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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 26
Author
Is climbing good for your body in the long term?

ado_m
6-May-2014
11:42:10 AM
On a long term basis ie 20+ years, is climbing good or bad for the body?

Has there been any studies done?

Will my fingers be crippled with arthritis in my 60s because of too many weekends in the Grampians in my 20s and 30s?

Based on the average person climbing moderates, mid 20s grades. This is excluding:
- dumb accidents
- wasted hours on the Western Highway
- wasted hours on Chockstone

Any thoughts or empirical evidence appreciated.

Snacks
6-May-2014
11:45:29 AM
It's been widely researched that life is not good for your body in the long term. The highly feared syndrome referred to as death is the exclusive result.

Temporary relief from this fear has been found in the pursuit of climbing.


Hope this helps.

ajfclark
6-May-2014
11:47:52 AM
Have you read One Move Too Many? From memory there's some discussion in that of longer term impacts on the bodies of climbers (particularly fingers and toes). I'll have a check through this evening.

shortman
6-May-2014
12:00:00 PM
Any body parts over worked will be a bit rooted later in life...it's the nature of being fleshy.
prb
6-May-2014
12:19:46 PM
Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed and punch in any search terms you like to find empirical evidence. You can read all the abstracts; sometimes articles are freely available. Add "and review" to your search words if you're bringing up 20,000 papers. But to answer your question, yes, your fingers are quite likely to get arthritic depending on your physiology + climbing history.

2G
6-May-2014
12:43:31 PM
I've recently seen the deformed toes of a local older climber who did hard sport FA's around Bluies 10-15+ years ago = painful and deformed, he likes very tight shoes

Capt_mulch
6-May-2014
5:54:16 PM
Ask Fantini, Keith Bell or Mikl :-) Sydney sandstone and guitar playing don't mix, you've only got so much skin on your fingertips.

JamesMc
6-May-2014
6:28:14 PM
l was climbing over Easter with someone incredibly fit and healthy who's been climbing regularly ever since he did a VCC beginners' course in 1966. Didn't do him any harm.

James Mc
f_abe
6-May-2014
7:33:51 PM
I reckon kieranl would be 'experienced' enough to offer an opinion...whilst I didn't take particular notice of his fingers whilst climbing with him the other day, I've climbed with people half his age that fumble more and drop more stuff...and he cranked out a new route nearly 4 decades after his first...but maybe he still climbs cos he can't do fine needlework or build model airplanes anymore?

BoulderBaby
6-May-2014
8:53:54 PM
Engaging in fitness and exercise is good for you regardless (unless you have a major pathology in which an increase H/R is condraindicated)

I don't know of any long term climbing studies on climbers joints in particular, but perhaps search for other studies in which the participants use their hands intensively, ie, manual therapists, gymnasts.


JamesMc
6-May-2014
8:55:36 PM
I've only got about 30 years climbing behind me but so far the fingers are fine, though I did have some sort of arthritis in my big toe that seems to have fixed itself.

James Mc
martym
6-May-2014
9:12:19 PM
On 6/05/2014 ado_m wrote:
>On a long term basis ie 20+ years, is climbing good or bad for the body?
Probably better for you than ballet, perhaps more risky than pillates.. Would you prefer either?

>Based on the average person climbing moderates, mid 20s grades. This
>is excluding:
>- dumb accidents
Define "dumb"? Cranking too hard? Trying to gaston? Putting your entire body weight on your middle finger?
I remember someone asking mikl how to avoid climbing injuries, the sage simply replied:
"Don't climb hard"

>- wasted hours on the Western Highway
Most potential of shortening your lifespan...

>- wasted hours on Chockstone
Well that's the one your doctor will be most concerned about!

Miguel75
6-May-2014
9:26:05 PM
On 6/05/2014 f_abe wrote:
...SNIP...
>...but maybe he still climbs cos he can't do fine needlework or
>build model airplanes anymore?

