Climbing with Arthritis
In recognition of World Arthritis Day on 12th October, I thought I would write a personal piece, as I was diagnosed with a condition called Lupus (or, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in full) when I was eighteen. Lupus comes with its own special type of arthritis.
But what IS arthritis? There are a lot of different types actually. The most common one people generally refer to is Osteoarthritis: it affects the cartilage, which is a tissue that covers your bones in a joint. The arthritis breaks the tissue down meaning the bones eventually begin to rub together and cause pain, swelling etc. The other very common form of arthritis is Rheumatoid arthritis. It has a similar effect on the joints in terms of swelling, pain and eventual loss of mobility, but you can feel very sick and tired with Rheumatoid too, and it can also affect your internal organs. Other types of arthritis include juvenile, psoriatic, gout and various further autoimmune conditions.
The main issue I have in relation to Lupus (my autoimmune condition that affects my joints and muscles) and climbing, is my fingers. They swell, I have bone spurs on my finger joints, and there is often fluid around the PIP joint (the middle knuckle) with the swelling and it’s very painful. I often can’t make a closed fist as my middle finger and fourth finger will be too swollen. But although I am in my mid thirties with dodgy fingers, I am still psyched to climb hard and importantly make progress! It can feel hopeless when the rest of your muscles and your head and your friends are still ready to climb hard, but your fingers won’t let you. So what to do?
First of all I spoke to my consultant about the maximum dose of my medication I could take, to see if that would help calm my fingers down. However, this approach needs to be balanced with the potential side effects my medication can cause. I am on the maximum, safe dose for my body weight now, so that’s that ticked off. There is a plethora of different pain killers out there too, but a – some I should not really take with my medication and b – if I start now, will I ever stop? I’ve decided to save these for when there is a bad flare up of swelling.
Currently, to manage the pain in my joints I have to warm up for ages before climbing. This is a good idea anyway, but I have to concentrate on my wrists and fingers a fair bit otherwise it can bring on swelling remarkably quickly. Elastic bands, squeezy putty and arms above head hand exercises all form part of this warm up. Depending on the condition of my fingers on the day, I might use finger tape to provide a bit of physical and psychological support: if it’s got tape on it, that reminds me to be careful and mindful of it.
After a session I will ice my fingers to help reduce inflammation and get the blood circulating nicely. I also fiddle with those little ‘hedgehog rings’ (I don’t know what they are called!) which you slide up and down each finger and they provide a sort of massage/stimulation.
In general I try to eat healthily so my body has the fuel to battle Lupus and whatever else may come at it. I’ve read about certain foods you can incorporate or eliminate from your diet which are good/bad for inflammation – but I am no nutritionist so will not prescribe anything here! I feel that coming at it from all angles is the approach. Warm ups, diet, rehab, medication where necessary and a positive mindset: ‘If I need to put less pressure on my fingers I’d better improve my technique on the wall and use my legs more!’
Having a form of arthritis isn’t ideal if you’ve chosen to swing around from your fingertips for a job/hobby, but it’s absolutely possible. Yes, I need to put the time and effort in to minimise the symptoms, but then when I do, I am rewarded with a fun, fulfilling climbing session. We are all on a journey through climbing and mine is just a little different, but still in parallel, to everyone else’s.
Check out www.arthritis.org for more information on the related conditions and how you can support them.
Cami Barnard