Should Climbers Tape Their Fingers? (A Look at the Evidence)

Рет қаралды 75,657

Күн бұрын

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// RESEARCH CITATIONS //
- Impact of taping after finger flexor tendon pulley ruptures in rock climbers: bit.ly/3qwabiC
- A Biomechanical Analysis of the H-Taping Method Used by Rock Climbers as Prophylactic or Stabilizing Fixation of Partial A2 Pulley Tears: bit.ly/3xm8qrX
- Biomechanical effectiveness of taping the A2 pulley in rock climbers: bit.ly/3BBJVK1
- Factors influencing functional outcome of proximal interphalangeal joint collateral ligament injury when treated with buddy strapping and exercise: bit.ly/3B5al5a
// SHOW NOTES //
Episode 115
www.hoopersbeta.com/library/c...
// DISCLAIMER //
As always, exercises and rehab programs are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting a new training or recovery program.
#trainclimbsendrepeat #climbingtraining #doctorofphysicaltherapy

Пікірлер: 133

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Special thanks to LetsGetChecked for sponsoring this video! Get 25% off your order with code HOOPERSBETA: trylgc.com/hoopersbeta UPDATE: Thanks to everyone that has shared their taping experiences so far! It's great to hear, and just to clear up any potential confusion, we're definitely not saying you should never use tape. If you find it helpful, then it might be a net positive for you! Just be aware that in some cases it might not do what you expect and there may be other variables to consider. This video is all about learning those nuances! -------------------------------------------- Original Comment: What's your experience with tape? Do you feel it helps you or do you just use it because you haven't been able to fix your finger pain? If you find yourself in Category #3 (unidentified pain), remember we have numerous in-depth videos on finger pain/injuries to help guide you (or see a PT with climbing experience!)

@tanguylaloy8155 Жыл бұрын

I would really not recommend using this kind of service, there is a reason health professionals are in most countries the only ones authorized to prescribe such tests! no practitian ever prescribes any tests without first having a clinical reason for it There is a high risk of - losing money with useless tests - getting scared with results you don't understand - risk of false positives or suspicious results leading to a lot more tests after that, in most cases useless and not cheap, for exemple they have a CRP test, wich can be augmented even with a small viral asymptomathic benign infection, but a positive on their prick test could lead to a lot more useless tests (this is also why routine blood tests are not recommended at all unless you have a medical condition requiering a follow up) For some of these tests (for example STD screening) it could be usefull to make the patient more autonomous with his health, and a argument can be made for it but I don't think this is at all a good idea for a lot of them (I can also see how it could be usefull if your doctor only need to check on few things if it is cheaper than the normal way to do it)

@m_sedziwoj Жыл бұрын

I don't know where you take quot for this video, but I found paper and it say something different than you show in video: "It can be concluded that the new taping method influenced the path taken by the tendon in an injured finger more effectively than the previously described taping methods. This reduces the forces acting on the remaining pulleys and may have positive effects for the prevention of tendonitis in the injured finger as a consequence of less friction over the edges of the remaining pulleys."

@emurray100 Жыл бұрын

I LOVE how you inject humor into these extremely useful tips/reviews/recommendations/etc. Excellent content. Thanks!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback :) We are stoked you enjoyed it!

@uploadsnstuff8902 Жыл бұрын

Another great video with SOLID scientific facts! Love the knowledge being share here! Not only does it helps with recovery, it prevents future injuries. It's like when I discuss resistance training with some friends who are convinced that getting pumped to the point of failure is the best way to achieve this without much facts behind that claim. And I'm defending that reaching failure has only diminishing returns, and training on how to avoid getting pumped in the first place is the best way to do resistance training. It's my understanding that acidosis is not something you "build up immunity against", as it's a metabolic pathway that starts when blood flow is too restricted from muscle contraction. Building more capillaries, increasing oxygen intake and blood flow should be the main goals, or am I mistaking?

@derekstanyer Жыл бұрын

I've only used tape once, for about a month when I suspected I had a strained pulley or something like that in one finger. For me it was basically a constant reminder not to crimp, or exert too much force on the finger. I find if I'm not careful, I can easily end up overworking it, but with tape it was a constant reminder in the back of my mind to use open hand grip instead of crimp. It served its purpose for me! But I don't think I would feel that it was helping at all if I was using the exact same forces on the finger.

