Climbing Tape—Help or Hype?

You’ve seen it everywhere—fingers wrapped in tight bands of athletic tape at the gym, the crag, in every climbing photo dump. Taping is practically a badge of honor for climbers nursing finger injuries, especially those dreaded pulley strains. But here’s the truth bomb: research shows taping might not be doing as much as you think.

A 2022 systematic review by Larsson et al. looked at the actual evidence behind taping for annular pulley injuries in climbers. The results? Taping might reduce bowstringing—but it has low-to-moderate evidence for most outcomes and no significant effect on performance metrics like muscle activation or maximum voluntary contraction. So what’s actually worth your time and energy? Grip adjustments and tendon strengthening.

What’s Actually Happening in Your Fingers

In climbing, the most commonly injured structures are the A2 and A4 pulleys—fibrous bands that keep your flexor tendons close to the bone. Your flexor tendons are what you use when you are gripping. When overloaded (say, from an intense crimp), these ligaments can strain or rupture, causing pain, weakness, and bowstringing.

Let’s break it down:

Crimping places up to 36x more stress on pulleys than open-hand grips.
A single finger in a full crimp can withstand forces up to 380–450 N—that’s 40+ kilograms of force.
Grade 1–3 pulley injuries (strain to partial rupture) are typically treated conservatively, often with—you guessed it—tape.

But does tape really fix the problem?

What the Evidence Says—And What You Should Do Instead

The review by Larsson et al. included 206 climbers, cadaver studies, and multiple taping methods (circular, H-tape, figure-8). Here’s the evidence-based takeaway:

✅ Taping might help reduce bowstringing by 15–22%.

It provides mechanical support that holds the tendon slightly closer to the bone. Bowstringing is a condition where the tendons in the fingers move away from the bones during flexion (bending), instead of staying close and aligned. This happens when the annular pulleys—fibrous bands that normally hold the flexor tendons snug against the bones—are damaged or torn.

❌ Taping does NOT significantly reduce pain, return-to-sport time, or protect from rupture (evidence is low to very low certainty).

This means we can’t reliably say that taping directly contributes to faster healing or meaningful pain relief. In fact, the perceived benefits are often anecdotal or may be due to other concurrent factors like rest, rehab exercises, or modified climbing behavior. In other words, while taping may offer psychological comfort or proprioceptive feedback, it shouldn’t be viewed as a primary or standalone treatment strategy.

❌ Taping does NOT increase muscle activation or grip strength in uninjured climbers.

Taping your fingers doesn’t make you stronger or help your muscles work better if you’re not injured. Research shows that taping doesn’t increase grip strength or muscle activity in healthy climbers. In other words, it won’t boost your performance. If you’re using tape thinking it gives you extra power or support, it’s probably just making you feel more secure—not actually changing how your muscles work. Taping might help remind you to be careful, but it’s no replacement for proper training, warm-ups, or recovery.

🚫 One study even showed no added protection from rupture in cadaver hands.

So what should you do instead?

1) Change Your Grip — Train Smarter

Not all grips are created equal. The difference in load between a full crimp and an open-hand grip is massive—we’re talking up to 36 times more stress on your finger pulleys in a full crimp compared to an open-hand. That’s a huge deal when it comes to injury prevention and longevity in the sport.

Here’s how to train smarter:

Use open-hand grips when warming up or on moderate routes. This grip is the least stressful on your finger tendons and pulleys, making it ideal for warming up or volume climbing.
Reduce reliance on full crimp unless absolutely necessary. Yes, it’s powerful—but it's also risky. Save it for moments when you really need it.
Train the half-crimp intentionally. This middle-ground grip is safer than full crimp and stronger than open-hand—but only when practiced with good form and controlled intensity. Start with lower intensity and slowly build up volume to increase resilience safely.

Switching grip types isn’t just about injury prevention—it’s about developing grip intelligence. Over time, you’ll know instinctively which grip to use based on the hold, your fatigue level, and your goals for the session.

2. Strengthen Tendons — Progressively

Taping won’t make your tendons stronger—training will. Tendons don’t respond to quick fixes. They need progressive, consistent loading to adapt and get tougher. That means gradually introducing the right kind of stress in a way that stimulates healing and growth, without overloading.

Try these proven strategies:

Isometric hangs: Static holds (where you hang without moving) are a great place to start. They strengthen the tendon fibers without excessive strain. Start with bodyweight and build gradually.
Eccentric loading: This means focusing on the lowering phase—slowly lowering off a hangboard or hold under control. It’s especially helpful for building tendon resilience.
Antagonist training: Don’t neglect the other side of your forearm. Strengthening your wrist extensors (the muscles that open your hand) and shoulder stabilizers (like rotator cuff and scapular muscles) creates better joint balance and reduces injury risk.
Think of your tendons like climbing ropes. If you overuse them without proper care, they fray. But if you load them intentionally and consistently, they become stronger and more resistant to damage.

