Objective Rock climbing is a widely performed sport. This prospective single-institution study evaluated the demographics of climbing-related injuries to improve our comprehension of current injury ...characteristics. Methods During a 4-year period, 836 patients with a total of 911 independent climbing injuries were prospectively evaluated using a standard questionnaire and examination protocol. Results Of all injuries, 833 were on the upper extremities, 58 on the lower. Seventeen injuries were Union International des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA) grade 1 injuries, 881 were grade 2, and 13 were grade 3. No higher UIAA graded injuries occurred. Overall, 380 were acute injuries (359 were seen in clinic, 21 were seen through the emergency department), and 531 were overstrain injuries (all seen in clinic). Finger injuries accounted for 52% of all injuries, the shoulder being the second most frequent location. Pulley injuries were the most frequent finger injuries. Of 20 injured young climbers under the age of 15 years, 14 had an epiphyseal fracture (all epiphyseal fractures: mean age 14 years, range 12 to 15 years). Male climbers were significantly older ( P < .05), had more climbing years ( P < .05), and were climbing at a higher climbing level ( P < .01). Older, more experienced climbers had significantly more overstrain injuries than acute injuries ( P < .05). Conclusions When comparing this study with our previous study from 1998 to 2001, there are some notable differences. Although pulley injuries are still the most common climbing injury, there are now more A4 pulley injuries than A2. Shoulder injuries are becoming more common, as are epiphyseal fractures among young climbers. It is important to understand current patterns of climbing injuries so that health providers can target interventions appropriately.
Objective Rock climbing’s popularity continues to rise, with people of all ages regularly participating in the sport. Climbing literature suggests climbers get injured mostly in their upper ...extremities. Most studies on climbing injury analysis are conducted retrospectively, with all the inherent problems of a retrospective setup (no exact time collection, biased injury perception, etc). Prospective data are still missing. Methods We prospectively evaluated all attendees of a major German indoor climbing gym in Stuttgart, Germany, with bouldering and lead climbing facilities. Attendee’s age, sex, and time spent climbing were electronically recorded on each visit. All acute injuries were graded using the Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme Score. Injury cause, belayers’ and climbers’ experience, and outcome were additionally analyzed. Results During a 5-year period (2007–2011), 515,337 visits to the climbing wall were registered, of which 63.6% were by male visitors, 36.4% female, within an age of 8–80 years (median, 34 years). The average time of climbing was 2 hours 47 minutes. Thirty climbing injuries were recorded, 22 were in male and 8 in female climbers with a total mean age of 27.5 ± 10.6 years. Acute injuries happened in 6 cases while bouldering, in 16 cases while lead climbing, in 7 cases while top roping, and in 1 case as a third person (not climbing or belaying) while watching another climber. Bouldering injuries were mostly the result of falls onto the mat, whereas in lead and top rope climbing various scenarios happened. Fifteen (50%) injuries were Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme grade 2, 13 (43%) were grade 3, and 2 (7%) were grade 4, with no fatalities. The overall injury rate was 0.02 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing activities. Conclusions This was the first study to accurately record time spent indoor climbing digitally and evaluate the acute injuries prospectively in a large cohort. There were few injuries sustained, suggesting indoor climbing has a low risk of acute injury per 1000 hours of participation. The injuries were of minor to moderate injury severity, and no fatalities occurred. Several injuries could have been avoided, and further injury-prevention concepts should be developed.
Acute injuries in rock climbing either come from a fall onto the lower leg or from performing a hard move and injuring the upper extremity. Further evaluations of lower leg injuries in rock climbing ...athletes have been performed recently finding sport characteristics such as peroneal tendon dislocations or chronic deformations of the feet. One injury mechanism described in case reports is the so-called heel hook position, which is used more frequently today compared with the beginngs of rock climbing. In addition, the number of these injuries is expected to rise with the increase in popularity of climbing and bouldering. Therefore, it is important to further analyze this pathology. We investigated 17 patients with injuries of the lower extremities after performing a heel hook.
Objective Injuries to the flexor tendons and flexor tendon pulleys are frequently reported in rock climbers. Osteoarthritic changes with bone spurs are also well known. We report on the less commonly ...described extensor tendon irritation caused by such osteophytes. Methods Thirteen high-level rock climbers (12 men, 1 woman; average age 33.8 years range 17–55; average years of climbing experience 19 range 5–30; average climbing level 10.2) with extensor hood irritation caused by dorsally located osteophytes of proximal interphalangeal (n = 10) or distal interphalangeal joints (n = 3) were evaluated and managed. Twelve climbers received conservative therapy and 1 climber was treated surgically. Results Before treatment, the climbers were unable to achieve their normal climbing ability due to extensor tendon irritations with resultant effusion noted in the ultrasound examinations. After conservative treatment, and in 1 case surgery, all patients achieved their previous climbing ability. Conclusion While all climbers were able to achieve their former climbing level after treatment, the condition is progressive and the osteoarthritic changes will likely cause further problems for these idividuals in the future. Extensor hood irritation must be considered in the differential diagnosis of finger pain in rock climbers.
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