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Climbing Injury Clinic

Here at Southampton Physio, we specialise in treating climbers. Our clinic is based in a climbing gym and all our therapists having experience climbing and work closely with climbers.
We work with the Boulder Shack Junior Climbing Squad, providing injury risk screenings and running the injury prevention programme.
We know what climbing demands of the human body. We are familiar with the whole range of climbing injuries, and we have extensive experience of treating these injuries.
We work with climbers and local healthcare providers to offer rehabilitation for a wide range of climbing injuries.

Climbing injuries we can help with

Finger pulley injuries

Capsulitis

Tenosynovitis

Shoulder impingement / rotator cuff pathology

Lateral / medial epicondylitis (tennis / golfer’s elbow)

Ankle sprains

Lower back injuries

Knee injuries

Climbing injuries are unique and require specialist knowledge. Climbers use their fingers and upper bodies in ways that no other athletes do, and so when you get injured it’s important that you see someone who knows the sport.
Getting back to climbing can often involve weeks of rehab that needs to be well managed. Getting help from a team who know the sport inside out can help you get back faster and make the process as painless as possible.

What to expect

If your injury is to the finger, hand, or wrist, book a hand therapy session [link], otherwise book an injury consultation for the most convenient time to suit you. Your therapist will ask you all about your injury, your training history and then perform a physical assessment to get to the route of the problem.
At this stage if we feel it necessary to refer for imaging or further testing, we will provide you with a letter and assist you with this process.
We will then work on a treatment plan together, considering your performance goals and training history.
If you want to find out more about the process or ask about the different services we offer, you can book a short call to discuss this

Background info

What can go wrong with climbing?

Climbing is a relatively safe hobby, despite its reputation among non-climbers. Most climbers are sensible and safe and take good care of their equipment, and so significant injuries are rare.

 

Accidents do happen though, and falls can result in broken bones and serious injuries. We can help with the recovery from major and minor climbing injuries.

 

Most of the more common injuries that we see in clinic are overuse injuries to soft tissues in the body, usually affecting the ligaments and tendons of the upper body. 

What are the most common climbing injuries?

It’ll be no surprise that fingers are the most common area to injure in climbing, followed by the shoulder and elbow. Finger pulley injuries are the most common single injury.

 

Climbing tendinitis, now classified as tendinopathy, are common, most often effecting the elbows.

Rotator cuff related pain, more commonly known as shoulder impingement, is another common injury to affect climbers. 

Do tendon and pulley injuries ever heal fully?

The good news with most climbing injuries is that they will heal, and most people make a full recovery. It’s not always quick and depending on the nature and cause of injury a full recovery can take 6 weeks to 9-12 months, but most people will recover from a climbing injury after 6-12 weeks with the right approach.

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Leave Us A Review

We’re so sorry to hear that you aren’t happy with our service. Your feedback is really important to us and we do all we can to make sure we are constantly improving. Please leave your feedback for us below and we’ll get back to you to see what we can do to resolve any issues you may have.

Leave Us A Review

We’re so sorry to hear that you aren’t happy with our service. Your feedback is really important to us and we do all we can to make sure we are constantly improving. Please leave your feedback for us below and we’ll get back to you to see what we can do to resolve any issues you may have.