Abstract des Autors

Background: Always carefully watching the climber, the belayer has to keep a position for a long time, which is damaging to the cervical spine. This often causes stiffness in the neck, which leads to cervical restrictions of motion. 3 types of belaying, the habitual belaying, the “CU glasses” and the “coordinated head position”, have been examined relating to their ability to avoid muscular tensions. Materials and method: The mobility of the cervical spine of 30 male and female climbers has been measured with an inclinometer immediately before and after defined belaying of 10 min. The subjects have been distributed to the 3 types of belaying at random. Additional the subjects had to answer questions concerning their personal feelings and a pain-rating-scale. Results: Within the group with habitual belaying, significant limitations in the mobility of the cervical spine in each direction could be determined, connected with strong pain after defined belaying. While using the “CU glasses” or “coordinated head posture”, no restrictions in movement (for each direction p>.05) has been noticed. Subjects that belayed with the “coordinated head posture” complained about backache because of the unfamiliar, active posture. Conclusions: Depending on the actual climbing-situation, the belayer should use either the „CU glasses“ or the „coordinated head posture“, in order to avoid muscular tension in the neck. Verf.-Referat