Wrist Position, Tendon Excursion, and Grip Type in Climbing: What You Should Know

Wrist Position, Tendon Excursion, and Grip Type in Climbing: What You Should Know

Most climbers understand that crimping is harder on their fingers, but fewer realize how much wrist position changes the underlying tendon mechanics—and how this affects both performance and injury risk. A new motion capture study on elite climbers now gives us more insight into how wrist joint angles interact with different grip types during actual climbing movements, not just isolated testing.

What’s most compelling from this data isn’t just the expected high flexion at the PIP joint in crimp positions—but that wrist posture shifts consistently across grip types, and likely modulates both finger flexor tendon tension and force output.

Tendon Excursion, Muscle Activation, and Joint Position

From a physiological standpoint, finger flexor tendons (FDS, FDP) act over multiple joints—the wrist, MCP, PIP, and DIP. As one joint flexes or extends, it changes the total excursion needed from the muscle-tendon unit. This is the principle of active insufficiency and passive tension, which matters a lot in climbing grips:

  • Crimping places the FDP under stretch at the wrist, and simultaneously loads the PIP in flexion and the DIP in hyperextension. That combination creates a high-tension state across the tendon, even before contraction begins.

  • Open-hand grip, on the other hand, keeps most finger joints near mid-range and the wrist closer to neutral. This reduces overall tendon excursion and peak strain.

When wrist extension increases (as in crimping), the effective length of the finger flexors increases. While this might enhance force output through improved length-tension dynamics, it also increases internal tendon load, particularly across the A2 and A4 pulleys.

What the Study Found About Wrist Position

Using 3D motion capture, Fischer et al. (2024) measured the wrist angles of climbers using different grip types. They found consistent patterns:

  • Full Crimp: Climbers showed 28°–37° of wrist extension, the greatest among all grip types. This position maximizes tendon tension and internal strain—offering a mechanical advantage but also increasing the risk of overload.

  • Half Crimp: Wrist extension averaged 14°–17°. This is a more moderate position that balances force production with reduced tissue stress.

  • Open Hand: Climbers maintained a nearly neutral wrist with 4°–10° of extension. This resulted in the least total system tension, making it a safer grip for high-volume training or rehab.

  • Campusing: While the specific grip varied, wrist angles during campusing typically aligned with half crimp territory, around 18°–20° of extension.

So, we see a clear trend: the more aggressive the grip, the more extended the wrist. This should make intuitive sense, as climbers are “leveraging” the flexor tendons by stacking joint angles and creating a larger moment arm at the fingers.

Functional Anatomy in Common Grips

Let’s define the three primary grip types and their joint configurations. Each grip type combines distinct joint angles across the fingers and wrist, leading to different tendon loading patterns:

  • Open Hand:

    • MCP (knuckle): Slight flexion (~10–20°)

    • PIP (middle joint): Slight flexion (~30–40°)

    • DIP (fingertip joint): Neutral to slight flexion (~0–20°)

    • Wrist: Near neutral (~5–10° extension)

    • Ideal for reducing tendon strain and used in high-volume climbing or early-stage rehab.

  • Half Crimp:

    • MCP: Slight flexion (~15–25°)

    • PIP: Deep flexion (~90°)

    • DIP: Neutral or slight extension

    • Wrist: Moderate extension (~15–20°)

    • Common in hangboard training and general climbing; balances load and efficiency.

  • Full Crimp:

    • MCP: Moderate flexion (~70–80°)

    • PIP: Deep flexion (~90°)

    • DIP: Hyperextension (~20–30°)

    • Wrist: Maximal extension (~30–35°)

    • High-tension setup that maximizes grip strength but significantly increases tendon and pulley stress. Should be used selectively, especially during recovery phases.

Actionable Takeaways for Climbers and Coaches

Use Wrist Position as a Modifiable Variable in Training

You can manipulate wrist angle during hangboard or isometric finger training to:

  • Reduce strain during rehab (neutral wrist)

  • Maximize force production in testing (slight extension)

  • Simulate real-world crimp loading (greater extension)

Be Aware of Wrist + Finger Joint Interactions

Wrist extension + full crimp = maximum system tension. That’s not inherently bad, but it means:

  • Use it selectively, not habitually.

  • Don’t combine crimping and wrist extension at high volume or frequency during tissue recovery phases.

Modify Wrist Position in Rehab and Return-to-Sport

For climbers rehabbing pulley injuries, start with:

  • Open-hand grip

  • Wrist-neutral or slight flexion

  • Avoid including the little finger, which increases ring finger PIP flexion and tendon bowstringing.

Progress toward more extended wrist and crimp-like positions only as symptoms improve and force tolerance increases.

Closing Thoughts

This study reinforces that grip type isn’t just about finger joint angles. The wrist’s position plays a pivotal role in shaping how the system handles load. This is especially important when we think about injury risk, tendon fatigue, and training specificity.

Whether you're testing strength, programming isometrics, or returning from injury, wrist posture is a meaningful variable—one that most climbers aren’t paying enough attention to.

Citation:
Fischer, G., Schneeberger, M., Petter, S.A., et al. Motion Analysis of the Wrist and Finger Joints in Sport Climbing. Bioengineering 2024, 11(4), 370. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11040370

Tyler Nelson