Background: The current burden of injury in Australian competitive sport climbers is unknown. Additionally, Australian climbers face geographical and resourcing barriers to competition and high-performance support which may impact on prevalence of injury. In addition to the recent inclusion of the sport at the Summer Olympics, competitive climbing has seen a significant increase in participation over the past decade. This study aims to establish the seasonal prevalence and injury profile in Australian competitive climbers. Methods: Participants aged 14 years and over competing in any of three 2018 Australian national-level climbing competitions were invited to complete a self-administered and bespoke recall questionnaire. Demographic, climbing and previous sporting participation history, calendar-year estimates of training load exposure and injury data were collected. Injuries were classified by a sports physiotherapist according to the OSICS 10.1 system. Count data were reported as frequencies and percentages of the specified sub-group and entire participant sample. Period prevalence was compared between groups using Pearson chi-square tests and differences in injury durations between categories were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Seventy-eight participants (female n=34, male n=44, mean age 23.4 years, SD±7.4) returned surveys. A 12-month injury period prevalence of 87.2% was established with no significant difference in prevalence between males and females or age groups. Training per discipline was highest in bouldering (63.1%) followed by lead (34.2%) and speed climbing (2.7%). The median days injured was 18 (IQR 7 - 42). Masters (age 45.8±4.8 Open A (25.4±6.3), Open B (26.8±6.8) and Junior (17.9±0.7.) athletes experienced a longer injury duration compared to Youth A (16.1±0.6) and Youth B (14.3±0.5.) (X2=14.97; p= 0.0105). More injuries occurred in the upper extremity (57%) than the lower extremity (20.7%), specifically at the body sites of the wrist and hand (27.4%) followed by the shoulder (16.4%). Discussion: The high period prevalence within this cohort illustrates that injury affects a considerable proportion of Australian competitive climbers. Injury patterns observed differ from earlier climbing studies and reflect climbing injury trends observed since inclusion as an Olympic discipline. Existing self-reported climbing injury literature includes largely heterogeneous cohorts of both recreational and competitive climbers, limiting comparison. This study highlights the need for future longitudinal research into the injury burden experienced by Australian competitive climbers, to develop a better understanding of risk and to minimise time loss due to injury.
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