[CLIMBING HIGHER--COMMON INJURIES IN ROCK CLIMBERS].

Rock climbing is becoming an increasingly popular sport in Israel with more and more climbing walls being built in the cities and new routes being traced on cliffs around the country. Our account describes the case of a 15 years old climber with chronic pain (without trauma) in the 3rd finger of the right hand. A stress fracture, involving the proximal interphalangeal joint (SH3) of the middle phalanx, was diagnosed. The fracture healed following two months of rest with gradual return to activity. As this sport becomes more common, there is an increasing need for knowledge about the characteristic injuries, their diagnosis and treatment. Although considered an extreme sport, most of the injuries are overuse injuries, mainly to the upper limbs. Finger flexor tendon pulley rupture being one of the most common. Diagnosis is based on history, physical examination and ultrasonography. Conservative treatment is successful for most injuries, while more complicated cases require surgical intervention.

[A NOVEL GENDER-SPECIFIC VEST FOR FEMALE INFANTRY RECRUITS DOES NOT REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF OVERUSE PAIN SYNDROMES: A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED STUDY AMONG 240 RECRUITS].

INTRODUCTION: Overuse pain syndromes constitute a troublesome byproduct of military infantry training, particularly in female fighters. These injuries result in lost days of training, pain and discomfort and can affect fitness and fighting abilities. We hypothesized that a gender specific vest would reduce the incidence of overuse pain syndromes in a population of female recruits during basic training. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the effect of a novel gender-specific combat vest on the incidence of lower back pain (LBP), anterior knee pain syndrome (AKPS), and plantar heel foot pain (PHFP) among female recruits. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective randomized study was conducted among 243 female border police infantry recruits who were followed over 4-months of basic training. In this group, 101 females were equipped with standard unisex special unit fighting vest (SUFV) and compared to 139 females who were equipped with a novel well-padded new fighting vest (NFV), specifically designed to fit the upper body morphology of females. This novel vest was supplied in three sizes, and equipped with adjustable straps. Information regarding the occurrence of overuse injuries was collected every two weeks. Medical records and clinic visits were evaluated. Attention was given to complaints of low back pain (LBP), anterior knee pain (AKP) and plantar heel foot pain (PHFP). RESULTS: Two hundred and forty recruits completed the study. Three recruits were lost to follow-up. Anterior knee pain was recorded in 65% of recruits in the SUFV group versus 62% in the NFV group (p = ns). Lower back pain was recorded in 86% of the SUFV group versus 82% in the NFV group (p = ns), and plantar heel foot pain was recorded in 73% of the SUFV group versus 69% in the NFV group (p = ns). DISCUSSION: Overuse pain injuries are more commonly reported among female fighters. These injuries result in lost days of training, pain and discomfort and can affect combat ability. Several researchers have found that changes in fighting equipment, such as size and weight, can affect the rates of these injuries. There is still a lack of information regarding changes related to gender-based fighting equipment and their effects. CONCLUSION: A gender-specific combat vest, designed to fit the upper female body, did not have any protective effect on the occurrence of overuse pain syndromes of the back, knee and foot in this study. It seems that in order to reduce the incidence of these injuries in female recruits, emphasis should be directed at other factors such as modifications in equipment weight, as well as modifications in the intensity of the training programs.