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World J Methodol. Sep 20, 2026; 16(3): 121149
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.121149
Published online Sep 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.121149
Clinical assessment of nail and skin lesions in indoor climbers: A clinic-based cross-sectional study
Gabriele Carioti, Irene Brighenti, Niccolò Le Donne, Department of Podiatric Care, IRCCS Galeazzi Sant’Ambrogio Hospital, Milan 20157, Lombardy, Italy
Carlo Banfi, Geneva Hemodynamic Research Group, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Genève, Switzerland
Lina Azzahrani, School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, London N6A 3K7, Ontario, Canada
Luca Galassi, Postgraduate School of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Lombardy, Italy
Author contributions: Carioti G and Galassi L contributed to conceptualization; Carioti G, Banfi C, and Galassi L contributed to methodology; Le Donne N contributed to formal analysis; Carioti G and Brighenti I contributed to investigation; Brighenti I and Le Donne N contributed to data curation; Carioti G and Le Donne N contributed to writing-original draft preparation; Banfi C, Azzahrani L, and Galassi L contributed to writing-review and editing; Galassi L contributed to supervision, project administration.
AI contribution statement: While the manuscript did not use any artificial intelligence tools for content creation, standard digital tools commonly available within word-processing applications may have been used to assist with minor grammar and spell-checking issues during the revision process.
Institutional review board statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed fully anonymized data that had been prospectively collected during routine podiatric clinical practice at a single outpatient clinic. All data were irreversibly anonymized prior to analysis, and no additional procedures or interventions were carried out for research purposes. In accordance with applicable local regulations, studies based exclusively on fully anonymized retrospective data are exempt from formal ethical review and Institutional Review Board approval.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study and the use of fully anonymized clinical data, in accordance with applicable local regulations exempting retrospective analyses of anonymized records from mandatory informed consent requirements.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest related to this study or its findings.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical and privacy restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All data were fully anonymized prior to analysis.
Corresponding author: Luca Galassi, MD, Lecturer, Researcher, Postgraduate School of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University of Milan, Festa del Perdono Street, Milan 20122, Lombardy, Italy. luca.galassi@unimi.it
Received: March 17, 2026
Revised: April 27, 2026
Accepted: May 28, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 115 Days and 13.6 Hours
Revised: April 27, 2026
Accepted: May 28, 2026
Published online: September 20, 2026
Processing time: 115 Days and 13.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Indoor sport climbing requires tight technical footwear that increases mechanical stress on the toes and forefoot, yet clinically assessed evidence on climbing-related nail and skin conditions remains limited. In this clinic-based cross-sectional study of 156 indoor climbers, hyperkeratosis and traumatic nail disorders were the most frequent findings, often involving the hallux and periungual regions. Greater climbing shoe downsizing and higher weekly training frequency showed weak but significant associations with lesion burden. Although observed effect sizes were small and causal inference is not possible from this design, findings highlight the potential role of modifiable sport-related factors and suggest the value of preventive podiatric assessment in climbers.