Forearm muscle and nerve morphology differs by sex and predicts climbing style in recreational climbers
- 1Research, Health and Podiatry Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry, Industrial Campus of Ferrol, Universidade da Coruña
- 2Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sports, Department of Physiotherapy, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Campus de Villaviciosa
Abstract
Climbing is a physically demanding discipline that places repetitive mechanical load on the upper limbs, potentially leading to morphological adaptations or overuse injuries. Despite this, musculoskeletal ultrasound (USI) has been underutilized in climbing research. This study aims to investigate sex and limb dominance related differences in forearm muscle and nerve morphology in climbers and to determine whether these structural features can predict climbing specialization (bouldering vs. lead climbing). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 50 recreational climbers (33 males). Ultrasound imaging was used to assess the thickness of forearm muscles (brachioradialis, pronator teres, flexor digitorum superficialis/profundus, pronator quadratus) and the median and radial nerves cross sectional area. Significant sex differences were observed for all muscles and the median nerve (p < 0.001), with males exhibiting greater thickness; after adjustment for body size and training, the differences in the brachioradialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus and pronator quadratus remained significant, whereas those in the pronator teres and median nerve did not. No differences were found for the radial nerve or between dominant and non-dominant limbs. Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) thickness predicted lead climbing, with each 1-mm increase raising the odds of being a lead climber by approximately 57% (OR = 1.573); the model showed acceptable discrimination (AUC = 0.775), and the FDP association persisted after adjustment for climbing experience and training volume. Ultrasound-based assessments revealed sex-related morphological differences in climbers’ forearm musculature. Greater FDP thickness is strongly associated with lead climbing specialization. These findings suggest that USI may be a valuable tool for profiling climbers, guiding training programs, and informing injury prevention strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{carobetancur2026forearm,
title = {{Forearm muscle and nerve morphology differs by sex and predicts climbing style in recreational climbers}},
author = {Harryson Emmanuel Caro-Betancur and María Bravo-Aguilar and María Estrella-Riquelme and Daniela Jiménez-Parra and Ángel González-de-la-Flor and Daniel López-López and Mónica García-Mateos and Diego Miñambres-Martín and Gonzalo Jaén-Crespo and Carlos Romero-Morales},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-62497-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62497-0},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Forearm muscle and nerve morphology differs by sex and predicts climbing style in recreational climbers
AU - Harryson Emmanuel Caro-Betancur
AU - María Bravo-Aguilar
AU - María Estrella-Riquelme
AU - Daniela Jiménez-Parra
AU - Ángel González-de-la-Flor
AU - Daniel López-López
AU - Mónica García-Mateos
AU - Diego Miñambres-Martín
AU - Gonzalo Jaén-Crespo
AU - Carlos Romero-Morales
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-62497-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62497-0
AB - Climbing is a physically demanding discipline that places repetitive mechanical load on the upper limbs, potentially leading to morphological adaptations or overuse injuries. Despite this, musculoskeletal ultrasound (USI) has been underutilized in climbing research. This study aims to investigate sex and limb dominance related differences in forearm muscle and nerve morphology in climbers and to determine whether these structural features can predict climbing specialization (bouldering vs. lead climbing). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 50 recreational climbers (33 males). Ultrasound imaging was used to assess the thickness of forearm muscles (brachioradialis, pronator teres, flexor digitorum superficialis/profundus, pronator quadratus) and the median and radial nerves cross sectional area. Significant sex differences were observed for all muscles and the median nerve (p < 0.001), with males exhibiting greater thickness; after adjustment for body size and training, the differences in the brachioradialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus and pronator quadratus remained significant, whereas those in the pronator teres and median nerve did not. No differences were found for the radial nerve or between dominant and non-dominant limbs. Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) thickness predicted lead climbing, with each 1-mm increase raising the odds of being a lead climber by approximately 57% (OR = 1.573); the model showed acceptable discrimination (AUC = 0.775), and the FDP association persisted after adjustment for climbing experience and training volume. Ultrasound-based assessments revealed sex-related morphological differences in climbers’ forearm musculature. Greater FDP thickness is strongly associated with lead climbing specialization. These findings suggest that USI may be a valuable tool for profiling climbers, guiding training programs, and informing injury prevention strategies.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -