Palm pain

[mick]

Lately I've been experiencing a sharp pain in the palm of one hand close to the thumb when pulling on certain kinds of holds. The pain is difficult to replicate, but seems to occur on very fat pinches and at the edge of some slopers; only when my hand is wide open and I'm trying to maintain tension with the last knuckles of my fingers.

The pain is intense and comes very quickly if I grab the wrong sort of hold but does not linger for very long afterward, and there is no sensitivity when I press on the area with my other hand. It does feel like there's a tiny knot in there (maybe the size of a grain of rice?) but I haven't been able to massage it out.

What sort of injury is this and how do I treat it?
Should I stop climbing for a while, or am I okay just avoiding the holds that hurt?

Do I have the swine flu?

[chossmonkey]

It sounds like it might be a tendon or nerve issue. Have you seen a doctor? You will probably need to see one who does sports medicine or something like that. A normal doctor won't have a clue, but should be able to give you a referral to see someone who would know.

That said, I've never went to a doctor for anything climbing related. I just avoid the moves that make whatever it is hurt until it is better. Sometimes that means time off, but usually I just adjust my climbing.