Description of the mechanical stress on the fingers depending on the type of hold in expert climbing

Abstract

In sport climbing, training the flexor muscles in the fingers is a crucial determinant for performance. At present, the ef- fect of each individual digit in different grip positions has not been fully investigated. The aim of our research, therefore, is to study how different loads supporting the fingers are affected in three typical grip positions used in sports climbing, and if exists differences between high and low level climbers. In the present study, we divided 34 expert climbers into two groups and investigated whether a significant difference existed between. Using this protocol, we have shown a significant (P < 0.05) difference exists in load distribution in the three kinds of grip analysed. Moreover, we observe that each individual finger contributes in a different way in each type of grip. We conclude that the distribution of the mechanical load in fingers differs according to grip position. We see that climbers at higher level differentially distribute mechanical load between the fingers compared with subjects at lower level.