@StefanClimbs 9 ай бұрын

Thanks, very informative and clear reasoning!

@zakmorgan9320 Жыл бұрын

This video is the first I've heard of taping for those injury reasons. I thought it was only for flappers and skin issues lol

@languagefreeassangeteacher5338 Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@martinlacher7932 Жыл бұрын

Hey Hooper, great video! I just recently contacted Andreas Schweizer (you cited him) about 3d printing support splints - and they already have made a model in several sizes and the best thing about it: they give it away open source! He also told me all the things you said here and additionally warned me, that the splint also is useful ONLY if you have a severe injury, like at least a partial rupture and could even cause damage if used just for an inflamation (an "insulted pulley", as we usually call it).

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing. Is there a permanent link to the files or something we can share?

@martinlacher7932 Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta I was asking him about that but still waiting for the answer. He's a busy man (hopefully, for him, busy climbing! ;) ). I get back to you, when he answers me.

@dave_h_8742 Жыл бұрын

This poped up to my feed. I work with steel picking up & throwing 2m x1m scrap into a skip the process of picking it up forces steel into either A2 or other digits pullys hurting them by weight on a thin cross section. Now I know the structure and it's mechanics from your excellent video I can try something to try healing the bruising or crushing through gloves.

@martinofinotelli1884 Жыл бұрын

Hi Hooper, thanks for the great video. I usually don't tile but I wanted to bring to your attention another reason for, possibly, taping. I had an A2 partial rupture 3 years ago. Sometimes, the scar tissue still hurts. It doesn't hurt when I crimp, but for example when I grab a jug and the edge of it creates force just where the scar tissue is. Therefore, taping may help me distribute the load in such cases. What do you think?

@matthewking4883 Жыл бұрын

find basically mummifying the finger from just distal to the DIP joint crease all the way to near the MCP joint really effective because it forces you to climb open handed. It's less about the support of the injured structure and more about allowing you to climb without habitually full crimping every hold. I generally start by covering both the DIP and PIP and then later into the rehabilitation I wean to just the PIP, then eventually to nothing. At the same time that I wean off to one joint I'm usually starting bodyweight+ hangs on the hangboard in a half/full crimp to strengthen and desensitise the tissues. This would mainly work if the climber could climb with 3 or 4 finger open grips pain free. For example, it allowed me to climb my hardest route ever within 3 months of a partial tear to my ring a2, where prior to the injury there was a hold I was trying to crimp in the crux, and afterwards I had to 3 finger drag it because I had no choice.

@andreasb5354 Жыл бұрын

My experience with massive pain at the A4 pulley region is, that H-Taping reduces pain and helps to avoid additional painful impacts on a hurt finger in everyday life.

@santi_super_stunts2573 Жыл бұрын

Taped up for about a month or 2 , it felt so good to finally climb without tape on either hands any more , constantly had to take them off because of it stretching or during rehab I would take them off

@marioschatzlmair3171 Жыл бұрын

Train Cliiiiimb Seeeeeend Reeeeeepepepepepeeeat Great as always 👌 thaaankalot

@stitch3163 Жыл бұрын

I fell into the #2 territory after my pulley injury, but kicked the tape habit several years ago. Good analysis of taping efficacy.

@kdt85 Жыл бұрын

5u🤟

@WyandWombat Жыл бұрын

I use tape to partially immobilize joints that hurt and that I don't want to crimp with. It's basically to make sure I only do open hand grips and don't pull hard on stuff in the heat of the moment if I have a finger that is somewhat not okay, which happens about once a year.

@Ninjanugets123 Жыл бұрын

Hey, love your videos and have been following for a while. Recently I've been trying to learn crack climbing but the foot jam really hurts my feet, it feels like my bones (specifically the metatarsal of the first ray) are being twisted in a painful way. I don't want to be injured so I was hoping to get a technique breakdown and PT explanation of it all, and what to do about it. Hope this is the right place to request videos!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Dang sorry to hear that but thanks for following our channel! For Crack climbing technique work & advice I would recommend Wide Boyz KZfaq channel since that is their focus.

