Know Thy Enemy: The Top Ten Rock Climbing Injuries Explained

 Embark on a deep dive into the rocky terrain of climbing injuries, from overuse to acute, as we dissect a German study that sheds light on these frequent foes. We'll navigate the complexities of annular pulley injuries, examining their anatomy, various injury grades, and treatment options, including when surgery might come into play.

The conversation doesn't stop at our hands; it scales up to address the surge in knee and shoulder problems that blight many climbers, especially as bouldering's popularity peaks. Discover the intricacies of knee sprains and ligament damage, and join us in a fascinating exploration of shoulder injuries like SLAP tears and impingements. With insights from the FIMPACT trial, we unravel the enigma of painless structural shoulder damage and the contentious debate surrounding shoulder surgery. Our guests and I delve into these injuries with the precision of a climber finding the perfect route, aiming to fortify your understanding and help you stay clear of these pitfalls.

The episode wraps up with a focus on the wrist and elbow—key pivot points for any avid climber. Learn about the vulnerable TFCC in your wrist and how to rehabilitate this and the often-misunderstood epicondylitis, which climbers are all too familiar with. We also spotlight a critical issue for young climbers: growth plate injuries. The mission of our podcast is not just to inform, but to safeguard your climbing future, providing you with prevention strategies that are as valuable as a solid grip on a crux move. Share the love for climbing and this episode, hit subscribe, and leave us a review to spread the wisdom to your fellow crag enthusiasts!

Top 10 climbing injuries:
Lutter, C., T. Tischer, T. Hotfield, L. Frank, A. Enz, M. Simon, and V. Schoffl. 2020. “Current Trends in Sport Climbing Injuries after the Inclusion into the Olympic Program. Analysis of 633 Injuries within the Years 2017/18.” Muscle Ligaments and Tendons Journal 10 (02): 201.

FIMPACT Trial:
Paavola M, Malmivaara A, Taimela S, Kanto K, Inkinen J, Kalske J et al. Subacromial decompression versus diagnostic arthroscopy for shoulder impingement: randomised, placebo surgery controlled clinical trial BMJ 2018; 362 :k2860 doi:10.1136/bmj.k2860

Growth plate injury resources:
Bärtschi, N., Scheibler, A., & Schweizer, A. (2019). Symptomatic epiphyseal sprains and stress fractures of the finger phalanges in adolescent sport climbers. Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation, 38(4), 251-256.

Meyers, R. N., Schöffl, V. R., Mei-Dan, O., & Provance, A. J. (2020). Returning to Climb after Epiphyseal Finger Stress Fracture. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 19(11), 457-462. Chicago

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