.
Closed and Half-Closed Crimps
The “gold standard” for causing pulley injuries, crimps are an unavoidable part of climbing hard. Using the open position (with your fingers neutral) is the best form of prevention when training on crimps. Half-closed and fully closed crimps should be minimized, though they do not need to be completely avoided. Only close your crimps when trying to send or in competition. During your sets, it is wise to avoiding closing crimps as much as possible, if not altogether.
As a bonus it is useful to note that training “open-handed” will tend to increase your closed-crimp strength. It will also help your strength on slopers and pinches. Closing your crimps will not have the same training benefit on open-handed moves.
Iron Cross and High Gastons
The Iron Cross is the main culprit for RSIs in the shoulder. Such positions put significant lateral stress on the shoulder joint, frequently leading to impingements of the rotator cuff and surrounding soft tissue. High, hard gastons have a similar effect, for similar reasons, though they do not cause the bilateral damage of the Iron Cross.
Like closed crimps, this does not imply that you must never do such moves. Be sure that they are minimized and, as much as possible, left out of higher volume sets at high levels of difficulty. In addition, good cross training will help balance the shoulder joint and provide a cushion against such injuries.
Dynos and Compression Moves
Dynos and compression sequences (where you need to press your palms against large slopers or features) are the most common cause of tendinitis of the elbow. Dynos create significant instantaneous impact on the joint, while compression keeps pressure on it for longer periods of time.
At high levels these movement patterns are difficult to avoid. While minimization can be an effective strategy, it may not be practical for those who are climbing harder problems. In such cases good cross training and proper conditioning (e.g. at the beginning of a macro-cycle) are critical to minimizing the risk of this RSI. As always, if you experience pain in your joints, it is a sign that you need some extra rest—not that you should train harder!
Cocked Wraps and Tight Underclings
Wrist injuries in climbing are the least common RSI, but they are also the most difficult to treat. This is because once the connective tissue in the wrist becomes “stretched out”, leading to pain, it is nearly impossible to get it to “tighten up” again.
As a result, it is important to focus on preventing these injuries from the start. The two most common causes of this RSI are wraps which require you to cock your wrists, and tight underclings that are near horizontal. Much like closed crimps, these positions should be avoided as much as possible while training.
All material is reprinted with the permission of the author. Copyright 2022 David H. Rowland. All rights reserved.
