When I think of notable female rock climber, probably one of the first names that comes to mind is Beth Rodden. From being the youngest female to climb a 5.14a to red-pointing the FA of Meltdown a previously ungraded climb in Yosemite valley. There is no doubt that she is one of climbing’s most respected athletes with a long resume of notable achievements. unfortunately though as with many physical activities there is some inherent risks with the activities we love to partake in, this is something that Beth currently knows all too well.
Back in the summer of 2009 while bouldering in Yosemite, she tore her labrum. For those of you who aren’t aware the labrum is a lip of tissue that essentially sits between the shoulder joint and socket. After a period of rest she came back and tried to get back on the rock, but she found that the injury prevented her from climbing in several styles. At this point she was faced with potential ending her climbing career or surgery that would put here out of it for 6 months which she opted for the later. She is currently in the recovery phase of her predicament and is starting to rehabilitate.
Personally i can understand what a frustration this can be, back in may of 2009, i took a hard landing on my foot breaking it in 4 places through the navicular and kineform bones, which required required re-constructive surgery, and almost 3 months off my feet. This severely cut into the summer climbing season for me, and let me a bit down in the dumps for the few months i was out of commission. Once i got back on my feet, it took considerable time re-acclimating to using my foot in the way used for climbing. Still to this day i have some sharp pains in my knees do to the slight change in the gate of my foot.
Beth has posted a few videos chronicling her surgery and recovery which I have linked below. I wish Beth the best of luck and hope for a speedy recovery.
The full story from Beth can be found on the Petzl blog.
Shoulder from Beth Rodden on Vimeo.
Shoulder 2 from Beth Rodden on Vimeo.
