Taking Care of your spinning finger

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GoldenArm

GoldenArm

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Taking Care of your spinning finger

I've had a look round the threads and i've not found any mention of the wear and tear you fellow spinners experience and the methods you have found to combat/solve the problems that arise with it. Now i know Shane Warne says he never developed much of a callous because of his loose grip but I have a loose grip as well and I still have a heavily calloused 3rd finger from where the seam has dug in over the years and a layer of hard skin has developed to protect it. Warney is evidently a freak. I have had less and less problems with it recently as I have simply spent less time in the nets but because I really give it a flick I still have problems with it occasionally as the skin cuts and breaks, normally from over practice with a newish ball. Last year I even bowled a googly that ripped a mile and got me a wicket but also ripped a sizable chunk out of the callous and i couldn't bowl again for 3 weeks. Since then I really searched for ways to stop this happening again. Some people suggested surgical spirit to toughen the area, much in the way that hikers do with their feet, but I found this counter productive. By far the best thing to do is to keep it supple rather than drying it out, regular hand moisturiser has proved the most effective, combined with a little arnica cream. Has anyone else had similar problems/successes? Oh and just another note I found an interview with Graeme Swann where he revealed his method, apparently it works like a charm but i'm not going to try it!

Graeme Swann's continuing rise may surprise the Australians - Telegraph
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

GoldenArm;395962 said:
Now i know Shane Warne says he never developed much of a callous because of his loose grip but I have a loose grip as well and I still have a heavily calloused 3rd finger from where the seam has dug in over the years and a layer of hard skin has developed to protect it. Warney is evidently a freak.
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that makes me a freak as well :D

i also have a fairly loose grip, compared to most. but i wouldnt say it is especially loose, although it tends to only tighten up at the key moments of delivery. i get around finger issues by keeping my finger mostly off of the seam and using the surface of the ball to generate the revs. and i like to think i rev it pretty hard! ive never so much as noticed the skin even hardening, my spinning finger is probably the softest!!

in terms of solving skin issues, id also reckon that moisturising would be more effective than drying out and strengthening. its probably going to prove difficult to undo years of damage though. get yourself some E45 cream and rub some in several times a day. if my hands get dried out this is what i do (not to prevent skin damage, but to improve my grip on the ball!) and it works quite effectively. its no miracle cure though, youll have to use it every day for ages before it makes a huge difference. it will help though.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

i'm not trying to undo it! the callous is the only thing that stands between my finger and severe damage. its more a matter of maintaining it, its possible to both strengthen and keep it supple so you have several layers of hard, flexible skin. They do say up north 'them that's never bled, never spun!' perhaps you're not spinning it as hard as you think! you might find in years to come that you'll start to develop a callous, i didn't have one at all for first two years.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

slow motion video says about 1500rpm, so im fairly confident that i spin it has hard as anyone. ive only been bowling for about 10 months though, so maybe it will happen later on.

i reckon the E45 cream might still prove useful to maintaining the callous. worth a try i reckon.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Callouses are usually caused by tight grip. I have not met anybody with a loose grip having a build up before.

You are quite right that you do need to maintain them, otherwise they may rip just when you do not want them to... usually during an important match :(.

If they are intact, wash your hands after every session with soap and water before rubbing the lotion in all over the hands. Ones containing shea butter are good.

Hold back the build up by occasionally rubbing with a pumice stone. Although this will reduce build up, there will still be hard skin left behind. Don't use a pumice too often or you will be constantly sore.

Always keep your hands moist by rubbing the lotion in when you get up and when you go to bed.


If you have a rip, remove the excess skin with sterilised nail scissors. Do not put lotion on a new rip but get hold of some antibiotic cream from the chemist. Or you could use NuSkin.

Use the antibiotic cream each night until repaired. If the rip dries out, your skin will crack.

Protect this area whilst training.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

I have given the recipe for the benaud cure he was prescribed by a kiwi chemist. Mix boracic acid powder with calamine lotion and apply.

Grimmett always carried a pumice stone. He used medicinal honey on spinning finger cuts, etc.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

macca;395990 said:
I have given the recipe for the benaud cure he was prescribed by a kiwi chemist. Mix boracic acid powder with calamine lotion and apply.

Grimmett always carried a pumice stone. He used medicinal honey on spinning finger cuts, etc.
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Ah fascinating, I read about this somewhere before, something about him rubbing it into his finger everywhere he went, on the train etc... have you tried it yourself Macca? and where the heck do you get boracic acid powder?!
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Liz Ward;395986 said:
Callouses are usually caused by tight grip. I have not met anybody with a loose grip having a build up before.

You are quite right that you do need to maintain them, otherwise they may rip just when you do not want them to... usually during an important match :(.

