Tennis Fingers Anyone???????

[loudriver23]

Okay, you've all heard about the dreaded tennis elbow, I've suffered from it myself.
I now am faced with a particularly nasty problem, Tennis Fingers!
Okay, I have dry skin in general, but nothing to write home about.
However, on my middle finger, and thumb of my right hand after playing for about an hour the pads on each finger will split wide open. Deep painful paper cut looking cracks.
I've tried using lotion, tons of it, and the expensive girlie stuff too. Nothing seems to help.
The only thing that works is putting bandaids on the afflicted fingers. But I hate holding a racket with taped hands.
Please, does anyone have any suggestions? Have you suffered from a similar affliction and figured a way around it?
I'm desperate, please help!

[Rumruner]

There is a little secrete farmers use called Bag Balm® has been a fixture around farms. The salve was created to soften cow udders, and it worked extremely well.

You can buy it at farm/ livestock stores and some Wall mart's have it.

[loudriver23]

Thanks RR, I'll look it up and see if I can score me some.

[Rumruner]

BB, also work on blistered feet and court rash you get from falls.

[FuzzyGreenBalls]

Yep bag balm is the stuff for sure. Absulutely great.

[Mongolmike]

I used to get the same problem from playing too much basketball, but only when I played outside in the summer. I've heard of the bag balm, never tried it, but what I did was just use regular lotion, especially before bed or if I'm just sitting watching tv. Those suckers do hurt tho, and they split right open!

[loudriver23]

Got some bag balm, I hope it helps....

[Racqueteer]

You may also try some Liquid Band-Aid from local drug store. There are two different brands; one comes off easily, the other doesn't. :rolleyes:

[loudriver23]

Yeah, the liquid bandages work okay on the big splits in my finger tips, but for the really dry skin and brittleness I think the BBalm might be the answer.
I've also started taking a multiple vitamin, and drinking more water to help from the inside out.
I really hope this works, as I don't want to have to use gloves to play tennis!

[BallJacker]

I'm curious what kind of grips do you have. My wife suffers from a similar condition, usually on the knuckles and the middle of the palm. She's a Physician and wears latex gloves almost daily when she is treating patients. It does not happen all the time, it comes and goes. I think she is alergic to the latex, basically rubber. It's possible the overgrips may be the cause, but it's just a theory for now.

[loudriver23]

Very interesting,
I use the Wilson Pro Overwrap. But that's just a recent thing, as I used to go without any overwrap for years. I'm still thinking it's a mixture of diet, stress, tennis, as well as stringing.

[BallJacker]

It's possible it's stress related. She's been doing some research on possible cures. Try looking for products with Neem oil and Karanja oil extracts. They have been known to help cure this type of problem, but does not prevent it. You may want to try just using a leather grip for a while to see if it comes back.

If it were stringing related you would have blisters, which eventually would become calluses. Very similar to what guitar players have.

[loudriver23]

Thanks for the advice, I'll check Neem oil and Karanja oil extracts out. It will be my plan "B" for if Bag Balm doesn't get the job done.

[BallJacker]

Let me know if Bag Balm works out, I'll have my wife try it out also.

[HyperHorse]

If all else fails, see a dermatologist.

[loudriver23]

^^^^^
Yeah I am actually seeing my GP today to get that referral among other things.

[cheezhdinil]

As a pre-teen, a dermatologist said it was some latent virus in my case. I have it way less often now, but when I do (and I'm playing and teaching) I use an anti-fungal (lotramin) and the same hand cream as he "prescribed" then...Eucerin. Many companies make cheaper knock-offs, and they all seem to function the same.

Good luck.

[jazzyfunkybluesy]

Loud driver,

Sounds like you may be gripping way too tightly. Have you seen how many fingers nadal tapes? If you play a big spin game the more torque you put on the ball the harder you beat up your fingers. I have found the heavier your racquet is the lighter your grip can be on the handle. This imparts more feel, less blisters, and better net play. Racquet weight is a preference issue though.
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[loudriver23]

Great point JFB,
I actually am inclined to agree with my allergist on this one. She believes it's my body's response to a fungal infection. I have it on my toenails for a few years now, I thought nothing of it. She says my body has built up antibodies or whatever to fight it off and it comes out as flaky, cracking, itchy skin. Usually on the toes, ears, webbing of the toes/fingers, and fingertips.
I'm on meds now to help, but the progress is slow.
Sadly the only thing that seems to protect it is wearing gloves. I wear them while I string, while I play tennis, and pretty much any kind of job that requires use of my fingertips.
Sadly Bag Balm, while keeps them a bit more pliable, hasn't strengthened, the skin there.
Oh well...getting old rocks...

[BallJacker]

I was about to ask you about your condition. You may have a form of psoriasis. Though you never mentioned your toenail fungus, which I recall there was drug being advertised to cure such a condition. My wife has a similar condition, but it comes and goes. Have you tried the Neem and Karanja oil products?

[loudriver23]

Yeah, I'm on oral Lamisol, which is supposed to take care of it. So far i can see my toenails improving. However my fingertips are still not coming around the way I'd like them to. I have 1 more month of this medication and if it doesn't yield the results I need I'll switch my case to a different doctor.
I haven't tried the neem stuff yet, but it looks like it's worth a go anyhow.
Thanks BJacker I appreciate the concern!

[ArchEtech]

Try wearing a golf glove?

Sounds like your fingers are dry and need to heal!

[loudriver23]

I have actually started wearing 2 golf gloves when I practice/play tennis. I also wear latex gloves while I string. I really hate wearing gloves while playing it makes tennis very uninjoyable. Maybe I just haven't found the right pair of gloves yet.
Maybe billiards gloves might work better, they seem thinner but are designed to slip and slide, but it might be worth a try.

[BallJacker]

I just saw an ad for a tennis glove in Inside Tennis. Looks interesting.

[ArchEtech]

Make sure you buy the cheapest golf gloves too, and maybe a slghtly smaller glove to make sure its tight. The cheap gloves tend to be thinner. Maybe if you used a leather grip the gloves wouldn't make everything feel so squishy.

[loudriver23]

Shoot if the gloves made things feel squishy I'd be happy. For me with the gloves on I can't feel much of anything. Changing between grips is an experience too.
BTW, I actually did buy a really cheap thin set of gloves a size too small. Problem is leather stretches.