Gymnastics: Taking care of your hands

[MightyMouse]

I just started training again and my new program involves lots of gymnastic work, which I have never done much of before. Needless to say my hands are a mess.

Does anyone have tips on how to take of your hands after ripping them up from gymnastics?

[vault3rb0y]

Ive always been told to clean them but then let them dry up. Dont cover any wounds or sores or the moisture makes them take longer to heal. It takes a while to really get used to, but it took me about a month to form strong calluses. It will still be sore occasionally, but never open up. ALthough you might be doing more than me, im on a bar 4 times a week.

[rainbowgirl28]

Ive always been told to clean them but then let them dry up. Dont cover any wounds or sores or the moisture makes them take longer to heal. It takes a while to really get used to, but it took me about a month to form strong calluses. It will still be sore occasionally, but never open up. ALthough you might be doing more than me, im on a bar 4 times a week.

I actually disagree with that. It kind of depends on the rip, but a lot of times if you keep them dry, they end up cracking and the wound goes way deeper and takes way longer to heal.

I've been known to rub chapstick on mine to keep them from cracking.

[g00eY]

I use a lotion called Corn Huskers Lotion and it works great for me. Once before I go to bed and once before I leave for school in the morning and I'm set. It keeps me from getting any terrible rips, though light blisters still appear every now and then.

[theczar]

Ive always been told to clean them but then let them dry up. Dont cover any wounds or sores or the moisture makes them take longer to heal. It takes a while to really get used to, but it took me about a month to form strong calluses. It will still be sore occasionally, but never open up. ALthough you might be doing more than me, im on a bar 4 times a week.

I actually disagree with that. It kind of depends on the rip, but a lot of times if you keep them dry, they end up cracking and the wound goes way deeper and takes way longer to heal.

I've been known to rub chapstick on mine to keep them from cracking.

I went to a doctor for a physical and I asked him what I should be doing with my hands. He siad you should definatly NOT keep them moist, because it's a repeated action and if you vault and you tissue is soft, it will actually rip it more. He siad that I should expect them to crack, but that's fine as long as I control the amount of dead skin on the callus by cutting it off carefully with a razorblade.

Maybe the chapstick thing is OK, it seems to me like that would soften the dry skin but not the living tissure underneath, wich is what we should worry about.

[bvpv07]

try that or bag balm (it's from vermont and comes in a green metal tin)

Believe me, they both work wonders. If your rips are to the point that they're cracked and bleeding, you start to worry about the risks associated with open wounds (like blood poisoning = not fun) and even about how the pain (yes, I know that we're all super tough) might subconsciously affect your performance.

Whenever I get blisters, I tend to drain them and leave the hard blister skin on top until the new skin underneath isn't as raw. Then, I'll cut the top skin off and be good to go. I've found that cutting off the skin (either with a pair of scissors or a razor blade) is much better than just trying to rip it off with the fingers of your other hand. If you insist on ripping it, never rip the skin up in the direction that it's still attached...you just risk ripping it beyond the blister (never fun).

[MightyMouse]

I have an assortment of creams and bandages, the corn huskers oil, band-aid blister bandages, second skin, new skin, and Neosporin.


I’ve had best results with just a blister bandage or second skin wrapped with stretchy cloth tape. Although I don’t get back on a bar until Sunday.

Heres some of the advice ive come across so far

Before You Rip

After every workout wash your hands with soap and water, then rub hand lotion into the front and back of your hands.


Prevent excess callous from building up by rubbing the affected areas with a pumice stone. To find the areas of excess callous, soak the hands in water for about ten minutes and you will be able to notice areas on the palm that retain a whitish color while the rest of the skin stays pink. Use the pumice stone only as necessary. Excessive use will cause the hands to be constantly sore during workouts.


Rub hand lotion into your hands at night before going to sleep and, if necessary, when you get up in the morning. Always keep your hands moist.

When You First Rip
Remove the excess skin carefully. A sterilized pair of nail clippers (to prevent infection) should work nicely, then wash with soap and water.

Don't put hand lotion on a fresh rip. Martin advises that you cover the rip with some "over-the-counter" antibiotic ointment rather than Vaseline so the injured area has a chance to breathe. Some pharmacies carry products called "Second Skin" or "NuSkin" that comes in patch or liquid form and may be placed directly over the rip.


Before going to sleep that night, put some antibiotic ointment on the rip and cover your hand with a sock or glove with the fingers cut out to keep the ointment off the sheets and out of your eyes. This treatment should continue until the rip is covered with new skin.

After You Have Ripped
Once new skin has covered the rip, continue using hand lotion as described above. If the rip is allowed to dry up, the skin will crack and you will continue to rip in the same spot. Sometimes rubbing Chapstick over a drying rip can also prevent cracking.


If you must workout again, after ripping do not cover the rip with the sticky side of the tape. Instead lay a small piece of tape sticky-side up over the rip so it. comes in contact with the tape you are using to protect your hand.


