Guide to Gymnastics Rips: Care & Prevention

October 28, 2019

Guide to Gymnastics Rips: Care & Prevention

Novices and elite gymnasts alike know that gymnastics rips are a common and annoying part of life. Learning to deal with them and heal them quickly is crucial. The longer your rips last, the longer you’ll be out of the gym. This post will teach you to heal rips quickly and add preventative steps to avoid them in the future. 

What Causes Gymnastics Rips

Rips occur when the skin on hands is repeatedly exposed to friction. Repetitive movements like parallel and uneven bars are an example. Gymnasts who have little to no hand callus build-up are prone to these rips. Calluses are key for protecting soft layers of skin beneath them. If there isn’t adequate callus build up, the skin isn’t fully protected.

Gymnasts that have calluses that are too thick are equally at risk. Thick calluses are more likely to catch on something and rip. Once a gymnast has calluses, it's important to take care of them. This means reducing them to an optimal level that protects the hands without getting in the way. 

Besides calluses, dry skin also plays a big part in causing rips. Gymnasts are highly prone to dry skin because of chalk. While it keeps them on the bar, it also draws moisture out of the skin. As a gymnast, it's critical to reintroduce moisture back to your hands daily to fight dryness from chalk.

How to Heal Gymnastics Rips

Hand rips may be painful and frustrating, but thankfully, you don’t have to deal with them for long. Follow these steps to quickly heal your gymnastics rips and get yourself back to the gym. 

1. Wash Your Hands: Wash with soap and warm water as soon as possible. It will sting but not washing will make them prone to infection. You’ll also want to wash off any chalk on your hands which can irritate the rip.
2. Trim the Surrounding Dead Skin: There may be flaps of dead skin around the hand rip you will need to remove. Use a sterilized pair of scissors or nail clippers to trim this excess skin as close as possible.
3. Disinfect: Our Solid Salve was designed for healing gymnastics hand rips, cracks, & cuts. Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal essential oils help keep infection at bay. Beeswax, Aloe & shea butter helps heal and support cellular reconstruction.
4. Moisturize: Dry skin also makes healing take longer. Our Hands as RX Cream is great for gymnasts as it absorbs into the skin fast. The natural formula delivers intense hydration your skin needs. Keep the affected area hydrated until it's completely healed.
5. Bandage: Once moisturized, use a band aid or liquid bandage to keep hydrated and clean.

How to Prevent Gymnastics Rips

There are a few easy gymnast hand care practices you can use to prevent rips before they happen.   

1. Pick a tool to maintain calluses at a functional level. Two of the most popular options are pumice stones and callus shavers. 
2. Use a high quality moisturizer daily. Hydrated skin is more flexible, which means it isn’t as prone to hand rips. Moisturize at least once a day to keep your hands optimally hydrated. 
3. Make hand care a part of your regular routine. Just like brushing teeth and trimming nails, taking care of your hands will go a long way.
4. Grips.  Use dowel grips or tape grips and if recovering from a rip, give your hands time to heal.

Gymnastics hand rips are a nuisance, but a few easy steps can minimize this. Once your hand rip heals, use the above steps to keep your hands optimal and avoid rips altogether.

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