The epidemiology of indoor and outdoor rock climbing injuries presenting to USA emergency departments

Sabbagh, Ramsey S.; Hoge, Connor; Kanhere, Arun; Coscia, Atticus; Grawe, Brian M.

doi:10.23736/s0022-4707.21.12578-2

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…As we are reporting on patients from our clinic, we cannot comment on the prevalence of injuries in the general climbing population. In contradiction to recent studies on acute bouldering injuries presenting to emergency departments in Germany by Muller et al 45 or National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-participating hospitals in the United States, 10,46,52 our sports medical center serves as a referral center for climbing-specific injuries. Thus, as acknowledged, we likely see more chronic injuries and are solicited for more second opinions than acute trauma cases.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Wrist Injuries in Climbers

Schöffl,

von Schroeder,

Lisse

et al. 2023

Am J Sports Med

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Background: Acute and chronic injuries to the wrist are among the most common sport-related complaints of climbing athletes but have not been extensively evaluated in this population. Therefore, it is important to categorize climbing injuries to the wrist, analyze risk factors, and assess treatment outcomes. Purpose: To evaluate the distribution, outcomes, and influencing factors of wrist injuries in climbers. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Climbing athletes with wrist injuries who presented to our specialized sports medical center over the course of 4 years (2017-2020) were selected. All had prospectively completed questionnaires including their climbing-specific background (years of training, climbing level, training methods, etc). Injuries were analyzed (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation [UIAA] grade and diagnosis), and treatment methods and outcomes were retrospectively assessed with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Parameters included the climbing score, visual analog scale for pain score, Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) score, and shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) score including the sport component (DASH–Sport) score before and after treatment as well as time to return to climbing. Results: A total of 69 patients (25 female, 44 male) with 78 wrist injuries were identified and analyzed. Of these, 7 injuries were bilateral, occurring at the same time, and 2 injuries were independent reinjuries to either the same or the contralateral side. In addition, 24 injuries (30.8%) were acute, while 54 (69.2%) were chronic. Overall, 2 injuries had a UIAA grade of 3; all others had a UIAA grade of 2. The most frequent injuries were synovitis of the ulnocarpal recess, ulnar impaction, bone marrow edema of the lunate, wrist sprains (joint capsular pain with stress, with no pathological finding on magnetic resonance imaging), and wrist ganglion cysts. Nonoperative treatment was performed for 61 of the injuries, while 17 were treated surgically. In 51 cases (65.4%), injuries healed without consequences; in 27 cases (34.6%), discomfort remained. The visual analog scale pain score decreased from 4.8 ± 1.9 before treatment to 0.7 ± 1.0 after treatment ( P < .001), the PRWE score decreased from 53.6 ± 24.9 to 10.3 ± 13.1 ( P < .001), the QuickDASH score improved from 53.0 ± 16.6 to 20.0 ± 20.2 ( P < .001), and the DASH–Sport score improved from 82.0 ± 16.1 to 38.1 ± 23.5 ( P < .001). The climbing score improved from 2.5 ± 1.1 to 4.3 ± 1.0 points ( P < .001). The patient-reported number of days with pain was negatively correlated with changes in the PRWE score ( r = −0.351; P < .001), QuickDASH score ( r = −0.316; P = .007), and climbing score ( r = −0.264; P = .025) as well as the number of days without climbing ( r = −0.266; P = .025). The number of days without climbing was positively correlated with changes in the PRWE score ( r = 0.369; P < .001). Conclusion: Wrist injuries in climbers constituted a diverse set of diagnoses. Ulnar-sided injuries were most common, and many patients had >1 diagnosis. Outcomes for all treatment methods (surgery and nonoperative care) were favorable, but approximately one-third of climbers had persistent wrist discomfort after treatment, underscoring the need for accurate diagnoses and acute and expert care.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Wrist Injuries in Climbers

Schöffl,

von Schroeder,

Lisse

et al. 2023

Am J Sports Med

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“…A wide variety of reliable, reproducible epidemiology studies on injury-related ED visits have been published using the NEISS database. 13,24,30 Specific data collection methodologies and quality control precautions are available on the CPSC website (https://www.cpsc.gov/Research-Statistics/ NEISS-Injury-Data).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports-Related Injuries Evaluated in US Emergency Departments

