Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.
Wilderness Environ Med. 2023 Sep;34(3):311-317. doi: 10.1016/j.wem.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 Jun 15.
Indoor climbing injuries are often related to overuse, and climbers choose between self-management and seeing a medical practitioner. This study evaluated predictors of prolonged injury and seeking medical care for indoor climbing injuries.
A convenience sample of adult climbers from 5 gyms in New York City was interviewed about injuries over the past 3 y, because of which they stopped climbing for at least a week or saw a medical practitioner.
In total, 122 of 284 (43%) participants had at least 1 injury, for a total of 158 injuries. Fifty (32%) were prolonged, lasting at least 12 wk. Predictors of prolonged injury included older age (odds ratio [OR], 2.28, per 10-y increase; 95% CI, 1.31-3.96), hours per week spent climbing (OR, 1.14, per 1-h increase; 95% CI, 1.06-1.24), climbing difficulty (OR, 2.19, per difficulty group increase; 95% CI, 1.31-3.66), and years of climbing experience (OR, 3.99, per 5-y increase; 95% CI, 1.61-9.84). Only 38% of injuries were seen by a medical practitioner. Predictors of seeking care included prolonged injury (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.39-6.64) and rope climbing preference (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.02-3.82). The most common theme for seeking care was serious pain or interference with climbing or daily activities.
Despite prolonged injuries being common, especially in older, more experienced, and higher-level climbers, only a third of climbers with injuries seek medical care. Outside of injuries causing minimal pain or limitation, those who self-managed reported receiving advice from other climbers or online research as a prominent reason for that choice.
室内攀岩损伤通常与过度使用有关，攀岩者在自我管理和寻求医疗从业者之间进行选择。本研究评估了导致室内攀岩损伤迁延不愈和寻求医疗护理的预测因素。
在纽约市的 5 家健身房，对方便抽样的成年攀岩者进行了过去 3 年的损伤访谈，因为这些损伤导致他们停止攀岩至少 1 周或去看了医生。
共有 284 名参与者中的 122 名（43%）至少有 1 次损伤，总计 158 次损伤。50 次（32%）为迁延性损伤，持续至少 12 周。迁延性损伤的预测因素包括年龄较大（比值比[OR]，每增加 10 岁，2.28；95%CI，1.31-3.96）、每周攀爬时间（OR，每增加 1 小时，1.14；95%CI，1.06-1.24）、攀爬难度（OR，每增加一个难度组，2.19；95%CI，1.31-3.66）和攀爬年限（OR，每增加 5 年，3.99；95%CI，1.61-9.84）。只有 38%的损伤者看过医生。寻求治疗的预测因素包括迁延性损伤（OR，3.04；95%CI，1.39-6.64）和喜欢使用绳索（OR，1.98；95%CI，1.02-3.82）。寻求治疗的最常见主题是严重疼痛或妨碍攀爬或日常活动。
尽管迁延性损伤很常见，尤其是在年龄较大、经验更丰富、级别更高的攀岩者中，但只有三分之一的损伤者寻求医疗护理。在疼痛或限制最小的损伤之外，那些自我管理的人报告说，从其他攀岩者或在线研究中获得建议是他们选择自我管理的主要原因。