On nights when you have particularly hard workouts on bars and your hands are hot and throbbing it is a good idea to soak them in cool water or hold ice cubes in your hands until they melt. This will help the inflamed tissues to cool off. Just before a competition you can deaden the pain of a rip by keeping an ice pack on it, or soaking the hands in a slush bath of ice water for ten minutes. This will help keep your concentration on the routine instead of the pain of the rip.

However, Martin cautions that the hand should return to normal warmth before the actual competition.

There is a saying I have heard, "Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs a ton." Discipline yourself to take care of your hands before and after every workout so that when your chance comes to make it big in the championship meet, you will be fully prepared.

http://www.brownsgym.com/resources/article1.htm


How to Take Care of and Prevent a Rip in Gymnastics
Rips are an expected part of gymnastics, though they are very painful. Learn how to prevent them and care for them.

Steps
Prepare yourself in advance.
Get grips. Although not necessary, they provide a layer of material between the bar and your hand.
Use athletic tape. Just wrap some around a spot where you think you might get a rip.
Try to put a lot of chalk on your hands, this will somewhat lower the friction.
If you notice a skin buildup on your hands, use a pumice stone or emery on the skin to reduce the buildup.
Know what a rip looks like! Rips happen as a result of using the uneven parallel bars. The friction between the bars and your hands produces a build up of skin. Eventually, this build up will "rip" off. It's gross, and painful, but a gymnast will have to get used to it!
Once a rip happens, stop using the bars.
Go to the bathroom and wash your hands with warm water and soap. Dry off.
Put an antibacterial ointment (like neosporin) on a band aid. But the band aid on the rip.
Wrap athletic tape around the rip.
Either stop using the bars that day or tough it out and get back on the bar.
Change your band aid and ointment before bed.
Continue this process of the tape, ointment, and band aid for a few days until the rip is gone.
If the rip is really bad, see a doctor.



Tips
Do not use neosporin. Use cow udder cream or bag balm. This is because neosporin heals a rip, but it will not allow the build up of callouses which are needed in gymnastics to prevent rips in the future.
Crazy as it sounds, shaving callouses helps a ton. Just taking a regular razor to enlarged spots on your palms can help you reduce the chance of a rip.
Get a pumice stone or good emery board
Get lots of athletic tape!
Rips are a natural occurrence of gymnastics! Sometimes you have to work through the pain!
Try, if you want, to avoid skills that cause a lot of friction (like tap swings, free hips, and kips)right after you get a rip (on that same day). Do skils like front hip circles, squat ons, uprises, releases, etc.
If your rips are still really bad the next day, try soaking the rips by putting black tea bags on them. It may look gross when you're done, but it helps it heal.



Warnings
If you need help or the rip is really bad, get the coach's or some other adult at the gym to help you.
If the rip persists or is really bad, see a doctor.
Realize that rips cannot be fully avoided! Just take precaution, but don't stop doing gymnastics because of the rips unless they extremely bother you!



Things You'll Need
Bag Balm/Cow Udder Cream
Grips (optional)
Athletic tape
Band aids
soap
pumice stone or emery board
Razor

http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-and ... Gymnastics

[hickbilly_101]

Tea bags!! After ten years of gymnastics, my mom learned to save the tea bags every night in case I came home with a rip. I can't remember the name of it, but there is some chemical in tea that helps with healing rips/blisters. I would normally tape it onto my hand while I ate dinner, and then shower without it...and by the way, shampoo and rips don't mix very well. Bag balm also works miracles.

As for training, my coaches would always make us tape grips to cover our rips. They are actually pretty simple to make. Take a strip of athletic tape a few inches long and fold it hot dog style. Then fold it so the two ends are next to each other, with what looks like a loop for your finger. Place another strip of tape over the skinny ends to hold them together, leaving room for the finger hole. Put the tape grip on the finger that will best cover the rip, and put an anchor strip down on your wrist to hold it in place. If you have grips, put them on like normal over the tape grip. You can also do this when your hands are super sore; some days, this was the only way I could make it through hour long bar workouts twice a day, five days.

[MightyMouse]

As for training, my coaches would always make us tape grips to cover our rips. They are actually pretty simple to make. Take a strip of athletic tape a few inches long and fold it hot dog style. Then fold it so the two ends are next to each other, with what looks like a loop for your finger. Place another strip of tape over the skinny ends to hold them together, leaving room for the finger hole. Put the tape grip on the finger that will best cover the rip, and put an anchor strip down on your wrist to hold it in place. If you have grips, put them on like normal over the tape grip. You can also do this when your hands are super sore; some days, this was the only way I could make it through hour long bar workouts twice a day, five days.

Do you have a picture?

[spill21]

do yall(yes i'm from texas lol) reccomend gloves while practicing if so what kind and where could i find them cause i get blisters from my pole


Thanks

[txpolevaulter_k25]

i don't recommend any gloves because you wont be able to wear them during a competition but if your hands really hurt (football) receiver gloves, but you need to toughen your hands up any way, after a while you will build callouses and you wont feel pain anymore

[spill21]

good point


thanks