Healing a Rip

I posted about healing a rip a few years ago and it was a big hit. Now that I have got more experience with rips, I think I can provide you with more information on how to make you hands heal faster. 

Warning: this post contains graphic images of bloody peeled gymnast hands 😬


Step 1:

Wash your hand(s) with warm water. Be thorough about getting all of the blood (if there is any) off your hand. If you can, use some mild soap to help clean it off. I never used to do this because I wanted to show my mom and take a picture of it at home. Sometimes I would even make her post a picture of it on her Instagram. I don't think her friends appreciated it. 

  
Don't forget to wash the blood off!

Step 2:

Cut the peeled skin off. Don't keep it on like I used to do because I had to wait to take a picture of it after practice. Actually, even after the picture I would keep it on because I thought it looked cool. It's not. Now I know why my mom would freak out every time I showed her one of my bloody rips. 

Make sure to cut off the peeled skin as soon as possible!


Step 3:

Tape accordingly. Tape is used to reduce the friction between your hand and the bar when you're swinging. If you've got a rip on the inside of your hand, use a tape grip to reduce friction. It may even be a sign that you need new grips if you're ripping a lot. If you have a wrist rip, you can wrap pre-wrap and then tape around your wrist to reduce the friction. It is also a sign that you either need new wrist bands, or you need to wash the ones you have currently. I have heard good things about DryBands, which are wrist bands that are supposed to prevent wrist rips. If you rip on your fingers, wrap small piece of tape around the finger by ripping the tape length-wise into small strips. I also get a weird rip on the side of my thumb from doing Healys, so I tape it kind-of like you would a dislocated finger. If you want your rip to heal, wherever it may be, tape it so that you're not constantly re-ripping it every time you go to bars. 


A tricky little rip to tape, but a little creativity gets the job done. 

Step 4:

Take care of it at home. I have done a blog post in the past about healing a rip, which you can refer to by clicking this link. In a nutshell, make sure the rip isn't drying out too much by applying organic oils and/or balms, use warm herbal tea bags for pain/swelling relief, and let the rip breathe. I have yet to try it myself, but I have also heard good things about breaking open and applying Vitamin E tablets to the rip. Or, use Vitamin E oil instead. 


What I apply to my rips to help them heal.


I hope this was informative and helpful. Comment below your stories about rips or how you heal a rip. Thanks for reading!

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