Incidence of hand injuries in wall climbers: A comparison between adolescent adults and young adults

The purpose of this study was to understand the activity, recreational profile and the rate of hand/finger injuries among nonprofessional adolescent and young climbers of both genders. Nineteen adolescent climbers (mean age of 14 years old) and eighteen young climbers (mean age of 24 years old) volunteered to answer a self-reported questionnaire, and their hand grip strength was evaluated by Dynamometer. The data included sociodemographic variables, level of daily and recreational activities and climbing profile (experience, training frequency, past injuries, fuctional and medical diagnoses). The results indicate that adolescent climbers do not sustaine hand/finger injuries as frequently as the younger adults. The males sustain injuries and more often complain of pain than females, however, in most cases this does not appear significant. The grip strength of the affected side was significant weaker than non affected hand. There are several explanations for our findings. In conclusions, overuse, lack of sufficient rest and a more challenging environment appear to be the main factors which contribute to hand/finger injuries among the young climbers. The hand grip strength of injured hand is weaker comparing non injured hand.