If my needlework will potentially suffer, I'll quite climbing now;)
mikllaw
7-May-2014
9:34:15 AM
I'm fine except for knees and lower back, jumping off boudler problems is my guess.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
7-May-2014
10:55:41 AM
On 6/05/2014 Miguel75 wrote:
>On 6/05/2014 f_abe wrote:
>...SNIP...
>>...but maybe he still climbs cos he can't do fine needlework or
>>build model airplanes anymore?
>
>If my needlework will potentially suffer, I'll quite climbing now;)

No need to quit.
Just go to bigger size tangleshread...




IdratherbeclimbingM9
7-May-2014
12:12:48 PM
On 6/05/2014 ado_m wrote:
>On a long term basis ie 20+ years, is climbing good or bad for the body?
>
Yes.
;-)

>Has there been any studies done?
>
Already answered by others.

>Will my fingers be crippled with arthritis in my 60s because of too many
>weekends in the Grampians in my 20s and 30s?
>
>Based on the average person climbing moderates, mid 20s grades. This
>is excluding:
>- dumb accidents
>- wasted hours on the Western Highway
>- wasted hours on Chockstone
What happened to excluding all the other lifestyle choices many climbers choose?
;-)
>Any thoughts or empirical evidence appreciated.

Ok, seriously, re arthritis; if you think you are a candidate for that malady, then start taking helpful measures now to minimise its impact on you later. This can include but not be limited to fish oil (though krill oil seems to be the fashion these days), etc.

Although I have never climbed the mid 20 grades you refer to, arthritis is no respecter of that!
~> I have found these measures help to the point that if I stop taking same, then about a week later my fingers are noticably stiffer.

The bit of arthritis in fingers that I have experienced, actually tends to affect my motorcycle riding more than my climbing; this I suspect, due to the cold conditions I regularly ride in, combined with long periods of 'set finger position' and some inevitable road-vibration in the handlebars.
Then again, I may only notice it more on the bike because I climb enjoyably-crap grades...
;-)

Pick your vice/s, and take your chances...
Heh, heh, heh.
martym
7-May-2014
12:23:36 PM
On 7/05/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>The bit of arthritis in fingers that I have experienced, actually tends
>to affect my motorcycle riding more than my climbing; this due to the cold
>conditions I regularly ride in, combined with long periods of 'set finger
>position' and some inevitable road-vibration in the handlebars.
>Then again, I may only notice it more on the bike because I climb enjoyably-crap grades...

Most Chocky users probably get a bit of RSI due to prolonged computer mouse & keyboard usage. I definitely notice stiff wrists more than climbing fingers.
jdb
7-May-2014
12:31:39 PM
Now GFDonc is 50 I've noticed his gout is getting worse,however it's probably the over-indulgence in King Island double Brie and Pinot to blame rather than the climbing!

IdratherbeclimbingM9
7-May-2014
12:41:00 PM
Last two posts kind of highlighting aspects such as RSI / stiff wrists / blame, reminds me as an aside...
On many occasions some on this site have thought from posts by trolls/others:
~> it's probably the over-indulgence in to blame for finger crippling rather than the climbing!

JMK
8-May-2014
12:02:41 PM
Everybody will react differently to the long term stresses of climbing. If people in a study are the fortunate ones who would not be affected then the study results would be flawed. I know of many older climbers who have climbed 30+ years and they are fine. However, I and a few others have arthritis in our fingers from long term climbing.

Royal Robbins gave up climbing in his early 40's due to finger arthritis .

Bottom line: you will not know how it will affect you until you get there. Is that a reason not to do it? That depends on you. My first climbing partner gave up climbing as his fingers were hurting. Having a passion in life is worth more than anything , certainly a bit of pain down the track. Anyway my view has always been - by the time it really bothers me then they will have a cure for it.

The bigger issue is - the longer you climb the more likely an accident of some sort. Basically it is a dangerous environment where consequences do not depend only on your own actions

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There are 26 messages in this topic.

 

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