Ask Dr J

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is like a bad relationship: painful, too long and, for the avid rockateer, soul destroying; what to do? Though not common in climbers, how does one solve the rather recalcitrant carpal tunnel syndrome? And we look at a rather tricky case of elbow tendonosis (also covered in Dodgy Elbows [issue 156], and the more recent update, Dodgy Elbows Revisited [issue 223]).

Is H-taping the new way forward for protecting pulley injuries in climbers? And exactly how does chopping a finger off affect your rock climbing? Dr J ponders all the big topics in this update of ASK Dr J.

Pinky pain that makes no sense, biceps tendonosis and, yet again, that dreaded lurgy – elbow tendonosis (also covered in Dodgy Elbows [issue 156], and the more recent update, Dodgy Elbows Revisited [issue 223]).

Read all about it – Broken toes that don’t heal and why supplements probably wont help, electrical modalities that don’t work (aside from vibrators), and why cortisone is the new cocaine – get your copy right here, right now.

In this issue Dr J looks at the causes of Pseudogout (as opposed to Gout) and how little you can do for it, getting back into the swing of things after a full knee reconstruction, and why Levaquin, an antibiotic from the fluroquinolone family come with an FDA Black Box warning for tendon pathologies.

Does being told that you should give up climbing actually mean you should give up climbing? Of course not, you silly dill-brain. That just means you ask someone else! Dr J discusses ripped abdominals, trigger happy thumb (not so happy), and what is the Dr J Test?

Could dragging your scrotum on the ground help you avoid injury? Yes! Swollen fingers; how zee Germans helped advance our understanding of radial nerve impingement in the forearm; and what not to do in politics and war (namely shaving the sides of your mustachio).

Why do some climbers look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame? Can you climb with herniated discs in your back, and is banging your head in a car door more therapeutic than spinal surgery? What happens when an A2 pulley passes through the Land of Overtraining? This and other fantastical anecdotes in the Book Of Dr J.

ACL rehab and when you can return to climbing is first cab off the rank in this Ask Dr J column. After that we head north to the shoulder and discuss how to approach a SLAP lesion (a type of cartilage tear), and what to do when your bicep tendon pulls anchor and sails down to your elbow.