Introduction
Competitive rock climbing is a fast-growing sport. Despite comprehensive reviews on
adult climbing-related injuries, few pediatric-specific reviews exist, and studies
exclusively on competitive youth climbers are needed. Objectives of this study include
1) estimating the injury rate (IR); 2) describing injury patterns and mechanisms;
and 3) identifying injury risk factors in competitive youth climbers.
Methods
The study design was cross-sectional. Competitive youth climbers were included. Participants
completed an anonymous questionnaire to document climbing injuries over the preceding
12 mo. Demographic data and data regarding injuries were collected. The IR was calculated.
Analyses were performed to assess association between injury and multiple variables.
Multivariate logistic regression was completed for significant variables to control
for exposure time.
Results
The IR was 2.7 injuries per 1000 climbing hours. Hand/Finger injuries were most frequent;
chronic overuse was the most common etiology. Injury severity was low overall. Risk
factors significantly associated with climbing injury were climbing discipline (bouldering
> sport/lead climbing), return to climbing while still in pain, finger taping, higher
number of hours climbed per session and per year, climbing at higher bouldering difficulties,
and unsupervised climbing.
Conclusions
The IR in competitive youth climbers was found to be lower than previously reported
but higher than suggested by adult studies or those that exclude chronic injuries.
Findings are consistent with types, severity, and mechanisms reported in other studies.
Modifiable risk factors, especially return to climbing while still injured, warrant
further prospective investigation.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Wilderness & Environmental MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Finger injuries of young elite rock climbers.Schweiz Z Med Traumatol. 2002; 50: 7-10
- Review of the physiological responses to rock climbing in young climbers.Br J Sports Med. 2007; 45: 852-861
- Pediatric and adolescent injury in rock climbing.Res Sports Med. 2018; 26: 91-113
- Injuries and medical incidences during the IFSC 2012 climbing world cup series.Medica Sport. 2013; 17: 168-170
- Injury risk evaluation in sport climbing.Int J Sports Med. 2011; 32: 794-800
- Incidence, mechanism and risk factors for injury in youth rock climbers.Brit J Sports Med. 2015; 49: 44-50
- A critical review of the incidence and risk factors for finger injuries in rock climbing.Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016; 15: 400-409
- Acute injury risk and severity in indoor climbing-a prospective analysis of 515,337 indoor climbing wall visits in 5 years.Wilderness Environ Med. 2013; 24: 187-194
- Risk factors for injury in sport climbing and bouldering: a systematic review of the literature.Br J Sports Med. 2015; 49: 1094-1099
- Indoor rock climbing: who gets injured?.Br J Sports Med. 2001; 35: 181-185
- Rock climbing injury rates and associated risk factors in a general climbing population.Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009; 19: 850-856
- Characterizing the consequences of chronic climbing-related injury in sport climbers and boulderers.Wilderness Environ Med. 2013; 24: 153-158
- Rock climbing injuries treated in emergency departments in the U.S., 1990–2007.Am J Prev Med. 2009; 37: 195-200
- Pattern of injury after rock-climbing falls is not determined by harness type.Wilderness Environ Med. 2007; 18: 30-35
- The epidemiology of rock-climbing injuries.Brit J Sports Med. 2008; 42: 773-778
- Sport climbing: medical considerations for this new Olympic discipline.Brit J Sports Med. 2017; 51: 2-3
- Rock climbing injuries.Sports Med. 1997; 23: 261-270
- Young, talented and injured: Injury perceptions, experiences and consequences in adolescent elite athletes.Eur J Sport Sci. 2018; 18: 731-740
- College sports-related injuries – United States, 2009–10 through 2013–14 academic years.MMRW Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015; 64: 1330-1336
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 07, 2022
Accepted:
September 16,
2021
Received:
June 17,
2020
Identification
Copyright
©2021 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