Sabbagh

Shah

Kanhere

et al. 2022

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background: Organized athletics are undergoing a gradual resumption after a prolonged hiatus in 2020 because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 period on emergency department (ED) visits for sports-related injuries in the United States. It was hypothesized that such visits decreased in response to the pandemic conditions. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: A selection of sports (baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, American football, weightlifting, track and field, martial arts, boxing, golf, personal fitness, cycling, tennis, and ice hockey) were classified as being an organized team, organized individual, or nonorganized sport. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was then queried for ED visits for sports-related injuries between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, and we compared weighted national injury estimates and injury characteristics from athletes presenting to EDs in 2018 and 2019 versus those from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic period and between March 1 and May 31, 2020 (government-imposed lockdown period). Bivariate comparisons between variables were conducted using chi-square analysis, with strength of association assessed using odds ratios. Results: The 164,151 unweighted cases obtained from the query resulted in a weighted national estimate of 5,664,795 sports-related injuries during the study period. Overall, there was a 34.6% decrease in sports-related ED visits in 2020 compared with the yearly average between 2018 and 2019 (baseline). The number of ED visits in 2020 decreased by 53.9% versus baseline for injuries incurred by participation in an organized team sport and by 34.9% for injuries incurred by participation in an organized individual sport. The number of ED visits during the 2020 lockdown period decreased by 76.9% versus baseline for injuries incurred by participation in an organized team sport and by 65.8% for injuries incurred by participation in an organized individual sport. Injuries sustained while participating in a nonorganized sport remained relatively unaffected and decreased by only 8.1% in 2020. Conclusion: ED visits in the United States for injuries sustained while participating in an organized team or individual sport underwent a decrease after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, especially during the lockdown period.

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“…Since 1990, the growing popularity of climbing has led to an increase in climbing injuries. [1,2,3] Ten percent of all outdoor sport accidents are related to climbing. [4] Different climbing styles have developed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Risk factors and injury patterns in alpine sports have been the subject of several studies. [1,2,3,4,6,7,15] However, only few data have been reported on the characteristics of acute injuries in the different subtypes of alpine rock climbing. [16,17] Traditional alpine climbing without route preparation equaling less protection and alpine sports climbing on prepared routes have not yet been compared regarding their risk profiles and climbers sport-specific behavior leading to injury.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk profiles in two different alpine rock climbing styles

Gabl

Kaiser

Benedikt

et al. 2022

Sportverletz Sportschaden

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Introduction The aim of this study is to evaluate the injury risk profile of the two different styles of rock climbing, alpine climbing with minor route protection (AC) and alpine sport climbing on well-protected routes (SC), in order to develop preventive strategies for risk management. Patients and Methods 18 SC and 12 AC rock climbing accidents were evaluated retrospectively with a focus on climbers` demographics (age, experience, training intensity, performance level), accident demographics (unforeseen events preceding the injury, ascending or descending, fall height), injury patterns (injury severity, pathologies, pathomechanism) and environmental conditions (rock characteristics, route frequency, route grade, weather). Results Injuries were mainly sustained by male lead climbers during ascent (80%). The lower extremity was injured in 46%, the upper extremity in 40%, the pelvis in 6% and the head, chest and spine in 3%. Climbers were significantly older (43 vs. 31 years; p=0.03) and more experienced (21.5 vs. 5.7 climbing years) in AC. Falling height was significantly greater in AC (14.8 vs. 4.7m). Unforeseen events preceding the injury differed significantly between both groups. Slipping off and letting go preceded the fall in 78% in SC, while rock dislodging occurred only in AC. There was a tendency that climbers in SC climbed near or above their performance level, while climbers in AC climbed below their level. SC climbers tended to show more ankle fractures while AC climbers tended to present more cases with multiple injuries. Discussion AC and SC climbers differ in their risk profiles. Poorer route protection in AC resulted in more severe injuries. Yet in SC routes, good protection alone was not enough to avoid severe injuries. For prevention, climbers should be aware of the specific risks in AC and SC routes and should adjust their behaviour accordingly. Athletic skills were overestimated in SC, while alpine demands were underestimated in AC. A higher focus on visual and haptic grip control may help to prevent loss of hold. A careful lining of the rope into solid rock can reduce rockfalls for the seconder. Continuous attention is mandatory in rope handling and belaying. Applying more mobile pros is recommended in AC because they may shorten fall heights.

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The epidemiology of indoor and outdoor rock climbing injuries presenting to USA emergency departments

Cited by 5 publications

References 13 publications

Wrist Injuries in Climbers

Wrist Injuries in Climbers

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports-Related Injuries Evaluated in US Emergency Departments

Risk profiles in two different alpine rock climbing styles

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