@MichaelMontella Жыл бұрын

Do you have any advice for climbing on small (

@Lorofol Жыл бұрын

I don't use tape for internal tissue protection, however when you're crack climbing or climbing on sharp and gritty rock, tape can be great at protecting your skin!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Good point! It certainly can be quite helpful for protecting the skin :)

@JorgeMartinez-eh6wv 8 ай бұрын

i had fun with this video. even when im pain. btw, im not a climber, i lift weight in the gym, but im having the same issues in my middle finger :/

@FustFPV Жыл бұрын

I use to be an elite gymnast and with my rock climbing I treat it no different. Only now I don't have a team doctor doing it for me haha. Its basically the last 2 that you say at the start is good. 1- To prevent blisters in spots you personally get them 2- Trying to prevent a blister from popping 3- taping a burst blister so you can continue training without the pain 4- Injured a ligament/tendent or broke a finger and it needs to be rested. This case your doing strength training that requires no hands. The tape is just so you don't accidently forget and grab something, in turn bending and putting weight on it make the injury worse while it heals.

@LeafwortThumbfloggin Жыл бұрын

Great video. Do you think thermoplast pulley splints should get a mention as viable alternative to taping for A2 injuries? I've had awesome recovery using splints.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes we mention splints at the very end :) A couple other people have noted 3D printed splints though, which sounds like another great option!

@BrokenSofa Жыл бұрын

Never heard of other uses than for skin problems

@LogRobin Жыл бұрын

I some times tape my wrist for slopers. Yes I know I should train wrist strength (doing that too), but if I feel my wrist is about fail I use tape as prevention. N=1 but works really well. Is that different from finger taping?

@Zavannt Жыл бұрын

Would love to learn about people taping their wrists

@matthewdunnavant8338 Жыл бұрын

Could you do a video going over K taping? I’m curious about how legit it is.

@Pietervanloon1996 Жыл бұрын

Why is the H-tape method always shown with a pretty symmetric and short H? When I tape up, I have one short side (roughly 3cm, that I wrap first, to keep everything in place) and one long side. I sometimes make the long side up to 20cm, so I can wrap it around my finger several times, overlapping a bit and covering a wider area. It feels really sturdy and feels like it helps more than the few procent always quoted. So essentially I am too biassed by my own non-scientific experience with it that I find it hard to beleive it doesn't help that much. Any thoughts on why it works so little according to science?

@debradaugherty8287 8 ай бұрын

What do you think about taping the dip joint to limit flexion, capsulitis, and the development of nodes on the joint?

@markshough2386 Жыл бұрын

What about taping for climbers with hyper mobile DIPs to stabilize the joint? Should we ditch the half crimp and solely focus on strengthening the full/closed crimp?

@phh5447 18 күн бұрын

Taping for hyper mobile is very important! Not for warmup or technique training, when you really think about a move. But in the moment you are just thinking about climbing and not just your body movement, it’s important as it protects your joints. What’s the point of having sublocated feet because you need to make a heel hook? You need to shake them back in and that’s just annoying

@barbrobeta Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this. My skin is SO bad, I have to use tape just to be able to climb regularly. I literally get flappers on slab 😅

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Dang that sounds rough! Sorry to hear that.

@markm8782 Жыл бұрын

I find taping highly effective for short periods of time (2 to 4 weeks ish) when recovering from generalized joint pain. Psychosomatic? Maybe, but it works! I like the cross, or X configuration.

@nguyentran1825 Жыл бұрын

What kind of finger exercise should I be doing?

@cxtpace Жыл бұрын

i am one of those tape junkie. sadly. i got to get rid of this mentality. thanks Doc!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure! Recognition is the first step, right? :)

@cxtpace Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta yes, indeed. :)

@dragade101 Жыл бұрын

wooooo. I just use tape to protect my hands from certain features or if I'm concerned about blisters. Didnt realise people taped because of active injuries x.x Best to understand and consult some qualified PTs or sports doctors who study fingers if you want to climb with an injury

@AmaniRafiki Жыл бұрын

I‘m the guy taping up his fingers before every session during the last three years 😂 But.. never had a finger injury again since then.

