Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Topic Date User

Simple tip for ripped skin, finger injury 28-Aug-2014 At 3:27:20 PM EleNora

Message

Hello people, here's a more light post!

Just offering to share my recent experience with a ripped callus leaving bare flesh exposed on a finger, as the new method I tried to cure it worked way better and faster than my usual routine. Complete Sissy injury compared to the average topic in here, but it's definitely not the first time this happens to me, and my climbing have been hampered but such small finger injuries before, and I wish I could have made it better that fast so...
Sorry if you all already knew all about this topic, maybe I'm the last stick in the mud that needed to know, in that case this post is dedicated to other sticks, be there any.

So normal story, bouldering too long on too soft fingers, took yet again a massive swing off a gritty, deep hold on a route I'd been working too much on, and discovered a bleeding finger, and indeed the skin was just ripped off.
Lots of very dirty chalk on my hands (was at lactic factory), so my main concern was 'how to plaster this without getting a massive infection and losing my finger in 2 days?'
Looked more horrid when I was staring at it of course... open from bottom to top of middle knuckle :

http://i.imgur.com/VNpbdA4.png

Being poor and totally dejected because I thought I was off climbing for at least a good week, I decided to ask advice in a pharmacy. The lady there took pains to tell me it's been well established now that this kind of wound ought to be kept wet, it helps the skin regenerate faster. Doctors often still opt for exactly what I would have done : drying it the heck out.
So instead I went home, got a small amount of betadine on there (was told to do that only once), without trying to squeeze any under the flapped skin (I'm a total wuss), then applied a thinck layer of the gel i was recommended. Fairly cheap, cool and not stingy at all : Solosite.
then dressed it up (with toilet paper and wound tape because I forgot to buy gauze and no one had any at my place!).

http://i.imgur.com/APY3iHw.png

I changed the whole bandage way too often compared to what I was told to, I kept wetting the bandage in the shower or cooking. Also didn't remove the skin.
On the second day I was using a plaster covered in climbing tape and bouldering on my index (not fully flexible but usable) without much more pain than on the other calussed fingers.
How it looked like before the session :

http://i.imgur.com/cv2Bimx.png

Yesterday (4 days) the flesh under the skin had healed so well already I removed most of the flap of skin, kept applying the gel, plastered and taped it more closely for better use of the joints, and took a proper thrashing of an evening leading, without any complaint on that finger besides awkward clipping.

All in all, not a sign of infection, usable finger after 2 days, climbing normally after 4 days and looking to an unplastered climbing hand after a week I reckon.
Which in my own experience, is amazing.
How it looks today :

http://i.imgur.com/zZS6lZL.png

Conclusion, keep it wet and hydrated!

Cheers, safe climbing to y'all!