If they are intact, wash your hands after every session with soap and water before rubbing the lotion in all over the hands. Ones containing shea butter are good.

Hold back the build up by occasionally rubbing with a pumice stone. Although this will reduce build up, there will still be hard skin left behind. Don't use a pumice too often or you will be constantly sore.

Always keep your hands moist by rubbing the lotion in when you get up and when you go to bed.


If you have a rip, remove the excess skin with sterilised nail scissors. Do not put lotion on a new rip but get hold of some antibiotic cream from the chemist. Or you could use NuSkin.

Use the antibiotic cream each night until repaired. If the rip dries out, your skin will crack.

Protect this area whilst training.
Click to expand...


Thanks Liz, thats sort of roughly what i've been doing to take care of my finger. nice to hear that its the right thing to be doing though. Back when it first started to happen it used to worry and frustrate me hugely so its a great thing for all leggies starting out to know how to deal with as soon as possible. I really can't explain why I get something which is usually the result of a tight grip, i've always felt mine is loose. i really tuck that finger around the ball and flick it hard, and unlike the method Jim uses i am always in contact with the seam. Also a lot of the balls i use in games have very proud seams and so i tend to practice with similar balls in the nets, could these factors contribute perhaps?
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

GoldenArm;395993 said:
...i really tuck that finger around the ball and flick it hard, and unlike the method Jim uses i am always in contact with the seam. Also a lot of the balls i use in games have very proud seams and so i tend to practice with similar balls in the nets, could these factors contribute perhaps?
Click to expand...

Absolutely GA, although I would have to watch you to be sure.

I would like to confirm that macca's recipe would work really well too. It is probably the better, ingredient wise, but is a bit of a palava and quite expensive. You would only use it, though, if there was a break in the skin.

Boric Acid is what you need. It is an antiseptic and can be prepared by reacting sodium tetraborate decahydrate with hydrochloric acid... although it might be easier to ask the chemist for some ;).

Calamine lotion is antipruritic [eases itching].

Manuka Honey has more healing properties than antibiotics and has been used since the times of the Ancient Egyptians. I actually carry a jar in my first aid bag; it has so many uses and tastes great too :).
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Liz Ward;396012 said:
Absolutely GA, although I would have to watch you to be sure.

I would like to confirm that macca's recipe would work really well too. It is probably the better, ingredient wise, but is a bit of a palava and quite expensive. You would only use it, though, if there was a break in the skin.

Boric Acid is what you need. It is an antiseptic and can be prepared by reacting sodium tetraborate decahydrate with hydrochloric acid... although it might be easier to ask the chemist for some ;).

Calamine lotion is antipruritic [eases itching].

Manuka Honey has more healing properties than antibiotics and has been used since the times of the Ancient Egyptians. I actually carry a jar in my first aid bag; it has so many uses and tastes great too :).
Click to expand...

Now i know about these wonder cures I'll be trying both the manuka and the powder/lotion mixture throughout the season as and when required and i'll post back here with the results! Also Liz what other uses have you found for the honey? My mum is forever extolling the virtues of Manuka, she swears by it but she only ever eats it. So what else can you do with it?
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

First of all, I have to say that as Manuka Honey, being a natural health product, does not have an MHRA licences, we cannot refer to it as 'medical' or 'therapeutic' in the UK.

However, there is quite a body of academic research into its abilities... but do not confuse Manuka Honey with other types of honey and be aware that not all Manuka Honey has these properties. You need to be looking for 'Active Manuka Honey' with a UMF rating of 10+. Anything less and it is not 'Active'. I would always look for a rating of 15+.

In this case, it is great for internal treatment and can treat:

Cold & Flu Symptoms
Sore Thoat
Acid Reflux
gastritis
Ulcers
MRSA
Staph Infections
IBS

However, it is also a great topical treatment for:

Athlete's Foot
Ring Worm
Insect Bites
Arthritis
Wrinkles
Eczema & Dermatitis
Burns
Wounds & Grazes
Acne
Nail Fungus
Cold Sores

Basically, it has antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

For your situation, Manuka Honey has the perfect viscosity to act as a wound barrier. It holds scabs and dead skin cells at bay, allowing for regeneration of skin and stimulating tissue growth as well as protection.

