Retrospective survey of sport climbing injuries and self-care in the Gunma prefecture

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate sport climbing injuries among users of a climbing gym to identify the characteristics of the injuries and preventive measures. [Participants and Methods] Participants with at least 6 months of sport climbing experience at least once a week were included in the study. They provided basic information with regard to climbing, medical history, and self-care of climbing-related injuries. [Results] Of 113 validated respondents, 85 reported a history of climbing-related injuries. The injury occurrence rate by location was highest in the fingers, followed by the wrist, shoulder and ankle, knee, and elbow. All the ankle injuries had sudden onset. Moreover, the occurrence rates of the injuries with both sudden and gradual onsets tended to be higher in the fingers and wrists. With regard to the self-care status, warming up was performed by 88.5% of the participants; and cooling down, by only 25.7%. [Conclusion] This study found a high incidence of injuries involving the fingers, wrists, and ankles, which suggests the need for prevention by self-care.