Clinical Management of Finger Joint Capsulitis/Synovitis in a Rock Climber

Below is a published article in the peer reviewed open access journal: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. It was written by Dr. Jared Vagy DPT “The Climbing Doctor” and is titled: Clinical Management of Finger Joint Capsulitis/Synovitis in a Rock Climber.

This case study presents a 23-year-old male recreational rock climber, who climbed an average of 3-4 times per week, and presented with finger joint capsulitis/synovitis after increasing his climbing intensity and training from moderate to high over the six months leading up to the injury. During the exam the diagnosis was ruled in with clinical orthopedic testing. Additional movement analyses identified faulty gripping mechanics contributing asymmetric finger loading. A comprehensive rehabilitation program was developed based on the concepts of a progressive framework that included unloading the affected tissues, increasing mobility, improving muscle performance, and correcting suboptimal climbing movements. After 6 weeks, the climber’s pain 24 hours after climbing rated on a Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) decreased from 5.5/10 to 1.5/10 and at 12-month follow-up 0/10. His Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) improved from 0% at the initial evaluation to 43% after 6 weeks and to 98% after 12 months. His Sport-Specific Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) improved from 69% to 34% to 6% during initial evaluation, 6-week follow-up, and 12-month discharge. He made a full recovery to his previous grade of V8 bouldering. This is the first case study of its kind to provide a rehabilitation framework for the management of finger joint capsulitis / synovitis in a rock climber.

The PDF of the article can be downloaded and viewed below and an excerpt of the article is also included on this page.