@Johnnywithoutaface Жыл бұрын

How do I start climbing when I haven’t started partially due to fear of finger injury? My work requires hand dexterity but when I was a kid climbing was a core part of my personality and I haven’t climbed for years. I’d really like to get started but I was just away from work for months for a neck injury so I can’t afford to be off work for a hand injury so I feel kind of stuck not being able to get back into the things I love

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Have you had finger injuries in the past? Everyone’s experience will vary, but there’s no need to fear a major impending finger injury if you have decent body awareness and no history of finger injuries from climbing. There are of course a million variables, but unless you’re injury prone I wouldn’t worry too much. Also, strength training to build a robust fitness foundation and to solve imbalances (eg super strong shoulders but weak fingers) will go a long way toward preventing injuries as long as you kinda know what you’re doing (recover fully between sessions, decent form, etc). Not all climbers get finger injuries - I’ve been climbing for 10ish years and never had one other than some moderate soreness once or twice from overdoing with my training. As you can see, there isn’t really a “simple” universal answer, other than maybe “takes things slow and steady.” -Emile

@Johnnywithoutaface Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta thank you for your response! I have never had any finger injuries before but I do get a lot of pain in my finger joints while working. Maybe I need to get one of those boards I’ve seen online that teaches you the crimps to build strength

@Alex.i Жыл бұрын

Forgot to mention tape for a joint finger pain :)

@paulhoulden Жыл бұрын

Ive got 1 dodgy finger, it goes mankey with chalk so i tape that finger and all is good! wrong use on paper but right for my situation!!

@antonjellinghaus5514 Жыл бұрын

I don’t want to know how many meters of tape were used for this video hahaha

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Haha :) Hopefully, I counter that waste by not using it as often as most (aside from this video ;) )

@oatiko3065 Жыл бұрын

How much tape was used during this video?😂

@pxqify Жыл бұрын

All I know is when I h-tape my middle and ring fingers they don't get hurt as often.

@Mdjagg Жыл бұрын

Tape is aid.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

hah :)

@rafaelsanna96 Жыл бұрын

I only use tape for skin issue, so i can just ignore the video lol

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

That's definitely a good use :) But hey still good information to be informed of in the vid so.... ;)

@douglasacero1710 Жыл бұрын

You mean the stoned teenage boulderers at my gym were wrong?!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Sad days :/ hah :)

@TheLinAndre Жыл бұрын

I use tape consistently because it helps me climb longer, with tape I do not get blisters or skin tear, I'll only not use tape if I plan to climb only for less than 1 hour

@faragematheus Жыл бұрын

Who the hell is using finger taping to prevent finger injury?? GO HIT THE FINGERBOARD 😬

@Ninonator3 4 ай бұрын

A shame you go through the scientific papers, but then choose to disagree with the findings. Just because you can think of a mechanism that sounds plausible doesn't mean it show real benefit. Stick with the evidence. And ofcourse if you wanna tape because it feels good, go for it. But the science so far says it doesn't help.

@HoopersBeta 4 ай бұрын

That is a very dangerous way to navigate science. The quality and validity of scientific evidence varies dramatically. Some data is gathered from extremely well-designed studies, while much of it is gathered from extremely poorly designed studies. It’s unfortunately part of the reader’s job to not only assess the evidence but the quality of the way in which was gathered to the best of their ability (or look to other more knowledgeable sources that can do the analysis for them). “Stick with the evidence” doesn’t work when the evidence comes from a poor source. -Emile

@Ninonator3 4 ай бұрын

@HoopersBeta Then go into the quality of evidence as well. If there is no evidence or only poor quality evidence, there is no necessity for drawing conclusions. I'm not saying, just do whatever a study says without any critical appraisal. But in this video, some conclusions seem to appear out of thin air after just quoting a study that says the opposite.

@SuperZakass Жыл бұрын

Geeez that is ALOT of advertising for the video. It's really off-putting to see that much embedded adverts in so many channels and ultimately drives me away from what is otherwise really interesting and well presented information otherwise.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

We wouldn't be able to spend the amount of time and resources it takes to make these videos consistently, for anyone to watch for free, if we didn't get paid for it. Gotta pay the bills somehow! It's either make videos with ads or not make them at all so we have time to work normal jobs (it's literally that time consuming).

