Relieve Painful Palm Wear From the Gym
By Chris Brown
Getting back into the gym after weeks, months, or years away is a rewarding experience. Oftentimes though, a few sessions of hard work after a period of inactivity can cause painful skin wear as calluses form on the palm. While painful palm wear is ideally prevented in the first place, it may be inevitable for a gym newbie. In this case, you can use a few simple tricks to facilitate recovery so that it doesn't disrupt your new exercise routine.
How to Prevent Palm Trauma
When you are first lifting weights, your hands are likely not prepared for heavy, repetitive gripping. While the most effective way to avoid raw palms is to buy a pair of weightlifting gloves or grip pads, they can hinder proper weightlifting techniques. Therefore, they are not recommended by most trainers. While not as protective for your skin, trainers recommend using a lifting chalk that provides a small level of protection while improving grip. You may have sore palms, but the chalk will likely protect you enough to keep you in the gym as your palm skin strengthens. If you continue getting sore palms after multiple weeks at the gym, your grip style may be the problem. Gripping the bar too high or low on your palm can increase your susceptibility to painful skin wear. Speak to your gym's staff or personal trainer to get tips on gripping the gym equipment correctly.
Relieving Palm Pain Quick
To relieve painful post-gym palms, it is recommended to follow a regimen of washing and moisturizing the hands. Depending upon the state of the hands, washing them and then soaking them in Epson salt is a great first step. After cleaning the area, it is important to keep the hands moisturized to facilitate healing. You can bandage and add moisturizer to them (particularly any with Vitamin E). If you are going to bed, a trick used by gymnasts is to wear gloves or bags over your hands while you sleep. This ensures the moisturizer stays on your hands rather than your bed sheets.
If you feel hand pain that radiates up through the wrist, it may in fact be a joint dysfunction. Stopping by one of the walk-in sessions at The Joint Chiropractic can provide pain-relieving treatment at a moment's notice. Treatments are affordable without insurance, so there is no reason not to take advantage of the doctors at The Joint today!
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Logan, Utah.