Footwear in rock climbing: Current practice

•Rock climbers often wear ill-fitting and overly tight footwear.•Foot injury and deformity, including hallux valgus, is common in the group.•The extent of shoe-size reduction amongst rock climbers has been quantified for the first time, showing a mean reduction of almost 4 UK shoe sizes for rock climbing footwear.•A shoe-size reduction was also found between an ideal fit and that of rock climber's everyday footwear.•A greater than previously reported prevalence of foot pain during climbing activity is reported (91.07%).

BackgroundMany rock climbers wear ill-fitting and excessively tight footwear during activity. However, there is insufficient evidence of the extent or harms of this practice.ObjectivesTo investigate footwear use in rock climbers with a focus on issues surrounding fit.MethodsA cross-sectional study with active rock climbers of over one year of experience completing a survey on their activity and footwear.Additionally, the authors quantified foot and shoe lengths and sizes alongside demographic data.ResultsIll-fitting and excessively tight footwear was found in 55 out of 56 rock climbers. Foot pain during activity was also commonplace in 91% of the climbers. A mean size reduction of almost 4 UK shoe sizes was found between the climbers’ street shoe size and that of their climbing footwear using a calibrated foot/shoe ruler. There is an unfortunate association of climbers of higher abilities seeking a tighter shoe fit (p < 0.001).ConclusionWith the elucidation of footwear use amongst rock climbers, further investigation may aim to quantify its impact and seek a solution balancing climbing performance while mitigating foot injury.