Climbing Finger Injuries
Scroll down to learn more about our medical illustrations focusing on common finger injuries associated with rock climbing.
Client: University Medical Center Rostock
01 - Overview
The client, an orthopedic surgeon and climber, approached us to create a series of medical illustrations that visualized common climbing injuries visualized in the positions that they most commonly occurred in.
These illustrations were used and featured in the 2020 Olympics Academic Symposium for sports medicine and physical therapy.
Tenosynovitis
Tenosynovitis is caused from an inflammation fo the fluid-filled sheath (synovium) that surrounds a tendon. This leads to joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Repeated aggravation from hard pulling on an aggressive pocket (think Frankenjura), can be the instigator.
Pulley Rupture
A pulley injury occurs when a partial or full rupture of the the tendon’s pulley occurs. the pulley is responsible for holding the Flexor Digitorum Profundus and Flexor Digitorum Superficilais close to the bone. With a full pulley rupture, “bowstringing” of the tendon occurs.
PIP Joint Capsulitis
Capsule inflammation at the proximal interphalangeal phalanx joint results in redness, swelling, and joint stiffness. When applying pressure in flexion with the opposing hand will result in feelings of stiffness, tenderness - the joint will also feel like it has more fluid than normal.
02 - What is sports medicine?
Sports medicine is a medical branch that handles physical fitness/performance as well as the treatment and prevention of sports related injuries. The medical experts involved in sports medicine often work together as a team. These team members can include orthopedic surgeons, sports physical therapists/physiotherapists, certified athletic trainers, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and SEM (Sports and Exercise Medicine) physicians.
In particular, orthopedic surgeons are focused on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones.
03 - Our Solution ✨
In order to illustrate the correct anatomy of the hands, we sourced MRI scans of the lateral long finger. From this we were able to extrapolate the structures at the MCP joint. In additions, we show the lateral long finger in an open hand grip to better represent how the pulleys and tendons interact.
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