@SuperZakass Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta I understand that there is a lot work work and time that goes into them, that's obvious to see. The advertising in my opinion however is still excessive and the trend for content creators heavily going in that direction is basically turning their audience into a product to be marketed towards advertisers. Appreciate good will isn't going to pay the bills and I am not going to pretend to understand how the KZfaq economy works, but the end result is significantly worse for it, which is a great shame.

@enzoscossa-romano2277 Жыл бұрын

It is interesting that Andreas Schweizer(www.balgrist.ch/en/offer/all-doctors/andreas-schweizer/) does reccomend another method for taping than H-taping. His method can be seen at this link www.balgrist.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Fachbereiche/Orthopaedie/Hand/Behandlungsschema-Ringbandverletzung-Klettern.pdf

@kittenkiller06 Жыл бұрын

I have a fully ruptured A3 pulley that I have opted to not get reconstructed. In naked state my pulley will bowstring uncomfortably when climbing. However taping, for me and for my specific instances, provide support to reduce the bowstringing and allows me to climb normally.

@paulgaras2606 Жыл бұрын

Never heard of using tape for anything other than a flapper

@martinlacher7932 Жыл бұрын

And even then, superglue is better! ;)

@paulgaras2606 Жыл бұрын

@@martinlacher7932 indoors I have to use tape if I flap. Gym policy. But I agree superglue is better.

@thenayancat8802 Жыл бұрын

Have only ever taped for skin issues, and once when my finger was sore to prevent myself from crimping with it. Wasn't for support but just to stop myself loading it in that way

@SnowmansApartment Жыл бұрын

This is very helpful, thank you. Recently i found that after not having climbed for a long while, my skin became very slippery. Would it make sense to use tape on your fingertips to have more ‚grip‘ when climbing?

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it! I wouldn't bother using tape to try to increase friction -- after a couple days of climbing your skin will toughen up again and you'll be good to go!

@danielc925 Жыл бұрын

It’s hard to disagree with any Hooper’s Beta and I kind of agree with this. That said, I had a full A2 rupture on an index finger. I found a physio who specialises in climbers, he scanned, diagnosed this, and he recommended taping this finger to keep the pulley to the bone (Lehman’s terms). 4 years later I have had no issue with that finger. One year later though the index finger on my other hand went. It was pretty bad so I self diagnosed (admittedly), rehabbed, now tape and have also had no issues with that finger either. I have since though had 2 more A2 pulley injuries on fingers which were not taped. Now, I know I am only a case study of one and my findings are not peer reviewed but I’m keeping tape on. 100%

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I would say your situation may be a very good case against taping actually. Getting that many pulley injuries is unusual, so there is likely a cause that should be addressed. It could be related to your technique, training style, or something else, but that many pulley injuries is a sign of something. Also, by taping the two fingers that were previously injured you might even be training yourself to rely less on those fingers, which may have lead to the other two pulley injuries. Impossible to know without careful evaluation of course, but I would just caution you to be very careful in attributing protection of your pulleys to tape. -Emile

@danielc925 Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta there seems to be so many factors it’s a really hard one to call. As you can imagine I have tried and continue to use every warm up exercise I hear of (yours included) as well as training on a quad block. Maybe I’m just unlucky, it’s a weakness of my body or indeed maybe there is a knock on effect from my taped fingers (although of course no fingers were taped for my first two injures). I am sure they are linked to my old age but there’s definitely not much I can do about that. Hopefully there’ll be a larger study some time with some definitive answers. But until then, rightly or wrongly thinking the tape helps, I’m thankful my bad injuries are now manageable and my other injuries are minor so it’s tape for me. Thank you for all your videos. They’re incredibly insightful and I’m sure myself and a lot of other people would have a lot more things to worry about than tweaked fingers without them. Appreciated! And thank you for your advice. Definitely more food for thought 👊

@nicjcorn Жыл бұрын

I find tape to make listening to the sensations in an injury much harder, so I wind up to irritating it for longer, instead of being able to effectively rehab it. If an injury is so bad that tape is necessary, then I shouldn't be trying hard things. Setting the ego aside, and setting my expectations based on how my injury feels that day is way better for me.

