Less Talk More Chalk: A Retrospective Review of Rock Climbing-Related Trauma

Introduction Climbing is a strength and strategy-driven sport that has greatly increased in popularity over the last decade, partially due to its debut in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. With an increasing number of new climbers and the emergence of recreational indoor climbing facilities, fall injury risk remains a legitimate concern within the climbing community. This study evaluates the pattern of injury in trauma patients presenting to the Desert Regional Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center in Palm Springs, CA, following falls from height while rock climbing. Methods Our study retrospectively investigated a de-identified dataset on trauma patients at the Desert Regional Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center located in Palm Springs, CA, from 2016 to 2021. This analysis focused on 75 patients who presented following falls from height while rock climbing. We reviewed several parameters, including patient demographics, Injury Severity Score (ISS), hospital length of stay (LOS), injury type, and patient outcomes. Descriptive statistics including median values, standard deviations (SD), and P-values were assessed via Microsoft Excel. Several paired, one-tailed t-tests and a Pearson's correlation test were also conducted to further evaluate the association between variables within the dataset. Results In this retrospective analysis of patients presenting to the emergency department post-fall from heights while rock climbing, the patient profile was predominantly younger or middle-aged climbers under 60 years old (65, 86.7%). The mean patient age was 37 years old. The majority of patients were non-Hispanic (69, 92%), noting a male predominance (57, 76%). Most patients (60, 80%) required partial trauma code status. Hospitalization was required for most individuals (67, 89.3%), with several requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission (29, 38.7%). The average hospital LOS was 6.7 amongst all admissions. Patients requiring LOS greater than 10 days had a higher average ISS (12.9) when compared to climbers with shorter lengths of admission (ISS of 10.4). There was no significant difference in ISS between younger patients (ISS of 9.3) and those 60 and older (ISS of 10.6). The most common critical injury was lower extremity fracture (36, 48%), noting no significant increase in injury incidence over the last five years. Conclusion Rock climbers who experience falls from cliffs are most at risk for a lower extremity fracture. Demographically, a majority of injured climbers in this study were young males, who may exhibit risk-taking behavior. To better prevent critical injuries within the climbing sector, we encourage an increase in safety measures (crash mats, harnessing) and the implementation of a new climber education program.