Behind the Lines: A Climbing PT’s Experience at USAC Youth Nationals
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to join Method Climbing’s competitive team as their team physical therapist at USA Climbing Youth Nationals. It was an intense, inspiring, and surprisingly emotional week that reminded me just how multifaceted this sport – and my role in it – can be.
As Method’s PT, I supported the athletes through injury prevention, emergency treatment, taping, recovery/blood flow manual sessions, and general performance guidance. The coaching staff also graciously encouraged me to offer support to other athletes and teams when my schedule allowed, and I am so grateful they did. I connected with youth athletes from across the country and had conversations with coaches about the growing need for climbing-specific rehab across the sport.
🩺 A Shift in Injury Patterns
Over the course of Nationals, I treated or consulted on a total of 32 injuries. Here’s the breakdown:
Neck: 5
Back: 5
Elbow/Forearm: 5
Shoulder: 4
Hip: 4
Ankle: 4
Finger: 3
Wrist: 2
Interestingly, neck and back issues, which are some of the least common injuries I see in my typical patient population of young adult climbers, were among the most common at Nationals. This surprised me and got me thinking.
We may be seeing the effects of modern setting trends that emphasize dynamic movement, large volumes, and high-impact falls. As the competitive scene evolves, it seems to be stressing the entire body, not just the traditional climbing-specific areas like fingers and forearms. That might be a signal that our training (and rehab!) needs to evolve as well.
What really stood out was how infrequent finger and wrist injuries were, despite these being the most common types of injuries I typically treat at gyms and online. I made an earlier post on my Instagram regarding this and encouraged coaches and youth athletes to hear out their thoughts and see if they experience similar patterns throughout the season. While there are, of course, many nuances and points to be made, youth climbers today are training earlier, harder, and smarter. Their finger strength and tendon development are adapting alongside their growth, and that's shifting the injury landscape.
Instead of focusing primarily on finger injuries, we may need to shift more attention to compound joints like the shoulders, hips, and elbows, where complex forces meet dynamic movement. This also strengthens the case for general strength training – compound lifts, core stability, and movement variability – as vital pieces of youth climbing performance. While every athlete is different, it seems that emphasizing injury prevention through more robust training will allow athletes to take on the increasing demands of competition climbing.
Tape Doesn’t Fix Everything
Many of the athletes I saw were already taped or wrapped up in some form, which speaks to how common conservative management is at this level, even at Nationals, which is a multi-day AND multi-discipline event. But what type of support is that tape actually providing?
Structural support for a healing injury?
Placebo reassurance?
Cover-up for a more serious injury?
We have all seen the pro climbers at IFSC World Cups taped up in fancy patterns, and it is easy to associate that with either increased performance or decreased injury risk. However, I believe that as a climbing community, we still have room to grow in our collective understanding of when taping is an appropriate way to manage an injury. There is a significant difference between supportive taping, which actually assists recovery, and detrimental taping, which might actually delay needed treatment.
Educating athletes and coaches about the appropriate uses and limitations of taping is a large goal of mine. In the face of injury, athletes seem to have an overreliance on tape. Meanwhile coaches currently face a real challenge in making a critical decision: can an acute injury be managed temporarily for performance, or is it time to prioritize recovery and pull the athlete out? Ultimately, I encourage taping when it is used to support a healing injury, but athletes and coaches need to be cautious, as taping is rarely a complete solution.
A Day at Nationals
To say it was a packed schedule would be an understatement. Assuming we had athletes moving on to the next round, this was my typical schedule:
7:30 AM: Arrive at isolation
Midday: Short lunch break (usually on the go)
6:300–7:30 PM: Exit isolation after last athlete finishes
8:00–9:00 PM (or later): Debrief, review videos if necessary, and help the coaches finalize the game plan for the next day
Throughout the day, I prioritized treating known injuries among the athletes, either before warm-ups or post-competition, ensuring everyone felt prepped and supported. During any free time, I offered help to other athletes and coaches on-site. (Thank you to the Method coaches for allowing me to serve the broader community in that way. It was certainly appreciated by the rest of the coaches and athletes!)
As you might expect, there were definitely moments of high-pressure, in-the-moment treatment, like when athletes tweaked something during warm-up or mid-round. It was a reminder that as stress and adrenaline rise, so does the chance of injury. A lot of my job boiled down to identifying the issue and determining if it was something that could be addressed through support (e.g., taping), manual techniques, or on- and off-the-wall drills and exercises. Even something as simple as depumping the athletes in between rounds seemed to be helpful in boosting recovery and resetting their state of mind as they went into the next round.
Ultimately, the nature of my work requires me to focus on the individual in front of me at any given time. It also is not easy, but I really want to acknowledge the coaches who oversee entire teams of youth athletes every year at this event. They have to keep track of so much information: everyone’s schedules, injuries (existing, acute, and risk), performance, and mental well-being. This all requires some seriously impressive stamina, presence, and attention to detail, and I was honored to witness it in real-time.
The Emotional Side of the Job
While I was fully aware that Nationals would be physically draining, I didn’t expect how emotionally invested I’d become.
As a climbing PT, I typically see people at low points – sometimes the lowest points – in their climbing journey. If you have had an injury, even a small one, you know how much of a setback it can be, both physically and mentally, and it iis especially true for competitive athletes, who dedicate countless hours a week training to perform at these critical moments. This is why seeing past and current patients crush it on that stage gave me a huge sense of pride. Knowing I had even a small role in their preparation and performance filled me with joy and reminded me why I do this.
Still, it was tough at times. Seeing athletes fall short of their goals was more emotional than I expected, and it highlighted a new area I want to grow in: the psychosocial side of rehab. Knowing when to support, when to step back, when to listen versus when to coach – that’s a skill I saw many top coaches do beautifully. It’s something I plan to develop more intentionally moving forward.
A Growing Network and a Growing Sport
This trip wasn’t just about taping ankles and managing tweaks. I had some incredible conversations with coaches and athletes about the importance of climbing-specific rehab and injury education.
One of my biggest goals was to raise awareness that there are clinicians out there who deeply understand climbing and the injuries that come with it. The sport is growing fast, yet the medical side is still playing catch-up. Coaches I spoke with were excited about the idea of having climbing-specific PTs available across the country. It’s a vision I share, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position to help push that forward.
I know the sport is still young. There’s so much room to experiment, grow, and innovate in the climbing rehab side of things. Ultimately I wanted to be a source of support. I am always open to coaches who want to pick a climbing PT’s brain or have an athlete who needs a consultation. But it should not just be me. With my presence at Nationals with Method, I hope that other coaches might consider bringing to their respective gyms the idea of having climbing-specific PTs available to their athletes. With more of us around the country, we can build a better support system for athletes and fill a major gap in the current medical model. I am committed to seeing how far we can expand this network for these athletes because, man, they deserve it.
Final Thoughts
This was more than just a week of work. It was a deep, personal, and professional experience. Nationals gave me a glimpse of what the future of climbing could look like if we continue building bridges between climbing healthcare and coaching. The sport will only continue to grow in popularity, with gyms popping up left and right, and collegiate programs are increasing their interest in the sport.
Thank you again to the Method team, the athletes, and the coaches I met along the way. I left Nationals tired, proud, and more motivated than ever to continue my own growth as a climbing-specific physical therapist.
Let’s keep pushing the sport forward – stronger, healthier, and smarter.
If you’re an athlete, parent, or coach curious about climbing-specific rehab, or just want to connect, feel free to reach out. Always happy to chat and support however I can. I can be contacted via email climbing.rehab@gmail.com or through Instagram DMs @climbing.rehab.
