Rips are a common and painful occurrence in the sport of gymnastics. From novice to professional, each gymnast will likely experience rips some time during their gymnastics career.
How can you take care of your rips?
Prevention
1. After workouts, wash your hands with soap and water, and rub unscented hand lotion all through your hands. Use a brand recommended by your coaching staff.
2. Don’t let excess callouses build up. Prevent these by rubbing the areas with a pumice stone. What if your callouses are too new to find? Soak your hands in water for about ten minutes and you will be able to notice areas on the palm that retain a whitish color. These will be the affected areas you will want to rub. Use the pumice stone only as necessary. Do not over-do this process or over-use your pumice stone as this can cause more damage to your hands during workouts.
3. Always keep your hands somewhat moist. Don’t let them dry up, especially outside of the gym.
4. Use a combination of tennis wristbands, gym tape and pre wrap to cover areas of your hands that rub on your grips.
Dealing with a Rip
1. You should remove the excess skin and sterilize using a pair of nail clippers or medical scissors. Cover the rip with over-the-counter antibiotic ointment to allow the rip to breathe.
Healing
1. 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.
2. Working out when you have a rip; be sure to tape and protect the rip appropriately before you start practicing. Use ointment to prevent friction from re-opening the wound and cover with pre wrap and gym tape.
3. When you have a rip during competition; before competition keep ice packs on the area of the rip or soak your hands in ice cold water for ten minutes. Be sure that your hands return to normal temperature before you compete.