3. Tape If It Helps — But Don’t Rely On It

Let’s be honest: taping feels good. It adds a little compression, maybe reminds you to be careful, and can offer a mild sense of support. But here’s the truth: tape is not a magic solution. In fact, research shows it has limited mechanical impact, especially in terms of grip strength, pain reduction, or preventing further injury.

Here’s what tape can do:

Provide proprioceptive feedback — a fancy way of saying it makes you more aware of your movement.
Offer mild support for bowstringing, especially during rehab (but not full protection).
Act as a reminder to modify grip or reduce intensity.

But here’s what it can’t do:

Prevent pulley ruptures on its own.
Increase grip strength or protect from injury if your movement patterns and training are flawed.
Replace proper warm-ups, progressive loading, or muscle balance.
Use tape strategically. Let it support a smart recovery plan—not replace it.

4. Seek Expert Guidance for Grades 2–3

If your pulley injury is more than a minor strain, working with a certified hand therapist or sports OT is essential.
You may benefit from custom orthoses, graded tendon loading, and supervised return-to-sport protocols.

Upgrade Your Climbing Rehab

So—should you tape? Sure, if it helps you feel supported or reduces bowstringing. But don’t stop there.

The real gains come from:

Modifying grip technique
Strengthening tendons progressively
Getting personalized care from an upper extremity specialist

Don’t rely on hype. Train smart, climb strong, and give your fingers the rehab they deserve.

➡️ Want help recovering from a pulley injury? Book a session with a Certified Hand Therapist who specializes in climbers and musicians. We’ll assess your injury, build a grip-specific plan, and get you back on the wall with confidence

References: Larsson R, Nordeman L, Blomdahl C. To tape or not to tape: annular ligament (pulley) injuries in rock climbers—a systematic review. PMCID: PMC9344739

From Pop to Progress: A Climber’s Recovery from Pulley Injury

One rock climber who came to my table was absolutely devastated. They’d been climbing consistently for ten years and had built a solid foundation of strength, technique, and community in the sport. So when they felt the unmistakable “pop” in their finger during a difficult climb with a friend, it was as if the rug had been pulled out from under them. They weren’t pushing recklessly—they’d done everything right. They warmed up, eased into movement with a moderate route, and had even taped their fingers proactively. Still, they ended up injured.

That “pop” was a classic sign of a flexor pulley injury, most commonly affecting the A2 or A4 pulley. These injuries are relatively common in climbing, especially when climbers use a full crimp grip under high loads. The pain was sharp during gripping, and the emotional weight of it was just as intense. For someone who climbs regularly, being unable to trust your fingers feels like a betrayal from your own body—and it was affecting everything, from their training schedule to their confidence.

After a detailed evaluation, one thing became very clear: their upper back muscles, particularly the latissimus dorsi and trapezius, were underperforming. These muscle groups are essential for shoulder stability and power generation—key elements in helping the body distribute load away from the smaller joints of the hand. What this climber needed wasn’t just rest and taping—they needed a full reset on how their body supported itself on the wall.

We began by refocusing our rehab approach away from just protecting the finger and toward building full-body mechanics. We worked on posterior chain activation, developing strength and endurance in their upper back, rotator cuff, and core. Exercises like banded rows, scapular retraction holds, prone Y's and T’s, and lat pulldowns became staples in their program.

At the same time, I fabricated a custom thermoplastic ring orthosis to help offload the healing pulley without completely immobilizing the joint. This allowed them to gently load the finger without overstressing the tissue, encouraging safe, progressive tendon loading during recovery.

We also took a hard look at their warm-up and training structure. It wasn’t that they weren’t warming up—it’s that their warm-up wasn’t targeted enough. We introduced structured progressive loading for finger tendons, beginning with open-hand isometric holds on a hangboard and low-intensity “no hang” grip prep with a fingerboard or rice bucket. This was followed by dynamic movement drills and shoulder activation to prepare the entire kinetic chain.

Grip strategy became a huge focus. We talked about the difference between open hand, half crimp, and full crimp positions—not just in terms of performance, but in terms of mechanical load. The goal was to reduce reliance on full crimping unless absolutely necessary and to build awareness of what each grip position meant for tendon strain.

We also built a new philosophy around recovery and mindfulness. They learned how to listen to their body more closely—when to push and when to pull back. Recovery wasn’t just about rest days, but about mobility, active recovery, and recognizing red flags early.

After just six weeks of consistent effort, the climber returned to the wall—not only pain-free, but stronger, more body-aware, and mentally grounded. Taping had played a role in their recovery, but it was just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The real breakthrough came from improving how they approached climbing altogether—physically, mentally, and strategically.

This case was a reminder that recovery from a pulley injury is not just about protecting a finger—it's about retraining the entire system that got us there in the first place.

Why Finger Taping Won’t Prevent Climbing Injuries