Injury Prevention for Climbers: New Research Shows What Actually Works (And What Doesn't)
Tired of tweaky shoulders, aching finger pulleys, and unrelenting neck tightness? People may not love talking about climbing injuries, but guess what? We're going there. A massive new study just dropped some serious knowledge about why climbers get injured, and spoiler alert: it's not just because you're projecting too hard. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a full-time dirtbag, this research has some eye-opening findings about injury prevention that might change how you approach your climbing.
The Study: What We're Working With
Before we dive in, let's get real about the data. We're talking about a study by Markéta Kovářová and colleagues from 2024 that looked at nearly 2,000 climbers [1] – that's a lot of taped fingers and tweaky shoulders to learn from. These weren't just elite athletes either; we're talking about regular climbers like you and me.
The Big Revelations: Breaking It Down By Discipline
Here's where it gets interesting. Different types of climbing come with different injury risks. Who knew? (Well, now science knows.)
Bouldering: The High-Intensity Game
Each extra hour of bouldering per week ups your injury risk by 3.2% [1]
Most common injuries? Overuse (40%) and falls (35%) [1]
35% of injuries needed professional medical help (highest of all disciplines) [1]
Boulderers in their 30s had 28% higher odds of getting injured compared to those under 30 [1]
Look, we get it. When you're projecting that V7, it's tempting to throw yourself at it for hours. But these numbers are telling us something: maybe those marathon boulder sessions aren't the move. Track your attempts and grade difficulty to stay on top of your bouldering volume.
Sport Climbing: The Endurance Challenge
Every extra hour increases injury risk by 2.7% [1]
Falls take the lead here (45% of injuries) [1]
Overuse injuries coming in hot at 30% [1]
Plot twist: Climbers with higher BMI actually had lower injury rates [1], which differs from some other studies.
Sport climbers, your longer routes are adding up. Consider the total pitch count in your sessions, not just the difficulty. And maybe those extra rest days aren't just for optimizing sending, but for staying healthy.
Trad Climbing: The Surprise Winner
Here's something unexpected: more trad climbing actually decreased injury odds by 2.1% per hour [1]. Maybe there's something to be said for placing gear and climbing more conservatively? Though watch out for rockfall – it caused 20% of trad injuries [1]. Trad climbing, with its inherent pauses for gear placement, might naturally regulate volume and intensity.
When Injuries Happen (And It's Not Always When You Think)
Most injuries aren't happening when you're pushing your absolute limit:
62% during regular climbing [1]
23% during training [1]
15% during warm-up (yes, you can tweak something warming up) [1]
Ready to address your climbing injuries before they become a problem? Book a session with our climbing specialists and get back to sending (or at least trying really hard).
Prevention Strategies That Actually Work
Based on this recent research [1], here’s what actually matters, along with some additional evidence-based recommendations to keep you healthy and on the wall:
What This Study Shows:
Volume Management:
Bouldering: Each additional hour increases injury risk by 3.2% - keep sessions focused and efficient.
Sport Climbing: Each additional hour increases injury risk by 2.7% - watch your total pitch count.
Traditional Climbing: Shows a protective effect with more hours (-2.1% risk per hour), likely due to its more measured pace.
Timing Considerations (Based on When Injuries Occur):
Most injuries happen during regular climbing (62%), not just during max effort attempts.
A significant 23% occur during training sessions and 15% during warm-up. This suggests focusing prevention on your regular climbing sessions and even your warm-ups, not just when pushing your limits.
Additional Evidence-Based Recommendations:
Progressive Loading (Based on current research in sports medicine)
Increase climbing volume by no more than 10% per session and 20% per week.
Plan deload weeks every 4-6 weeks (reduce volume by 40-50%).
Progress your grade difficulty only if you were pain free after your last 3 sessions.
Training Structure (Based on climbing-specific training principles)
Limit power endurance sessions (4x4s, linked boulders) to 2x per week with 48 hours between.
Keep max effort sessions (projecting, limit bouldering) to 2-3 per week.
Rest 3-5 minutes between hard boulder attempts or redpoint burns.
Recovery Implementation (Based on sports performance and recovery science)
Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly to optimize tissue repair [2].
Protein Intake: Consume 1.6-2.0g of protein per kg of body weight daily to support tendon and muscle health [3].
Rest Days: Incorporate a minimum of 2 full rest days per week, as indicated by the study's injury patterns.
Just like we discussed in our guide to strength training, proper conditioning is key to injury prevention. Check out our injury prevention guide for more specific tips on staying healthy. And for a complete return-to-climbing protocol if you do get sidelined, check out The Ultimate Guide to Help You Return to Rock Climbing.
The Bottom Line
Climbing injuries aren't random – they follow patterns we can predict and prevent [1]. Whether you're crimping hard in the gym or running it out on gear, understanding these patterns and implementing smart prevention strategies is key to staying healthy and crushing long-term.
Ready to Climb Smarter?
Don't wait until you're injured to think about prevention. Schedule an appointment today with one of our rock climbing experts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and let's build a plan to keep you on the wall and off the injured list.
🎯 Pro Tip: The best time to work on injury prevention was yesterday. The second best time is today. Don't wait until you're hurt to start thinking about staying healthy.
References
[1] Schöffl, V., et al. (2024). Analyzing Injury Patterns in Climbing: A Comprehensive Study of Climbing Disciplines and Their Associated Risks. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 23(2), 225-234.
[2] Killick, R., et al. (2021). Sleep and sports recovery: current controversies and future directions. European journal of sport science, 21(7), 931–939.
[3] van Loon, L. J. (2014). Is there a need for protein ingestion during exercise?. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 44 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), S105–S111.
