#1 Rock Climbing Injury? New Study Has Answers

Knee injuries, particularly media meniscal tears, are a growing concern among rock and boulder climbing athletes.

In a new study, “Mechanisms of Acute Knee Injuries in Bouldering and Rock Climbing Athletes” published online on January 31, 2020 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers call for better training programs to reduce the number of these injuries.

In a four-year retrospective multicenter analysis of acute knee injuries in bouldering and rock climbing athletes, both competitive and noncompetitive, trauma mechanisms, therapies and outcomes were all recorded.

According to the data collected, 71 climbing athletes had 77 independent acute knee injuries. The most common trauma mechanisms were high step (20.8%), drop knee (16.9%), heel hook (40.3%) and fall (22.1%). More noncompetitive (65%) than competitive (35%) athletes experienced knee injuries, and among noncompetitive athletes, medial meniscal tear (28.6%) was the leading structural damage.

Another recurring climbing injury was an iliotibial band strain during the heel hook position. Overall, there were more injuries in the indoor bouldering group than the rock climbing one. In addition, noncompetitive athletes were more likely to need surgery.

At one-year post-injury, the Tegner score was 5.9 ±0.8 (mean ± SD; range, 3-7); the Lysholm score was 97 ± 4.8 (range, 74-100); and the climbing-specific outcomes score was 4.8 ±0.6 (range, 2-5).

The researchers wrote, “Increased attention should be placed on the climber’s knee, especially given the worldwide rise of indoor bouldering. Sport-specific awareness and training programs for noncompetitive and competitive climbing athletes to reduce knee injuries should be developed and sports medical supervision is mandatory.”