Common Musculoskeletal Injuries in Rock Climbers

In India, rock climbing comparatively is a new sport. An increase in indoor climbing facilities and the availability of natural rock formations has increased participation rates in India. It has also led to the development of sport climbing competitions. In this, competitors attempt to climb routes as quickly as possible. Traditional rock climbing is usually associated with injuries resulting from falls. In sport climbing, because maximal power and endurance is required of the upper extremities, they are the major site of injuries and overuse syndromes. Since this is a relatively new sport in India and because there has been a paucity of research the purpose of this study is to identify the injuries unique to this sport.

Identify the common musculoskeletal injuries, the common sites of injury; identify risk factors and the surface on which the injuries occurred.

Cross sectional survey.

40 climbers were interviewed using a validated questionnaire. The data obtained was analysed using simple percentage.

The commonest injury to occur was an ankle sprain (20%). The ankle (21.7%) and the middle finger (20%) were most commonly injured. The use of climbing shoes that are several times smaller and the use of a crimp grip (hyperextension at the DIP joint and hyperflexion at the PIP joint) were risk factors that predisposed the climbers to injury. 70% of the injuries occurred on a natural wall.

The results indicate that an ankle sprain was the commonest injury. The ankle was most commonly injured. Majority of the injuries occurred on a natural climbing surface.