Reliability and Measurement Error of a Climbing-Specific Upper Extremity Testing Battery for Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Monitoring | PSCJ | UKSCA

PSCJ

UKSCA's peer-reviewed Professional Strength and Conditioning Journal

Reliability and Measurement Error of a Climbing-Specific Upper Extremity Testing Battery for Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Monitoring

16/10/2026

Lead author:
Uzo Ehiogu, St Marys University London
Co-authors:
Hang Ng, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
Matthew Buckthorp, St Marys University Centre for Applied Performance Sciences
Stephen Patterson, St Marys University Centre for Applied Performance Sciences

ABSTRACT

Climbing sports have increased in popularity over the past 10 years with growth in recreational participation and elite competition (Lutter et al., 2020). Climbing is predominantly an upper limb sport with a propensity for high mechanical forces through the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder regions. These injuries are common in both elite and recreational climbers (Grønhaug, 2018). Return to climbing decisions are often guided by symptoms, clinical judgement and progressive exposure. Clinicians and performance staff lack reliable field based tests with known measurement error (Ehiogu et al., 2026). Clinicians and performance professionals must be able to quantify between session change during rehabilitation and for return to sports progressions. Measurement science is critical for defensible decision-making for clinical assessment, rehabilitation monitoring and for return to sport. There are limited testing batteries specifically designed for climbers reported in a clinically meaningful way. The aim of this study was to establish the inter-tester, test-retest reliability and the measurement properties of a climbing-specific upper extremity clinical testing battery.

View PDF: Ehiogu. Climbing-Specific Testing Battery for Rehabilitation Monitoring.pdf

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