Project Director

Walker, Randy

Department Examiner

Hanks, June; Keller, Robert

Department

Dept. of Physical Therapy

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

In any physical exercise, the risk of injury is always present and cannot be eliminated. Specifically, rock climbing subjects climbers to the dangers of cuts, abrasions, strains, and fractures in the least serious of injuries. Although rock climbers must be conscious of more serious injuries, such as death, they tend to ignore less minor injuries like overuse hand injuries. During rock climbing, the upper extremities are required to support unnatural weight loads for extended periods of time; therefore, they are the primary area for overuse injuries. The hands and fingers in particular are stressed and contorted more forcefully than any other part of the body. Over time, the ligaments and other soft tissues of the hand become stressed to their limits, and overuse injuries eventually develop. This project will seek to find out which types of overuse injuries of the hand are the most common in Chattanooga and its surrounding areas. A literature review will be conducted to find acceptable professional treatments and preventative measures for these injuries. These treatments and preventions will then be compared to the self-treatment that climbers prescribe to see if this self-treatment has any validity. In order to accomplish this task, a questionnaire and interview of 25 local climbers was conducted. The questionnaire asked the climber his or her age, number of years climbing, frequency of climbing, level of climbing, types of injuries sustained, types of treatment received, and preventative measures taken after injury.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

4-2003

Subject

Sports medicine; Rock climbing; Hand--Wounds and injuries--Patients--Rehabilitation; Rock climbing accidents--Tennessee--Chattanooga

Discipline

Physical Therapy

Document Type

Theses

Extent

i, 40 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Call Number

LB2369.5 .G366 2003

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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