We train hard – real hard. So how can we avoid hand tears that may slow us down? Guest Blogger Andrew Mills explores…
As athletes we train hard and consistently. As a consequence of hard training we more often than not end up with little cumbrances along the way that spoil our training program.
Today we are discussing hand rips.
What are they?
Rips are a separation of the upper layers from skin from the lower layers of skin caused by an overtight grip or calloused hands which make the skin bunch up as your hands move around the bar as happens in kipping pullups. Rips are a consequence of two extremes, soft hands or rough hands. Soft hands are caused by over moisturising and a lack of use in activities involving friction, such as weights or outdoor labor. Rough hands are caused by an increased production of skin due to high friction activities like those aforementioned. The ideal condition to maintain your hands is in between these two extremes.
Prevention:
When the callouses begin to develop, you will need to remove the excess skin. There are numerous ways to achieve this, including nail clippers or thinly bladed scissors to cut off excess skin as close as possible to the surrounding skin. To further smooth off the skin you can use a pumice stone or our favourite daytime television product, the Ped Egg. Do this just after showering when the skin is most soft. Gloves are another option, if you can accept the fact that people will have a little snigger behind your back for wearing them!. Alternatively leather gymnastics straps over the palms provide a good alternative for those who do a lot of pull-up or ring work but don’t work as well for ropes and other apparatus’.
Rehabilitate:
After you have finished your workout, wash the area thoroughly and trim off any flaps or loose bits of skin with sterile clippers or thin bladed scissors. There are many schools of thought on what to put on the open wound; in my opinion leaving it open is not an option for the first 2 days. It is going to be tender, in danger of infection and drying out. If the wound dries out it can crack and become more painful and take longer to heal. A hydrocolloid gel or dressing is ideal to put on the clean wound. Unfortunately one of the best products, DuoDerm, is quite expensive (around $9 per patch) and therefore I would recommend a hydrocolloid gel such as Solugel or any other wound treatment gel, and then place a waterproof dressing over the top to prevent infection and retain moisture. One of the best and most successful across the board natural alternative is a Vitamin E capsule, break a capsule open and spread the contents all over your wound. This encourages quick strong healing. Tea bags placed directly onto the wound (after it has cooled down mind you) and left on for 20 minutes or so is one of the most popular treatment method going around, it will discolour the wound area but the tannic acid found in the tea bags acts as a pain reliever. Alternatively Tea Tree oil ointment under a bandage is another feasible option. I recommend a minimum two days of treatment (without training or a few days longer if you continue to train) in which time it should have healed sufficiently and retained moisture and strength to open to the air and dry out like the rest of your skin.
What do I do next time I rip my hands?
Wash the hands thoroughly and cut excess skin off with sterile clippers or thin scissors, put teabags on for 20 minutes or so, place hydrocolloid gel under a waterproof bandage for 2-3 days. Then next time you train, use gymnastic style straps if they still feel tender or have broken skin.
Depending on where your rips are you may want to examine your grip and technique to alleviate the additional friction on various parts of your hands.
Pink chalky hands do not make you cool. Take care of those hands kids! The longer they are ripped the softer you will train, and that’s just not how things are done! Prevention is better than a cure however in most circumstances everyone will get numerous rips in their training lifetime so it helps to know the best way to deal with them. If you have any opinions or other treatments/preventative measures please don’t hesitate to comment.
Andrew Mills
MSciComm/Ed
BSc (Exercise and Health Science)
BSciTech (Anthropology)
Grad Dip Ed (Health & Physical Education)
