3 Gigs In 24 Hours - split fingers

[congamyk]

I had 3 Gigs In 24 Hours.

Even with tape and good technique my right hand is cracked with split fingers - OUCH!

[vinnieL]

Manteca Brother! and a glove. After reading about palm oil here and only playing my bongos while I wait for my congas the palm oil has been great for my hands. But I am probably talking out of my %ss since you probably knew that.

[onile]

Alafia Abures!
I hope that you are all well and abundantly blessed!

Abure Congamyk!
Brother Vinniel refers to a tried and proven cure!
There are times when we all play a bit harder than our hands would allow, only to suffer some 'splits' in the fingers and depending on technique, at the base of the fingers where they meaty part of the hand is!

When this has happened to me, I've always slathered on plenty of "manteca de corojo" (palm oil) on the cut hand, and placed a rubber glove on (the kind used for cleaning, not the thick one mind you). I leave it on over night, and check it in the morning, if they're still a bit sore, put more on and leave the glove on for longer. You'll be surprised as to how quickly this helps to heal the skin.

here's a link to some on ebay.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....NEWLIST



Edited By onile on 1188775252

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[Tonio]

Agreed,
Manetca de corojo is good stuff. Now if you hands are sore for overuse , you can use epsom salt. With splits it would sting like hell, but helps aid in recovery quicker. The best is for soreness in general however. use the warmest water you can stand, and dilute about a couple tablespoons per gallon of water.

T

[OLSONGO]

Hermano Onile , I have heard also that shea butter is an excellent product brought in from Africa and does wonders on the hands, I personally have used corn huskers lotion.
I use it during the gigs , it has a soothing cool feeling and acts quick, also has a nice smell.

I really have to thank my first instructor who thought me his very unique technique to hit the drum even if you want to strike it with a lot of force, and still preserve your hands.
Been playing for 30 yrs and no thick callouses build up.

Paz Olsongo

[Whopbamboom]

What is the consistency on the Manteca? Is it a liquid oil, a very soft paste, or a harder paste?

Reason I ask is that I picked up a much larger quantity of red palm oil (a harder paste) at a health food store for a much better price, and someone said that's not the right stuff.

[Tonio]

What I have is a soft paste. Its more oily at the top of the jar (when new) , but still suple throughout. Milky orange. The food grade is ok, but your missing the "oil" or "milk" and is more paste like a jar of premade mole paste in comparison(without the oil). Think yougurt consistancy. Food grade is like dampened spice. Man I'm getting hungry now Actually there is a recipe for palm oil in a African dish.
I got mine from a local Botanica. funny when I got there, there was sage burning like no tomorrow !!Ache!!
The origin is Saydel Corp. No se?

T



Edited By Tonio on 1188785472

[Whopbamboom]

Is there a place that I can obtain the more oily stuff OTHER than from botanica's/spiritual supply houses? For personal reasons, I'd rather stay as far away as possible from those places. Again, that's a personal thing. Is the soft oily red palm oil available from other sources?



Edited By Whopbamboom on 1188789144

[bongosnotbombs]

Hermano Onile , I have heard also that shea butter is an excellent product brought in from Africa and does wonders on the hands, I personally have used corn huskers lotion.
I use it during the gigs , it has a soothing cool feeling and acts quick, also has a nice smell.

I really have to thank my first instructor who thought me his very unique technique to hit the drum even if you want to strike it with a lot of force, and still preserve your hands.
Been playing for 30 yrs and no thick callouses build up.

Paz Olsongo

I can second the Shea butter, I use it daily and have never had a split...
I also use arnica it helps the hands heal quicker.

Never trid that manteca stuff, maybe I should, variety is the pice of life...

[onile]

Alafia Abures Mi!

Brother Olsongo, you have a great point! Shea butter has also proven very effective at healing the splits/cuts on percussionist's hands. I've also tried Corn Huskers lotion, granted it did smell much better, but unfortunately for me the results weren't the same!

It's great to hear of other proven treatments on this forum, one never knows what they'll learn about!

Odabo!

Onile!



Edited By onile on 1188820098

[jorge]

Congamyk,
I know that pain from playing too much and too hard. Let me inject a word of caution here. I have gotten, and seen others get, skin infections after splitting the skin playing. They have always healed, but can prolong the agony.

As soon as you can after you split the skin, clean the split by washing with soap and water, or even povidone iodine solution like betadine. Then use a triple antibiotic ointment (generic from any pharmacy) to prevent infection. Although Onile hasn't had a problem, I would recommend to keep manteca de corojo or shea butter away from the cut for a couple of days, they are not sterile and I have no clue what kind of bacteria might be in them. Conga skins are also far from sterile. Keep the cut covered with a bandaid with antibiotic ointment under it, especially if you have to play a gig. Change the bandaid daily. I like the thin clear waterproof bandaids, they stick better and stay on longer when playing. If you don't have to play out, play soft or don't play for a few days.

Once the split is healed to the point that it won't get infected, then you need to prevent splitting in the future. I have used manteca de corojo for 30+ years, and it works for me. Just don't get it on your clothes. Shea butter is waxier, but works for some people I know. Some people on this forum swear by corn huskers oil, its probably worth trying. The point is to keep the skin and calluses supple so they won't crack.

For the long term, if you need to be heard over an amplified band, mic your congas well so you don't have to play so hard most of the time. Save your hard playing for your solos. Experiment with mic placement with a good cardioid mic so you can get decent sound and volume without feedback.

Jorge



Edited By jorge on 1188828452

[jorge]

Hi Congamyk,
How is your finger doing? Did it heal up ok?
Jorge

[congamyk]

Hi Jorge, thanks to you and the other advices the hands are doing great.

[korman]

Jorge, casually using antibiotics is not a good thing! Well, I'm not a doctor, but that's what I've been told - antibiotics should be used only if there's actual infection and then a full treatment course should be done.

To prevent infections, cleaning the wound and protecting it with band aid or bandage should be sufficient. If properly stored, I don't think palm oil can cause infection.

[jorge]

Congamyk,
I am glad to hear your finger healed up fine. Now that it is healed, you should follow our advice and use manteca de corojo (palm kernel oil) or shea butter or other skin lubricant/moisturizer to help prevent future splitting of the skin. Technique, mics on your drums, and good finger hygiene are probably as or more important as well.

Korman,
You are absolutely right that antibiotics should not be used casually. I am glad to see you have gotten the public health message that we have been trying to disseminate for the past 30 years. Most people have not. The main rationale for the careful control of the use of antibiotics is is to prevent development and emergence of resistant bacteria. In general, this policy is targeted to systemic use of oral or intravenous antibiotics. Topical use of broad spectrum antibiotics like triple antibiotic ointment or its component ingredients like bacitracin or neomycin, has not been a problem.

Antibiotics can properly be used for treatment of an existing infection or, in certain situations, for prophylaxis (ie, to prevent development of infection). In this case, contact of an open cut with materials that can be contaminated with bacteria, like conga skins, perspiration on drum heads, and hand lubricants like palm kernel oil, can cause infection. I have seen this, and have also personally experienced it. In general, I am very "hard line" against inappropriate use of antibiotics, however, this is one of the circumstances in which prophylactic use of a topical antibiotic ointment can be highly effective.

In theory, you are right to be concerned. In this case, because the amount used is so tiny and is on the skin and not internal, this practice is extremely unlikely to contribute to the serious public health problem of development of resistant bacteria. That is why most topical antibiotics are available over the counter and do not require a prescription. We should not generalize this rationale to other situations that involve prescription oral antibiotics, such as for respiratory infections that are likely to be viral.

Regarding the palm kernel oil, which is really a food product, contamination with infectious bacteria is not common, but it is certainly possible. Palm kernel oil can support growth of some anaerobic bacteria like pseudomonas species, which can cause nasty infections. I highly recommend its use on intact skin, but would caution against its use on already broken skin.
Jorge



Edited By jorge on 1189776209