@santi_super_stunts2573 Жыл бұрын

Well I would do easy things and also tape. Like I would do something that causes no pain or very low grade pain , and then tape

@nicjcorn Жыл бұрын

@@santi_super_stunts2573 I’ve found that for me, the tape winds up either being an excuse to try harder than I should, or it just irritates the tendon/pulley even more. I like to use the rule of “did I leave the session less injured than I came into it?”, and too often when I taped the answer was was no, it hurt more later. Some people have different experiences, but I know multiple people who have had chronic tweaks go away when they stopped taping.

@muscularibuprofen69 5 ай бұрын

I agree.

@leftcoastbeard Жыл бұрын

I would agree that the psychological aspect of taping does need to be considered. I have a nagging joint injury in one of my middle fingers and I find the tape makes a good reminder to be mindful when loading that finger.

@keff_cb Жыл бұрын

I fully ruptured my A2 pulley, had surgery and did rehab. When doing climbing specific rehab and soft climbing I tapped (H Taping method) every session without fail, my finger was not getting better. After going to a PT specialized in climbing, he said to not tape all the time if the force was not excessive. I did this for around 1-2 months and my finger recovered faster than the previous 4 months of rehab. I don't have the data to tell if it was related to not taping or just because more time had passed. But I really think it was the tape. As the finger had more incentive to heal

@zacharylaschober Жыл бұрын

Pulleys don’t enjoy compressive forces, which taping does. As well, there is the idea mentioned which is this reliance on taping and gauging health by pain which the tape will make a person more aware of.

@santi_super_stunts2573 Жыл бұрын

In general low grade non painful climbing is good for rehabing. I can almost bet you were pushing what u considered “easy” when u had tape because it almost allows you to push it harder

@keff_cb Жыл бұрын

@@santi_super_stunts2573 You're not wrong. Not wearing tape made me more conscious of the pain in my finger too, and it made me go easier.

@santi_super_stunts2573 Жыл бұрын

@@keff_cb yeah it was just a easy visual reminder “hey don’t use this finger in any crimps” and in just daily use since I work at a climbing gym “don’t use this finger at all to grab things” and it would help with the discomfort I had when grabbing jug holds , mild discomfort is not bad all the tape did there was reduce the discomfort but I was always conscious of what I should be feeling underneath the tape. Sometimes after climbs that felt a little tougher than I may have expected I would take the tape off to see how it really felt to my finger by pressing the pulley and moving my fingers.

@carsythe Жыл бұрын

I've been taping the DIP joint on my right middle finger, in order to partially immobilize it and prevent me crimping on it. I have developed (what I think is) a synovitis on that joint, so trying to protect it till the inflammation stops and it finally heals. I'm also trying to do more maintenance, low impact, finger exercising and stretching to help rehab it. Still trying to avoid stopping climbing all together.

@tylamason6712 Жыл бұрын

Only use tape for scenario 5

@RPD_ps Жыл бұрын

Something that I noticed recently is that parkour athletes don't use tape other than to protect rips in their skin. And this is relevant, because a good part of parkour is doing huge dynos, sometimes downwards (illegal in climbing because of high risk of injury) and there just isn't the need for tape. Of course, the finger stresses are different etc, I understand, but warmups, moderate progression and rehab after an injury does sound like good advice. Support as weak as tape does look like it will work the best as a rehab tool, and the diagrams in the research you showed also support that. tldr climbers are on copium

@liamab-v7c Жыл бұрын

I think that bowstringing aside, a key benefit of tape that isn’t talked about is the immobilization. By taping our finger into an immobilized position, we prevent that particular finger from bending into a crimped position, and can basically force an open handed grip on holds, which is typically much safer for a pulley.

@thomasmrkeby6488 Жыл бұрын

Totally agree! Half of the reason I have taped is for preventing going into crimps or half crimps.

