title: Radiographic osteoarthritis in the hands of rock climbers.
abstract: Sixty-five rock climbers were radiographically evaluated for osteoarthritis of the finger joints. Only long-time climbers were chosen for this study. The average years of climbing experience of these subjects was 19.8 (range, 8 to 39). The majority of the subjects had climbed at an elite level for many years. Plain radiographs of the hands were scored using the Kellgren-Lawrence scale and were compared with scores of an age-matched control group. An increased rate of osteoarthritis for several joints was found in the climber group; however, no significant difference in the overall prevalence of osteoarthritis was found between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tuscon, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Rohrbough
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mudge
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009051:Mountaineering; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors