Rock climbing requires a lot of hand and finger strength. Your hands take a beating as you grip holds, jam cracks, and work your way up the wall. Taking proper care of your hands is essential for any rock climber.
This article will provide tips on caring for your skin, managing calluses, taping up, conditioning your hands, and preventing injuries – everything you need to keep your hands healthy and send your projects!
Why Hand Care is So Important in Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is incredibly hard on your hands. As you climb, you are constantly using your hands and fingers to grip holds, bear weight, and propel yourself upwards. The stresses this puts on your hands and skin are immense.
Without proper care, your skin can tear, you can develop painful calluses, and even pulley injuries to your fingers. Caring for your hands is absolutely vital for any rock climber. Healthy hands allow you to climb your best and prevent injuries. Follow these tips to take proper care of your hands for rock climbing.
Caring for Your Skin When Rock Climbing
The friction and abrasion from climbing can quickly lead to tears in your skin. Paying attention to your skin care will help prevent flappers (painful tears in the skin) and keep your skin in top shape. Here are some key tips:
Moisturize After Climbing
- Moisturize your hands after every session to replenish moisture and promote healing
- Look for climber-specific moisturizers with ingredients like clays and oils to deeply hydrate
- Apply liberally, massaging into cracks and calluses
File Down Rough Skin
- Use a nail file or pumice stone to gently file down rough edges and loose skin
- This prevents tears and hangnails from forming
- Focus on smoothing down calluses without removing them entirely
Climb With Hand Care Products
- Bring skin care supplies to the crag to use between climbs
- Keep hands moisturized while climbing with hypoallergenic climbing balms
- Tape up vulnerable spots as a preventative measure
Limit Water Exposure
- Minimize time in wet environments like the shower after climbing
- Wet skin is more sensitive and susceptible to tears
- Rinse hands briefly and limit scrubbing to prevent damage
Listen to Your Skin
- Pay attention to any hot spots or tender areas
- Take a break from climbing if your skin needs a chance to heal
- Build up gradually, especially in the early season
Proper skin care will keep your hands feeling great and prevent painful flappers. Make it part of your regular climbing routine.
Managing Calluses for Rock Climbing
Calluses build up naturally as you climb, creating a protective layer of thick skin. But too much callus can crack and tear. Use these tips to maintain healthy calluses:
Light Filing
- Gently file down calluses with a nail file to keep them smooth
- Don’t file too aggressively or you’ll remove all the protection
- Focus on any rough edges that could catch and tear
Use a Pumice Stone
- A pumice stone effectively buffs away dead skin from calluses
- Soak hands in warm water to soften calluses before using the pumice stone
- Rinse the stone frequently to prevent spreading dirt and germs
Apply Moisturizer
- Massage moisturizer into calluses after filing or using pumice
- This rehydrates and softens the skin
- Look for urea-based creams designed for thick, dry skin
Never Cut Calluses
- It may be tempting to cut off peeling calluses with a razor
- But this can lead to infection and thicker calluses forming
- Filing and moisturizer are safer ways to manage them
Give Them a Break
- If calluses are cracked or painful, give them a break from climbing
- Allow 2-3 days of rest to recover
- Use tape or silicone pads to protect tender calluses
With some consistent care, you can keep calluses under control. Be patient and let them develop gradually over time.
Taping Your Hands for Climbing
Taping is a great way to prevent flappers by protecting vulnerable spots on your skin. Here are some tips for effective taping:
- Clean hands thoroughly before applying tape
- Use a highly adhesive climbing tape like ClimbSkin or Metolius Tape
- Tape hot spots and flapper-prone areas as a preventative step
- You can also tape over existing calluses or damaged skin to help it heal
- Wrap the tape around the finger or area needing protection
- Try to use minimal tape for the greatest dexterity
- Re-tape between attempts if tape loosens or gets dirty
- Remove slowly at the end; soak in warm water if needed
Using tape proactively or when skin is compromised will allow you to keep climbing without making things worse. Carry tape in your climbing kit for on-the-spot protection.
Conditioning Your Hands for Rock Climbing
Building hand strength and resilience through conditioning prevents injury and improves climbing ability. Follow these tips:
Include Hand Exercises in Your Routine
- Simple exercises like finger curls, pull-ups on jugs, and gripping exercises strengthen hands
- Do them regularly as part of your overall training
- Focus on eccentric exercises to develop grip strength
Use a Hangboard
- Hangboards allow you to isolate fingers and build strength
- Start with large, comfortable holds, avoiding crimps early on
- Limit sessions to 10-15 minutes to prevent injury
- Focus on quality over quantity of hangs
Strengthen Your Wrists
- A strong and stable wrist helps support fingers gripping holds
- Do wrist curls and flexions with light weights
- You can also use wrist strengtheners like the Gripmaster
Stretch and Massage Your Forearms
- Tight or overworked forearms contribute to finger injuries
- Stretch forearms after climbing sessions
- Massage and roll out your forearms with a foam roller
Listen to Your Body
- Rest adequately between climbing days
- Take extra rest if fingers feel sore or overworked
- Stop climbing if you feel pain in the fingers, tendons, or elbows
- Too much too fast can lead to pulley or overuse injuries
Dedicated conditioning prepares your hands and fingers for the rigors of climbing. But take care to avoid overtraining and building up gradually.
