ROCK-CLIMBING EXERCISE IN THE PHYSICAL TRAINING OF ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Introduction: With the promotion of rock climbing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 and the China National Games in 2017, the sport has been spread to the general public, and the country has paid more attention to its development. Objective: Study the effects of rock-climbing exercise on athletes' performance in physical training. Methods: A comparative study was conducted on the physical training of rock climbers through literary consultation, experience, and mathematical statistics aiming to explore the impact of the sport on physical training in rock climbers. Fifteen professional rock-climbing team athletes participated in this research. Results: A significant difference was found in strength quality between the experimental group and the control group (p<0.05), there were very significant differences in the fixed bar, push-ups, and 1min abdominal exercises (p<0.01) after the experiment, there were significant differences in speed, agility, and endurance between the experimental group and the control group (p<0.05), with emphasis on motor coordination and speed quality (p<0.01). Conclusion: Integrating physical training with rock climbing training has a remarkable effect on improving athletes' physical performance. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Head Injuries in Rock Climbing: A Scoping Review

Rock climbing was recognized as a sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite its increasing participation, there is no knowledge synthesis of head injuries (HIs), defined as any injury to the head, associated with climbing, making it challenging for clinicians to provide evidence-based care. Our aim was to synthesize HI literature within rock climbing and identify knowledge gaps. Six databases (Medline, Embase, Sports Medicine & Education Index, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Cochrane) were searched. Two reviewers screened 345 studies and 31 studies were selected for data abstraction. We found the quality of individual studies mainly "fair" to "good." Both HI and traumatic brain injury (TBI) had inconsistent definitions and categorization. The HIs represented between 0 to 36% of reported climbing injuries. Between 11 to 100% of HIs were TBIs, defined as an HI with permanent or temporary neurological sequelae. The most common causes of HIs were outdoor falls and falling objects. Climbing-specific factors associated with the causes were infrequently examined in the literature. Data sources of safety practices were incomplete. Overall, there was a lack of literature examining HIs, mechanisms of injury, and safety practices associated with climbing. To improve the tracking of HIs in climbing, we suggest the use of consistent reporting standards and the creation of a climbing injury surveillance system.

Sport and Recreational Causes of Nasal Bone Fractures

OBJECTIVE

Nasal bone fractures are the most common facial bone fractures. However, there is limited literature on the etiology of these fractures, particularly distribution across sports and other recreational activities.

METHODS

The Nationwide Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) national injury database was queried for emergency department visits involving the diagnosis of nasal or nose fractures associated with sports and recreation activities over the most recent 10 year span available. Demographic, disposition, and weighted incidence were analyzed.

RESULTS

Total incidence of nasal fractures across 10 years was 158 979. The mean age of nasal bone fractures was 20.4 years old. Nasal fractures were more common in males (74.6%) and white patients (54.1%). National estimated incidence of nasal fractures decreased from 21 028 in 2009 to 11 108 in 2018, a reduction of 47.2%. The most common causes among all patients were basketball (23.2%), baseball (17.1%), softball (9.8%), soccer (7.4%), and football (7%). In pediatric patients, the most common cause was baseball (25.1%). The majority (98.1%) of patients were discharged from the emergency department, while 0.9% of patients were admitted.

CONCLUSION

The most common recreational causes of nasal fractures are sports, with the most common being non-contact sports like basketball and baseball. However, the incidence of nasal bone fractures due to recreational causes nationwide has decreased significantly over the past 10 years. This may reflect improved safety protocols among athletes.

The epidemiology of indoor and outdoor rock climbing injuries presenting to United States emergency departments

BACKGROUND

The popularity of both indoor and outdoor rock climbing has dramatically increased over the last decade. The purpose of this study is to evaluate trends in United States climbing injury rates as well as assess specific injury characteristics, especially in the context of indoor and outdoor climbing.

METHODS

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was queried (2010-2019) to compare national weighted injury estimates and compare various injury characteristics from climbers presenting to US emergency departments.

RESULTS

The annual national estimates of rock climbing-related injuries presenting to US emergency rooms increased significantly (p=0.030) from 2010 (N=2,381; CI 1,085-3,676) to 2019 (N= 4,596; CI 492-8,699). 58.7% of the injuries in this study that could be classified by location occurred climbing outdoors. Ankle injuries were 2.25 times more likely (CI 1.03-3.08) to occur indoors than outdoors. Outdoor climbers were 2.25 times more likely to sustain an injury via falling and 13.8 times more likely to be injured by being struck by an object than indoor climbers (CI 1.05-2.42, CI 10.67-17.78).

CONCLUSIONS

Indoor and outdoor rock climbing are associated with different injury characteristics and risks. Therefore proper safety precautions, equipment, and training specific to terrain should be observed by all climbers in order to help decrease the rising trend of rock climbing-related injuries in the United States.

Head Over Wheels: Traumatic Head and Neck Injuries Secondary to Mountain Biking

OBJECTIVES

The popularity of mountain biking (MTB) in the United States has risen in recent years. We sought to identify the prevalence and distribution of MTB associated head and neck injuries presenting to emergency departments across the U.S. and identify risk factors for hospital admission in this patient population.

METHODS

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for MTB related injuries of the head and neck from 2009 to 2018, with analysis for incidence, age, gender, anatomic site, and diagnoses.

RESULTS

A total of 486 cases were identified, corresponding to an estimated 18 952 head and neck MTB related ED visits. Patients were predominantly male (80.7%) and white (69.8%) with a median age of 35 years (interquartile range, 21-46 years). A majority (88.4%) of patients were released from the ED, but a significant proportion of patients were admitted (9.2%) or transferred (1.2%). The most common facial fractures were facial/not specified (35%), nasal bone (29%), mandible (15%), orbit (12%), and zygomaxillary complex (9%). The greatest predictors of hospital admission/transfer were injury to the mouth or neck and avulsion-type injury (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

MTB results in a significant number of traumatic head and neck injuries nationwide. Patients are primarily adult, white males. The majority of injuries result in discharge from the ED, however a small amount of these patients experience significant morbidity necessitating hospital admission. Understanding the distribution of MTB head and neck injuries may aid in the clinical evaluation of these patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4.