Conservative versus surgical intervention for the effective treatment of annular pulley ligament injuries in climbers, and their successful return to sport. A structured literature review.
Item
- Title
- Conservative versus surgical intervention for the effective treatment of annular pulley ligament injuries in climbers, and their successful return to sport. A structured literature review.
- Author(s)
- Buck, H
- Abstract
- Background: Climbing is a popular sport worldwide. As popularity has increased, so has the prevalence of climbing specific injuries. Annular pulley ligament injuries of the fingers are responsible for 33% of climbing injuries. Treatment for climbers include both surgical and conservative options. There has been no comparison of the effectiveness of these in allowing climbers to return to sport. Objective: To critically appraise literature regarding the treatment methods of annular pulley ligament injuries in climbers. To provide a summary of available research, with the intention of informing climbers which treatment method may be more appropriate for them. Design: Structured literature review. Methods: A systematic search was undertaken using relevant search terms on four databases. 297 studies were retrieved and a two stage inclusion / exclusion process applied. Fifteen studies were eligible for inclusion. Data extracted included key characteristics and results. These were summarised in tables. The outcome measures were observed and the quality of evidence was critically assessed. Results: Of the studies included, the most common design was case reports. The most popular surgical method was an extensor retinaculum graft and for conservative, the immobilising ring. The modal outcome measure was the participants previous level of climbing. Ten studies received a 3C and five received 2B on the SORT scoring system. Discussion: No difference was seen between the effectiveness of surgical treatment in comparison to conservative treatment methods. The symptoms and healing of all participants of each treatment improved and were able to return to climbing, at or above the grade they left. Issues regarding continuity in outcome measures made comparison difficult. Many studies demonstrated low quality evidence impeding their validity. Future larger samples are needed to help provide higher quality evidence. Conclusion: All studies showed both surgical and conservative treatment methods to aid recovery of annular pulley ligament strains and ruptures. Further research, of higher quality, must be undertaken to closely compare the effects of treatment methods more accurately using recognised benchmarking outcome measures to form a more definitive conclusion.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2020
- Date Submitted
- 28.10.2020 18:08:18
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16650
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Climbing, pulley injuries, systematic review, treatment methods.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Buck, H, “Conservative versus surgical intervention for the effective treatment of annular pulley ligament injuries in climbers, and their successful return to sport. A structured literature review.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 2, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.org/s/orw/item/205