How to Treat Hand Rips - Elite Gymnastics

How to Treat Hand Rips

Rips are a common occurrence in the life of a gymnast. Every gymnast gets them, whether beginner novice or an elite gymnast.

There are some simple ways to try and prevent rips occurring:

1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap after every gymnastics session and rub a hand cream or lotion into your hands and wrist.

2. Stop excess callous’ from building up by using a pumice stone on the affected areas. (only use where the skin is hard).

3. Try to keep you hands moist apply hand lotion or cream before bed and when you get up in the morning. Or even apply hand cream before bed and cover with socks or gloves.

When you do rip you must remove the excess skin carefully using a pair of sterile scissors, try to cut as much of the excess skin as possible as this will prevent the area from ripping further.

Once you have cleaned the area with warm water and soap you can apply some antiseptic cream and cover with a bandage to prevent infection. If you need to train on bars before the rip has healed use a small amount of rip guardian to the injured area holding it in place with tape this will help with pain and further ripping.

ripguardian

There are some other interesting ways we’ve been told that could possibly help rips to heal. For example, soaking a tea bag in hot water, then squeeze all the water out of the tea bag, place the tea bag on the affected area and wrap it up with plastic wrap. Cover with a glove or sock and leave it overnight.

By the morning the tea will have formed a new layer of skin over the raw skin and it will be significantly less painful. No matter what you use to treat the wound with any signs of infection need to be assessed, things to look out for include, redness, puss or yellow discharge and fever.

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