Climbing - Common Climbing Risks
The popular image of the risk involved in something as dangerous as mountain or rock climbing is that of falling. But, in fact, because of superb gear and long experience, falling is actually among the least likely events. They do happen, but many other injuries involved with rising are much more common.
Pulling your body up against gravity requires considerable strength and endurance. Doing so in situations of extreme heat or cold, over hard and jagged surfaces introduces yet more risks. The most common injuries result from these factors.
Several different kinds of overuse injury are common among climbers.
Collateral ligament strain in the fingers is typical. Ligaments are thick tissues that connect bones. But they're not very elastic (unlike, say, muscles). When stretched under tension, they can tear or come loose from a bone. Even less extensive damage results in pain and limited function. Repeated use or excessive strain while using a finger or two to support the body against gravity is a leading cause of injury to ligaments.
Tendons are similarly at risk. Tendons attach muscles to bones and they are, like ligaments, relatively inelastic. That results in a number of possible problems.
Lateral Epicondylitis is an inflammation of the outer tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the elbow bone. They form part of the system that allows the arm to straighten. But a common finger grab on a ledge with the arm bent can produce stress on that area. Repetition or exceeding strain limits can lead to the injury.
Other tendon related problems are equally common. Cubital Fossa occurs when excess pressure on the brachialis - a muscle in the upper arm - leads to strain on the connective tissue in the elbow. That happens when pulling the body up with the arms, with too little assistance from the leg muscles. Inflammation is a common result.
Climber's Finger is another tendon-oriented problem, this time in the Flexor Tendon Pulleys that wrap around the finger joints. This is another injury resulting from relying too heavily on fingers to support the body.
About 25% of climbers have some degree of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, which results from repetitive pressure on the medial nerve running through the wrist. The result is wrist soreness and a burning sensation that sometimes reaches up toward the elbow as well.
But the risk of overuse of ligaments, tendons and other body parts is only one (albeit very common) type of risk in climbing. External factors are omnipresent, even when falling is unlikely.
Loose rocks are a typical hazard of climbing. A lead climber will sometimes, as much as they try to avoid it, brush rocks down on to climbers below. Just as often, they may loosen rocks above them by grabbing a hand hold that is inadequately secure. That brings debris down on their own head and shoulders.
Larger scale hazards are far from unknown. When climbing in snowy, icy areas, avalanches are an ever present threat. That's especially likely in the change between seasons when winter-frozen material is beginning to thaw with the arrival of Spring.
And, last, but far from least, falls can and do occur. They're more likely when climbers are fatigued, dehydrated or exposed to excessive sunlight. Eye-hand coordination suffers, muscles become less able to get a solid grip, and judgment is sometimes impaired leading to poor gear placement and use.
There's no magic solution to all these risks. The best you can do is be aware of them and always climb with at least one (and preferably more than one) experienced climber, and never reach too far outside your capacity. Assessing the risks correctly and acting wisely are the best guarantees of minimizing any potentially harmful results.