Climbing can place tremendous stress on our tissues. This includes our muscles, joints, tendons, and connective tissue.  The key to avoiding climbing injury is to reduce the stress we put on our body, as well as give our body the tools to help with recovery and repair.  

To reduce the strain and stress of climbing, proper form is key!  The obvious White Elephant is for us to improve our footwork.  Better footwork (and don't forget core tension) equals decreased upper body load and less chance of injury.  The other way we can decrease overloading our tissue is with proper form in our upper body.  These include things like maintaining a neutral wrist, and keeping elbows down (this helps keep the shoulder and wrist in a safe alignment).  Additionally having strong scapula muscles and an open chest will help maintain the integrity of the Glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint).  When the big "pull down" muscles are tight and dominant:  Pecs, Lats, and Teres Major, they pull the humerus anterior, and tip and rotate the scapula down and forward. This decreases the space between the scapula and humerus (subacromial space) where your Rotator cuff, labrum and bicep live.  With poor alignment and form, you are prone to developing shoulder (subacromial) Impingement.  Long term Impingement will lead to degenerative tears and chronic damage.  Poor shoulder posture and form will also put your shoulder in a much more compromised position when reaching far out or up for a hold, which can lead to labral tears or even dislocation  

See our video on climbing band exercises, read our other blogs, read other climbing training blogs, and get professional training advice if needed.  

Lastly, using a Wave Tool can really help prevent injury and maintain tissue health.  The Wave Tool's edges increase blood flow, break up adhesions that form from repetitive stress,  initiate a mild healing response, and improve tissue mobility by decreasing the viscosity between the myofascial layers.  2-3 x a week for 5-10 minutes is enough to help prevent injury with the Wave Tool.