Schöffl Volker R, Hoffmann Georg, Küpper Thomas
Department of Sports Orthopedics-Sportsmedicine, Klinikum Bamberg (Dr Schöffl); Department of Traumasurgery, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Dr Schöffl); Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (Drs Schöffl and Küpper); Medical Commission of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (Dr Schöffl).
Wilderness Environ Med. 2013 Sep;24(3):187-94. doi: 10.1016/j.wem.2013.03.020. Epub 2013 Jul 19.
Rock climbing's popularity continues to rise, with people of all ages regularly participating in the sport. Climbing literature suggests climbers get injured mostly in their upper extremities. Most studies on climbing injury analysis are conducted retrospectively, with all the inherent problems of a retrospective setup (no exact time collection, biased injury perception, etc). Prospective data are still missing.
We prospectively evaluated all attendees of a major German indoor climbing gym in Stuttgart, Germany, with bouldering and lead climbing facilities. Attendee's age, sex, and time spent climbing were electronically recorded on each visit. All acute injuries were graded using the Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme Score. Injury cause, belayers' and climbers' experience, and outcome were additionally analyzed.
During a 5-year period (2007-2011), 515,337 visits to the climbing wall were registered, of which 63.6% were by male visitors, 36.4% female, within an age of 8-80 years (median, 34 years). The average time of climbing was 2 hours 47 minutes. Thirty climbing injuries were recorded, 22 were in male and 8 in female climbers with a total mean age of 27.5 ± 10.6 years. Acute injuries happened in 6 cases while bouldering, in 16 cases while lead climbing, in 7 cases while top roping, and in 1 case as a third person (not climbing or belaying) while watching another climber. Bouldering injuries were mostly the result of falls onto the mat, whereas in lead and top rope climbing various scenarios happened. Fifteen (50%) injuries were Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme grade 2, 13 (43%) were grade 3, and 2 (7%) were grade 4, with no fatalities. The overall injury rate was 0.02 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing activities.
This was the first study to accurately record time spent indoor climbing digitally and evaluate the acute injuries prospectively in a large cohort. There were few injuries sustained, suggesting indoor climbing has a low risk of acute injury per 1000 hours of participation. The injuries were of minor to moderate injury severity, and no fatalities occurred. Several injuries could have been avoided, and further injury-prevention concepts should be developed.
攀岩运动的受欢迎程度持续上升，各年龄段的人都经常参与这项运动。攀岩相关文献表明，攀岩者大多在上肢受伤。大多数关于攀岩损伤分析的研究都是回顾性的，存在回顾性研究设置的所有固有问题（无法精确收集时间、损伤认知存在偏差等）。前瞻性数据仍然缺失。
我们对德国斯图加特一家拥有抱石和先锋攀岩设施的大型室内攀岩馆的所有参与者进行了前瞻性评估。每次参与者来访时，其年龄、性别和攀岩时长都会通过电子方式记录下来。所有急性损伤均使用国际登山联合会医学委员会评分进行分级。此外，还分析了损伤原因、保护者和攀岩者的经验以及结果。
在2007年至2011年的5年期间，共记录了515337次攀岩墙访问，其中63.6%为男性访客，36.4%为女性访客，年龄在8至80岁之间（中位数为34岁）。平均攀岩时长为2小时47分钟。记录了30起攀岩损伤事件，其中男性攀岩者22起，女性攀岩者8起，总平均年龄为27.5±10.6岁。急性损伤在抱石时有6起，先锋攀岩时有16起，顶绳攀岩时有7起，还有1起是作为第三人（未攀岩或保护）在观看另一名攀岩者时发生的。抱石损伤大多是由于落到垫子上导致的，而先锋攀岩和顶绳攀岩时发生了各种不同情况。15起（50%）损伤为国际登山联合会医学委员会2级，13起（43%）为3级，2起（7%）为4级，无死亡病例。总体损伤率为每1000小时攀岩活动0.02起损伤。
这是第一项精确数字记录室内攀岩时长并对大量队列进行前瞻性急性损伤评估的研究。受伤情况较少，表明每1000小时参与室内攀岩的急性损伤风险较低。损伤程度为轻度至中度，无死亡病例。有几起损伤本可避免，应进一步制定损伤预防概念。