Preventing Hand Injuries in Rock Climbing
Hand injuries like flappers or pulley strains are common in rock climbing. Use injury prevention strategies to help avoid them:
Warm Up Thoroughly
- Take time to warm up fingers and forearms before climbing
- Start with easy climbs focusing on technique rather than grip strength
- Hang on jugs, shake out arms, and flex fingers to wake them up
Tape Early and Often
- Tape hot spots or tender areas before they tear into flappers
- Re-tape between attempts if tape gets dirty or peels up
- Consider preventative taping of fingers vulnerable to pulleys
Strengthen Pulleys and Ligaments
- Rice bucket exercises improve finger flexor strength and health
- Theraputty exercises also reinforce tendons and pulleys
- Maintain muscle balance in forearms and fingers
Stick to Good Technique
- Avoid over-gripping holds and rely more on footwork
- Careful foot placement reduces strain on hands
- Use open-handed grips when you can
Cool Down and Stretch
- Stretch out fingers, hands and forearms after climbing
- Ice pulleys if your fingers feel sore or swollen
- Massage hands to improve circulation and recovery
Making injury prevention part of your regular routine will help keep your hands healthy for the long term. Be smart with training and technique to avoid overuse issues.
How to Treat an Injured Hand from Rock Climbing
Even with the best preventative care, hand injuries can still happen from the wear and tear of climbing. Here is how to treat common finger and hand injuries:
Pulley Strain or Injury
- Rest the injured finger until pain and inflammation subside
- Ice 3-4 times per day for 10-15 minutes to reduce swelling
- Lightly tape the finger to the adjacent finger for support and stabilization
- Take anti-inflammatory medications as needed for pain and swelling
- After a few days of rest, start light exercises to rebuild strength
- Ease back into climbing gradually once healed
Flappers
- Clean the wound well with soap and water to prevent infection
- Apply antibiotic ointment and cover with a bandage or tape
- Allow skin to fully heal before climbing again to prevent worse tearing
- Moisturize the area once healed to build back elasticity
Jammed or Sprained Finger
- Ice immediately to prevent swelling
- Tape injured finger to adjacent finger for stability
- Rest the hand for 72 hours until swelling decreases
- Take anti-inflammatory medication to control pain and inflammation
- After a few days of rest, begin light exercises to rebuild mobility and strength
- Tape the finger for support when returning to climbing
Don’t rush back from a finger or hand injury. Allow enough rest and recovery time so it can heal completely before climbing again. Tape for extra support as you ease back into activity. Consult a doctor for severe or persisting injuries.
Good Nutrition and Hydration for Healthy Climbing Hands
Nutrition and hydration affect your skin health and recovery. Follow these diet tips for healthy climbing hands:
Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods
- A balanced diet provides nutrients for skin repair and resilience
- Emphasize antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
- Eat plenty of protein to rebuild damaged tissues
- Healthy fats like avocado and olive oil promote supple skin
Stay Well Hydrated
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day
- Dehydration leads to dry, brittle skin
- Have water before, during and after climbing sessions
- Limit alcohol and caffeinated drinks which dehydrate you
Load Up On Vitamins
- Vitamins C, D and E support skin health and cell regeneration
- Take supplements if needed to meet daily dietary requirements
- Vitamin E oil can be applied topically to rehydrate skin as well
Avoid Crack Hand Hazards
- Dirt, oil and chemicals in cracks can irritate skin
- Wash hands thoroughly after crack climbing
- Use protective tapes and gloves when able
- Moisturize after washing to replace oils and sebum
What you eat and drink makes a real difference in healing capability. Follow a skin-friendly diet with plenty of nutrients and hydration.
Conclusion
Caring for your hands is absolutely vital in rock climbing. All that gripping, scraping and jamming takes a toll on your skin and connective tissues. Pay close attention to your hand care regimen with these tips:
- Thoroughly moisturize after sessions to rehydrate skin
- File calluses carefully and use tape preventatively
- Condition your hands gradually without overtraining
- Make injury prevention part of your routine
- Allow enough rest and recovery time for any hand injuries
- Maintain a nutrient-rich diet and stay hydrated
Healthy hands are happy hands. Taking some time on skin care, taping, stretching, and proper conditioning will pay off with stronger fingers, fewer flappers, and improved climbing performance. Treat your hands well so they can keep powering you up those epic routes! With a smart hand care regimen, you’ll be sending your projects in no time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hand Care for Rock Climbing
Here are some most frequently asked question given below:
How often should I moisturize my hands for climbing?
Moisturize your hands after every climbing session. Also apply moisturizer in the mornings or evenings on rest days.
What kind of moisturizer is best for climbing hands?
Look for a moisturizer designed specifically for climbers, containing ingredients like beeswax, coconut oil, aloe vera, and SPF protection. Climb On and Joshua Tree Skin Care make great options.
Can I use hand lotion for my climbing hands?
Regular hand lotion may not absorb well enough or deliver heavy duty moisturizing power. Stick to moisturizers formulated for climbers which penetrate deeper and leave no greasy residue.
How do I get rid of calluses on my fingers from climbing?
Never cut or rip calluses off. Gently file them with a nail file or pumice stone after soaking in warm water. Apply moisturizer after filing to keep them smooth and flexible.
Should I climb with open hands or closed crimping?
Use open handed grips when possible to reduce strain. But controlled crimping is sometimes necessary on small holds. Balance open and closed gripping for minimal stress on hands.
How can I tell if my fingers are injured from climbing?
Signs of injury include pain, swelling, popping sounds or loss of range of motion in the fingers. Take a break from climbing if you experience any of these symptoms until healed.
How long should I wait to climb after a finger injury?
Take at least 2 weeks off climbing to allow an injured ligament or tendon to rest and start healing. Only return to climbing once swelling has subsided and you have full pain-free range of motion.
How do I build finger strength for climbing without hangboards?
You can improve finger strength without hangboards using jug pulls, finger curls, grip trainers, rice bucket exercises and climbing on jugs or large holds. Progress gradually.
What vitamins help repair damaged skin from climbing?
Vitamins C, D, E and some B vitamins support skin health and cell regeneration. Get them through diet and supplements. Vitamin E oil can also be applied topically.