Although biceps tendon ruptures rare among climbing athletes, this article provides both climbers and clinicians a guideline to identify the injury if it occurs. Additionally, it provides a guideline to help understand the course of conservative rehab following surgical intervention of a distal biceps tendon rupture.

You hear it and feel it. Your shoulder popped in and out of the socket yet again. Going out and overhead to the next hold. Making contact with that jug at the end of the dyno. Pushing up and over the mantle.

You’ve made huge strides in your climbing ability since you touched that first hold a couple of years ago. Now, you’ve got your sights on the next grade, but you’ve hit a plateau. You decide to train 5-6 days a week to get stronger for climbing.

Muscle strains result from a sudden contracture of lengthened muscle fibers that causes them to rupture. In regard to climbing, abdominal strength, flexibility, and neuromuscular coordination is critical. Impaired abdominal function may result in injury.

You’re noticing improvements in your climbing, but you are starting to feel a bit broken down and are developing some mild pain in the front of your elbow that worsens after a long week of training and climbing. You even notice a bit of swelling in your elbow. What should you do?

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning there can be other causes of pain and numbness, such as cervical radiculopathy or other nerve entrapments, that may not be due to true TOS. Learn more about how to diagnose and treat the condition.

Tenosynovitis, or inflammation of the finger flexor tendon sheath (synovium), is a common overuse syndrome that climbers may experience. There are 2 musculotendinous units that could be involved, the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and flexor digitorum profundus (FDP).

The Achilles tendon is the tendon from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. This tendon attaches directly to the heel of the foot. The tendon allows the gastroc-soleus complex to lift the heel off the ground, walk, and generate power during dynamic movements.

Ankle sprains are the most common injury in the lower leg. This injury occurs when downward force is applied to an ankle in an inverted position, with the big toe side of the foot up, and the little toe side down.