It does not have any [known] side effects but I would watch out when wearing anything sweet during the cricket season... you may encourage more insect interest than is healthy :D.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Just a quick update on how the experiment is coming along. Obviously its still early days but my finger has taken a reasonable bashing through some heavy nets practice even if i've only played one game (4-21 off 6 btw:). I noticed there was the usual cut opening up towards the top of my callous so I went out and got myself some Manuka 100 MGO which i think is only 10+ UMF but it seems to be doing the job. i smother the callous in it liberally after cleaning it thoroughly and by the next day the cut is nicely healed up. I try not to net two days in a row as well but i probably could if i really wanted to. I've ordered some MGO 550 which i think has a UMF 25 so i'll see if that makes any further difference. Basically I would highly recommend this method, C.V Grimmett evidently knew what he was up to. I'm not even sure i'll bother trying out the boracic acid/calamine lotion method as this one works so well.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

GoldenArm;398800 said:
Just a quick update on how the experiment is coming along. Obviously its still early days but my finger has taken a reasonable bashing through some heavy nets practice even if i've only played one game (4-21 off 6 btw:). I noticed there was the usual cut opening up towards the top of my callous so I went out and got myself some Manuka 100 MGO which i think is only 10+ UMF but it seems to be doing the job. i smother the callous in it liberally after cleaning it thoroughly and by the next day the cut is nicely healed up. I try not to net two days in a row as well but i probably could if i really wanted to. I've ordered some MGO 550 which i think has a UMF 25 so i'll see if that makes any further difference. Basically I would highly recommend this method, C.V Grimmett evidently knew what he was up to. I'm not even sure i'll bother trying out the boracic acid/calamine lotion method as this one works so well.
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The skin on my finger has started to tear again. Wondering if anyone has tried products like these :
Amazon.com: 100% Active 20+ Sterile Australian Manuka Honey Wound Management: Health & Personal Care
Perhaps easier to carry around?
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

GoldenArm;398922 said:
That stuff looks the business, exactly what you need!
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Been using manuka honey umf 16 each night for a while now. it isn't as effective for me. And it seems like the callus isn't fully formed yet. I still get cuts at the place where callus meets normal skin on the finger and I don't know if that'll ever settle.

Anyway, earlier I had a grip with seam closer in towards the palm, so I had blisters on my first knuckle (closer to palm) whereas now I've changed grip slightly with seam pointing further away from the palm so that a callus has formed primarily on the second knuckle. Was wondering about others' experiences and if there is a "correct" place on the finger where the spin should come from
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Here's a thought - what's your diet like? I spent a couple of summers surfing when I was younger and had to live in a tent for 6 months on a ridiculously tight budget. In order to get the best performance out of my body in relation to food in-take I read a book written by an ex SAS soldier. With regards to getting your skin to heal up faster he more or less said it was essential to eat raw leafy green vegatables. I suffer from a perforated ear-drum and when I surf I get water in my middle ear and it used to go septic really easy and I used to end up having to take courses of Amoxillin (Penicilin). One summer this happened several times and a Dr told me that I should give up swimming, but he also asked about my diet saying that if my diet was balanced my body would be aided in the repair process and the need for the Amoxillin may be lessened?

I started eating leafy green vegatables and started to modify my diet and just eat far better food. That was in 1986 when I used to get ear infections every time I had the water get in the middle ear. The infections were painful and would last the best part of 2 months. These days if I get water in the middle ear I just eat whole lettuces and it's remedied in a matter of days. It may be that it's a placebo effect for all I know, but it works for me. Something to consider and try.

I eat very little in the way of sugar and salt and try and eat as much raw stuff as I can and I try and limit fats. Look in the fitness and nutrition section or look up David Hinchcliffes advice.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

someblokecalleddave;400418 said:
...It may be that it's a placebo effect for all I know...
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Not at all Dave and you're right, it has been covered quite a few times in the nutrional posts. Garlic is also a great one. The greater variety of herbs and spices help too, they each have their own role to play and when taken as a combination, work really well... it's all about balance. You're also right about eating as much of the food raw.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

Liz Ward;400477 said:
Not at all Dave and you're right, it has been covered quite a few times in the nutrional posts. Garlic is also a great one. The greater variety of herbs and spices help too, they each have their own role to play and when taken as a combination, work really well... it's all about balance. You're also right about eating as much of the food raw.
Click to expand...

I doubt it has to do with lack of veggies in my diet, I'm a vegetarian with a softspot for spinach after all. But, I take your point regards to sugars. Let me cut back on the sugar intake and see how it goes.
 
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

I had a really big split in my spinning finger and found lanolin cream worked a treat. They use it on breast feeding mothers nipples when they are sore and cracked to heal them but also keep them soft.
 
macca said:
Re: Taking Care of your spinning finger

I have given the recipe for the benaud cure he was prescribed by a kiwi chemist. Mix boracic acid powder with calamine lotion and apply.

Grimmett always carried a pumice stone. He used medicinal honey on spinning finger cuts, etc.
Click to expand...

Ive developed a large split at the corner of my finger that Im having trouble with so I went to the chemist to get some boracic
acid to give it a try. Seems its hard to get, they couldnt get any in and the only place they could find was over in Wagga Wagga but I have to get 5kgs worth.
 
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