CAREFUL, THIS FINGER IS LOADED

[song: black wings by tom waits]

it seems practically every other climber i know is injured this season. is it more so than normal, or just more so as i'm affected too? all i know is i figured out what ails me... (thanks to wiki for my self-educating prognosis)

TENOSYNOVITIS is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called synovium) that surrounds a tendon. symptoms of this include pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the particular joint where the inflammation occurs. when the condition causes the finger to "stick" in a flexed position, this is commonly called "trigger finger," or when a nodule forms on the tendon. affected digits may become painful to straighten once bent and may make a soft cracking sound when moved. the term "trigger finger" itself is used b/c when the finger unlocks it pops back sometimes suddenly, as if releasing the trigger of a gun.

causes are unknown, and the condition is generally seen more often in males.

possible treatments include cortisone injections (followed by varying degrees of painkillers) and an outpatient surgery to enlarge the synovium, where the hand is splinted for a week or so afterwords. fairly less symptomatic cases appear to be treated with NSAIDs and anti-imflammatory drugs.

thankfully i haven't fully developed "trigger finger." i feel like i might as well have seeing as how i can't climb anyway, and it would seem cooler to use it as a party trick or something tonite at the Rock Rodeo. i do have the nice, soft crackling sound when i try to open or close my finger though: definitely not as fun as it sounds.

i've been dosing on sodium naproxen for a few days now and will see how that works after i've reached 7 days of said treatment. if things don't seem to be any better i'm going to look into a cortisone shot, which seems a little less expensive than surgery (especially considering i don't have any health insurance now).

at any rate, i have 9 good fingers... and i may just have to give it the ol' tommy caldwell if it can't pull its own weight (literally, its own weight!).


dealing with the downtime,
ak