Research summary · Injury prevention
Hand and wrist injuries reported by recreational climbers
Separate climber and hand-provider surveys describe upper-limb injuries, care-seeking behaviour and gaps in climbing-specific clinical resources.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Two retrospective cross-sectional surveys
- Journal
- BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
- Population / context
- Adult recreational rock climbing
What the publication reports
Among 745 recreational climbers, 77% reported at least one injury; finger and hand problems were most common. Fingerboard use, male sex and longer experience were associated with higher injury odds. Among 85 providers, only 39% felt they had sufficient climbing-specific knowledge.
Limits and interpretation
Self-selection, recall and self-reported injury classification limit prevalence estimates. Cross-sectional associations cannot show that fingerboard training causes injury, and the sample may not represent all climbers or clinicians.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Finger, hand and wrist injuries in climbers: insights from climber and provider surveys
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41948423DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2026-003239Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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