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Abstract
Pulley injury in climbers: rehabilitation treatment
published in July - August 2019 - in Il Fisioterapista - issue n.4
Maurizio Lopresti, Francesca Natale, Lorenzo Panella

The large increase both in the number of participants and level of competition in rock climbing has led to an increase of injuries typical of this sport, first of all that of torn finger pulleys. Some climbing techniques in particular expose the pulley system to extremely high loads. The alterations of this system produce a decrease in strength and a reduction of the ROM that can lead to single or multiple tears of the pulleys.
The aim of this study is to highlight the different approaches to treating hand injuries in climbers and to identify possible starting points for the management of pulley lesions from a physiotherapeutic point of view.
The following study was carried out on material in an electronic format through a search of biomedical databases and on printed material such as books and articles from specific journals in the sector. The eligible articles featured injuries to the finger pulleys related to climbing.
The interventions analysed in the studies examined are based on the use of bandages and braces, manual therapies and therapeutic exercise.