Chronic injury

Key Take Aways

✅ Asymptomatic abnormalities on MRI scans must be interpreted and treated very cautiously

✅ Conclusions based on only MRI findings should be made cautiously to avoid surgical overtreatment in these heavily used shoulders

Population

Older climbers (5.12b to 5.14c)

Summary

Bad News: climbers’ shoulders look terrible under MRIs.

Good news: lots of that terrible stuff is asymptomatic

A 2021 MRI study compared non climber shoulders to climber shoulders. These weren’t just any climbers shoulders. These shoulders were climbers who:

➡️ average climbing time: 31.6 years
➡️ began climbing: 15 years old
➡️ majority of participants: 5.12b-5.14c

Under MRI, climbers’ shoulders (compared to non climbers) had more pathology at:

👉 long head of biceps
👉 labrum
👉 cartilage

This all sounds bad, however, most were asymptomatic:

✅ 83% labral tears
✅ 51% long head of biceps
✅ 60% AC joint arthritis

Plus,

➡️ No climber had to quit due to shoulder pain
➡️ Only 16% of shoulders were symptomatic
➡️ Climbers had only “slight” shoulder pain during clinical examination

CItation

Beeler S, Pastor T, Fritz B. et al. Impact of 30 years high-level rock climbing on the shoulder – an MRI study of 31 climbers. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 2021. 30 (9): 2022-2031

Link

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105827462100077X