By Quang (Unu) Tran PT, DPT, FAFS

That is how much pulling force a climber is willing to put through an injured left finger, and even at that level, the pain is still around 2 out of 10. What follows is a gradual but striking progression. Within a series of controlled tests, the climber moves from 5% to 10%, then 25–30%, 40%, 60%, 75%, 80%, and eventually around 90–95% of his pulling capacity. More importantly, the increase in load does not come with an increase in pain. In fact, the reported discomfort gradually decreases.

Starting With a Small, Controlled Load

The initial test is intentionally conservative. The climber begins with only about 5% of his pulling capacity and reports approximately 2 out of 10 pain. For someone who climbs regularly, that may seem like a very small amount of force, but it provides an important starting point. The goal is not to prove that the finger is fully recovered. Instead, the purpose is to establish what the finger can currently tolerate.

The next attempt already shows a meaningful change. At around 10% pulling force, the climber is able to place roughly his arm's weight through the injured finger, something he had previously been hesitant to do. At the same time, his reported pain decreases to around 1 out of 10. The progression is beginning to reveal an important pattern: greater load does not necessarily mean greater pain.

Paying Attention to More Than the Numbers

As the pulling force increases, the numbers provide a useful way to track progress, but they are only part of the picture. The climber also becomes more aware of where and when he feels different sensations. At around 25–30% of his pulling capacity, he notices changes in how the force feels and begins distinguishing between the sensation during the pull and what he experiences afterward.

This awareness is important because rehabilitation does not always follow a simple formula in which increased strength automatically means decreased pain. Different sensations can appear in different areas, and the experience can change depending on how much force is being applied. By paying attention to these details, the climber is able to gather more information about how the finger is responding rather than relying on a single pain score.

More Load, Less Pain

The progression becomes even more encouraging as the climber reaches approximately 40–45% of his pulling capacity. At this stage, the reported pain is around 1.5–2 out of 10, despite the significantly greater load compared with the initial test.

The difference becomes even clearer as the progression continues. At around 60% pull, the reported pain remains approximately 1.5–2 out of 10. By 75%, it drops to around 1 out of 10. The climber also describes the finger as feeling better rather than worse as the load increases.

This shift is significant because the finger is handling substantially more force than it could comfortably tolerate at the beginning, while the reported discomfort remains low. The progression demonstrates why looking only at pain in isolation may not tell the whole story. The relationship between load and symptoms can change as the body becomes more accustomed to a particular level of stress.

From 75% to Nearly Full Pull

The final stages of the progression show an even more noticeable change. At approximately 75% pull, the reported pain decreases to around 0.5 out of 10. The climber then progresses toward 80%, with the possibility that he may be able to tolerate even more.

Eventually, he reaches approximately 90–95% of his pulling capacity on the injured side. The exact percentage is not perfectly clear, but the important point is that he is approaching a near-full pull while still reporting only around 0.5 out of 10 pain.

That small amount of uncertainty is also representative of real-world rehabilitation. Progress is not always perfectly measurable. The body does not necessarily provide an exact percentage or a precise number every time. Sometimes the most meaningful information is simply that a movement feels better, a greater load can be tolerated, or an activity that previously felt threatening becomes more comfortable.

The Bigger Picture: Load, Sensation, and Confidence

It would be easy to focus entirely on the final number and describe this as a progression from 5% to 95%. However, the more meaningful story is the relationship between load, sensation, and confidence.

At the beginning, the climber is deliberately protecting the injured finger and avoiding placing his full arm weight through it. As the testing continues, he gradually applies more force and discovers that the finger can tolerate it. The same levels of force begin to feel more comfortable, which creates room to test a little more. The process continues until he is approaching a full pull with only minimal reported pain.

The numbers provide a concrete way to see the progression, but the changing experience behind those numbers provides the context. The climber moves from protecting the finger from relatively small amounts of force to becoming confident enough to explore what happens at much higher loads.

Rehabilitation Is Not Always About Waiting for Zero Pain

One of the most interesting aspects of this progression is that the finger does not need to be completely pain-free before it begins to be tested. Instead, the climber gradually exposes the finger to increasing levels of force while paying attention to how it responds.

There are moments when some discomfort remains. There are also changes in sensation depending on where and how the force is applied. At times, the exact amount of force is difficult to determine. Yet each attempt provides information that helps guide the next one.

This makes rehabilitation feel less like a straight line and more like a process of gathering information. The goal is not simply to eliminate every sensation before moving forward. It is to understand what the finger can currently handle, observe how it responds, and use that information to make appropriate progress.

From Painful to Strong

The progression can be summarized through a series of increasingly confident steps: approximately 5% pull with 2 out of 10 pain, followed by 10%, 25–30%, 40%, 60%, 75%, 80%, and eventually around 90–95% pull with pain reported at approximately 0.5 out of 10.

That is an impressive change, but the story is not about suddenly becoming pain-free or declaring the injury completely healed. It is about gradually discovering that the injured finger can handle significantly more than it could at the beginning.

For climbers, that distinction matters. Returning to climbing is not only about whether a finger technically functions. It is also about rebuilding confidence in the finger and developing trust in its ability to tolerate load. Every controlled test can provide another piece of information, helping replace uncertainty with a better understanding of what the finger can actually do.

The progression from 5% to nearly 95% is therefore more than a collection of numbers. It represents a gradual shift from protecting the finger to trusting it, one controlled increase in load at a time.

Ultimately, the most compelling part of the progression may not be the final number. It is what happens between each stage: the gradual increase in load, the reduction in discomfort, the growing awareness of how the finger responds, and the confidence that develops along the way. For anyone interested in climbing injury rehabilitation, it is a useful reminder that progress can often be seen not in one dramatic moment, but through a series of small, measurable changes.