A2 Pulley Injuries: Everything Climbers Need to Know (STRAINS, TEARS, & SURGERY)

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// Timestamps //
Video Overview (00:00)
Part 1: Finger Anatomy (00:24)
Part 2: Why the A2? (01:40)
Part 3: Causes of Injury (02:18)
Part 4: A Note About "Popping" (03:44)
Part 5: Testing (04:36)
Test Results Reference Chart (10:17)
Part 6: Treatments (10:21)
Interview with Jordan Mathew (19:03)
Final Stage of Treatment - Retraining (25:35)
Part 7: Prognosis (29:02)
Part 8: Prevention (31:16)
Summary and Closing (37:51)

// Links to videos mentioned //
Tissue loading:    • Why We Fix Climbing Injuries by Loading Th...  
Farmer Crimps:    • Best Rehab Tool for Finger Injuries: Farme...  
IASTM:    • Massage Techniques for Rock Climbers  

The A2 is one of the most important pulleys in our hands. It’s what allows us to hold onto those tiny edges without the other parts of our finger essentially just coming apart. But how? It’s just a piece of tissue holding another tissue in place. And why is tearing your A2 the most ubiquitous injury in climbing?

In this mega video/manual we’re going to go in-depth into the A2 pulley. We will talk about anatomy, the causes of a tear and how to test yourself for it, the things you can do to treat it as well as ways of preventing it from happening in the first place and in the future, and the thing everyone wants to know: how soon can you get back to climbing.

To fully understand this injury and how we can heal from it we need to get our bearings, anatomically speaking. So to start off we’re going to take a look at our fingers and how they actually work, which in turn will make the testing and treatments sections make a lot more sense.

Let’s dive in. But first, since this is a very long video, let's check out our timestamps.
Also, make sure to check out the website for show notes and additional graphs to help you further understand your injury.

Anatomy

The flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) runs from the proximal ¾’s of the medial and anterior surfaces of the ulna and interosseous membrane to the base of distal phalanges of the 2nd through 5th digits.

When the FDP muscle contracts, the tendon retracts, which causes the finger to flex, just like if there was a string attached to the tip of the finger.

Now, what keeps the string, or tendon in this case, from bowstringing out away from the bones? That’s where your pulleys come into play. The A2 is one of five pulleys in each finger that holds the flexor tendon tight up against the bones. So when you flex your finger, the tendon slides back and forth under the pulley while the pulleys keep it in position.

So what happens when we actually hold something with our fingers, or in other words, apply force to them? I mean I don’t know about you guys but usually when I flex my fingers I’m not just doing it in the air for no reason.

For the rest of the blog post (it doesn't fit here): go to https://www.hoopersbeta.com/library/a...

Disclaimer: As always, exercises 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 new exercises.