A Life Dedicated to Climbing and Its Sequelae in the Fingers—A Review of the Literature

Tatjana Pastor, Andreas Schweizer, Octavian Andronic, Léna G. Dietrich, Till Berk, Boyko Gueorguiev and Torsten Pastor ()
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Tatjana Pastor: Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Andreas Schweizer: Division of Hand Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Octavian Andronic: Division of Hand Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Léna G. Dietrich: Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Till Berk: AO Research Institute Davos, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Boyko Gueorguiev: AO Research Institute Davos, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Torsten Pastor: Division of Hand Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: Fingers of sport climbers are exposed to high mechanical loads. This work focuses on the fingers of a 52-year-old active elite climber who was the first in mankind to master 8B (V13), 8B+ (V14) and 8C (V15) graded boulders, bringing lifelong high-intensity loads to his hands. It is therefore hypothesized that he belongs to a small group of people with the highest accumulative loads to their fingers in the climbing scene. Fingers were analyzed by means of ultrasonography, X-rays and physical examination. Soft tissue and bone adaptations, as well as the onset of osteoarthritis and finger stiffness, were found, especially in digit III, the longest and therefore most loaded digit. Finally, this article aims to provide an overview of the current literature in this field. In conclusion, elite sport climbing results in soft tissue and bone adaptations in the fingers, and the literature provides evidence that these adaptations increase over one’s career. However, at later stages, radiographic and clinical signs of osteoarthritis, especially in the middle finger, seem to occur, although they may not be symptomatic.

Keywords: climbing; osteoarthritis; overuse; finger; osteophyte; load adaptation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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