@florentloki Жыл бұрын

Thats how i used the tape, to not allow my finger to go at 90° and stay close to 180°. That by applying the tape not on one segment but in-between the two segment. Two element made me do this : first that in my research a conference of a hand surgeon on climbing injury said what this video is saying (tape not really good) and also that to heal a lot of strength injuries, you need to continue working (some time off before maybe) but at weak intensity, low weight, in order for the body the heal and adapt.. (work for tendinopathy also at least i've heard (from professional) and tested/worked for me too) Its a way to remove stress on the segment and pulley, that way i could continue climbing (one finger handicaped a little yes) but continue and so heal properly, after 4 month, i can say that my injury dissapered (midle finger, around the A2 pulley was quite painfull when under stress, no pain when the segment was 180°) and i am tape free now (except from skin injury sometime)

@jordanperlmutter515 Жыл бұрын

Yes this is the obvious benefit to taping that these videos seem to gloss over. It seems pretty obvious that tape can't replace your pulleys, but it can control your range of motion very effectively which limits the stress on that pulley.

@cmoagabi Жыл бұрын

I have experienced that as well, a nicely mummified finger does not hurt. I would add that I tried H-taping on friends advice during 1 session and I ended up going back to the mummy strategy because the H-taping got my finger more painful than no tape...

@sebastianflynn1746 Жыл бұрын

So glad other people actually view taping in this way

@olivierdlc1833 Жыл бұрын

I dont agree with the conclusion of this video. It's good to take a look at what science is saying but my best guess is to try and judge by yourself. In other word: Science is great but limited, let's not deny completely the importance of self-experimentation and the result of millions of climber's experimentations.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Which conclusion are you referring to? Always good to have a healthy dose of skepticism and try things out for yourself. However just because there are lots of climbers that like using tape doesn't mean it's an ideal or even good solution for some of them. Thanks for chiming in!

@zacharylaschober Жыл бұрын

I can find supplicants to every ridiculous method of rehabilitation and recovery and exercise and drill and such. Doesn’t mean much. Of course, the researcher lags behind the practitioner, but head back thirty years ago and climbers were handling finger injuries by chugging nosaids and elbow injuries and tendonitis by deep lockoff training.

@olivierdlc1833 Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta Sorry, i write this comment before watching the full thing. I was misguide by some comment. Next time, i will not read the comment before the video haha. Good analysis of your part. Let's be skeptical about taping being useful but also, lets be skeptical about taping being useless. Taping is like coffee. It's probably good for you in some aspect, and bad in other aspect, but it's hard to not become addict and depend on it. 1 coffee every morning is probably doing more good than bad. H taping on a little pulley strain is probably helping. But you don't want to have bad sleep hygiene because you can have tons of coffee like you don't want to have bad climbing hygiene just because you can tape every fingers every sessions.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

An excellent coffee analogy 👌 -Emile

@davidtorres8396 Жыл бұрын

For covering splits and letting mostly healed flappers fully heal, I love taping a bandaid or taping over some NuSkin/Gorilla Skin. No sense in risking ripping open again.

@BTHobbies Жыл бұрын

The biggest benefit I've seen from h-taping has been in increasing my awareness of an injury and reducing the aggravation I experienced from day to day activites. As a relatively new climber (coming up on a year now, woo), I went too hard at first and ended up with some nagging finger injuries in the neighborhood of the A2 pulleys on several fingers (both ring fingers, and the middle finger of the right hand). I'd come home from the gym feeling tender, then over the next several days watch it get worse as I'd hurt it grabbing stuff around the house or even in my sleep (yanking on weighted blankets can be surprisingly painful)! I started h-taping between climbing sessions and the reduction in mobility was enough to remind me to be careful using the hand. Anecdotally, it also seemed to provide pretty rapid reduction of pain in the region. Maybe that's placebo, but it was nice. I can happily report that I've been tape free for 6-7 months now, but it was helpful in getting through a rough patch for my fingers.

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Glad you were able to recover! The tricky part is whether or not you actually had a pulley injury or something else. A lot of climbers think tape is helping them with their pulley injury when they may actually have a different injury. Regardless it's great you're pain free now :)

@flip_lange Жыл бұрын

I used to not tape my fingers when I had pulley tweaks, because I was aware of the evidence and thought it wouldn’t do much. However lately I’ve been dealing with tweaky fingers again, tried all the recommended and “science based” rehab protocols with close to no success 😢 (thanks a lot for all of your videos by the way 🔥🙏. BUT as soon as I started to give up and just go climbing again using h-taping it got gradually better. Why? I don’t know… my hypothesis is that my clumsy h-taping method impaired joint mobility and effectively prevented excessive crimping, because I simply couldn’t move my fingers that way. Now my pain is almost gone, my finger strength is coming back (finger flexor pulls on a portable hangboard without tape) and my climbing shape is basically better than ever. Still using the h-tape during hard climbs to avoid overuse. I don’t care if it’s all placebo or not, so far it’s the only thing that worked!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Regardless of what the science says there will always be different perspectives and results for something like taping, so as long as it doesn't work against you in the long run I'd call that a win! 💪

@SMS-ek9xd 7 ай бұрын

Amazing! =)

@Belazoth. Жыл бұрын

Pixel 6 climbers unite

@apfiffner Жыл бұрын

Any thoughts on X taping across the joint? I feel like that is a super popular method but not featured in this video. Is it just a lazy form of H taping, or something else?

@zacharylaschober Жыл бұрын

X taping isn’t pulling in the correct direction, and being the support of tape is minimal at best this further decreases any biomechanical value.

@FISHD0G747 Жыл бұрын

Why isn’t it pulling in the correct direction? I rarely tape anymore, but when I do I generally prefer X to H, because it’s easier to make however tight you want it, and it seems to do an equally good job restricting mobility at least (eg preventing excessive crimping)

@zacharylaschober Жыл бұрын

@@FISHD0G747 restricting mobility, yes, but when taped correctly the H tape will mean you are wrapping the pulleys the same direction they support the flexor tendon whereas an X tape is more creating this diagonal pull. Again, because the support is minimal, this just further reduces. You’ll have some, but it’s always minimal at best and this just reduces.

@andyseverance1519 Жыл бұрын

Taping doesn't help?! What next?! Next you're going to tell me that "rest days" DO help!

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Blasphemy!!

@jakeartibello Жыл бұрын

Is there any evidence that taping could actually impair healing by reducing blood flow during activity? Perhaps it could even affecting the synovial fluid during motion?

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

None that I know of. If the tape was reducing bloodflow that much it would be too uncomfortable to wear / climb with. Good question though! -Emile

@kronosis2767 Жыл бұрын

Incredible video. Uncannily perfect timing. I did something to my middle finger outdoor climbing yesterday and taped it 😅

@zacharylaschober Жыл бұрын

Be mindful, likely yesterday was the first you were aware of the symptom, but wasn’t what caused the issue. Overuse is the main culprit.

@kronosis2767 Жыл бұрын

@@zacharylaschober true true

@rockiesbouldering Жыл бұрын

A couple other scenarios worth noting: 1) PIP joint inflammation - though it seems counterintuitive - I find taping below the joint decreases pain when climbing though it can look pretty gnarly to start. Data on this? 2) TFCC/wrist injury - I've been using athletic strapping tape for years to combat inflammation/irritation flareups from TFC tears in both wrists. Though I'm a sample size of 1 - doing so has helped avoid the problems - where it got so bad I couldn't hold a milk jug for long. It would also be good to understand how to manage this better - or if my tape approach is actually legit. PS - my wrist surgeon -who's familiar with Schoefle's research mentioned tons of people have TFCC injuries and may not even know it. Apparently it can happen lots of different ways. THX!!

@goodall18 Жыл бұрын

i've had an undiagnosed tfcc tear for quite a while, always thought it was cubital tunnel. Recently tried a wrist widget style support and it's honestly been life changing. highly recommend it to anyone with a similar issue.

@Renssu Жыл бұрын

For me, I think tape helped my recovery a lot. It prevents me from doing the most extreme crimping and provides some additional support. I guess it would not help at all if you try to keep climbing as if nothing happens, but who would do that, Your fingers hurt…

@HoopersBeta Жыл бұрын

Glad you were able to use it wisely! You'd be surprised how many people DO try to keep climbing as if nothing happened :P

@beau.thisisme Жыл бұрын

@@HoopersBeta it's me LOL. Just tape it, and go. It's a bad habit.

@thegreattuna7187 Жыл бұрын

I've got tendon pulls in two fingers currently. Taping has helped a lot, but also seeing my Ortho Dr has as well. A funny occurrence, but a climber at the gym saw my fingers taped and asked about it. Apparently she's been climbing for four monthsin pain and didn't know why her fingers hurt so much.