Help!

[kay-lister]

Got a deep paper cut on my index finger RIGHT on the angle where it lays on the string. I can play through the pain (and that bugger hurts too), but it keeps opening up and bleeding.

[tony-morosco]

It will effect your tone a bit, but if you are just practicing at home then you can try just a bit of crazy glue over the cut. Just be sure you don’t glue your fingers together.

[elizabeth-palladino]

My brother is a physician, and in the ER he uses Superglue on minor cuts. It will gradually dissolve and go away by itself. This is probably the same answer that another person gave, if Superglue and Crazyglue are the same thing.

[carl-swanson]

There’s a way of taping it up that allows you to play. I hope I can describe it here. First of all, you need a type of medical bandage tape that is soft and pliable. The shiny stuff won’t work. I seem to remember that the tape I use is called Zonas tape, but I’m not sure. It’s hard to find. The tape should be about 1.5 inches wide. You will also need a small pair of very sharp scissors.

Start by cutting a piece of the tape off the roll that will go from just above the first knuckle(next to the finger nail) on the outside of the finger, over the end of the finger and down almost to the same joint on the inside of the finger. The tape at this point should be taped on your finger in a big U, with enough width to the tape to stick out on either side of your finger about a half inch. In other words, a half inch sticking out on one side, and a half inch sticking out on the other.

Now take the scissors and cut the tape at the bottom of the U(at the tip of the finger) from the outside edge to where it starts to stick to your finger tip. Do this on both sides of the finger. You should now have two cuts in the tape, the two of them together forming a straight line but not connecting(in other words, don’t cut all the way across the tape) at the finger tip.

Now gently fold the two pieces of tape that are on the palm side of the finger away from the other two pieces of tape just to get them out of the way. Now take one of the ends of the tape on the outside of your finger and gently fold it down and stick it to the side of your finger. This will cause a fold in the tape, between the outside of your finger where the tape is stuck down and the side of your finger where you just folded and stuck the end of the tape. Take your scissors and make a cut in the top of that loop. Gently peel the half of the piece nearest the palm side of your finger out of the way and take the piece on the nail side of your finger and stick it down completely. Take the piece you just moved out of the way and stick it down. It will be partly stuck to your finger and partly to the piece of tape you just stuck down. Do this to both sides of the tape on the fingernail side of your finger.

Now do the same thing with the left and right side of the tape on the palm side of your finger. One at a time, take the end of the tape and fold the end down onto the side of your finger forming a loop. Cut the loop then stick the half closer to the fingernail down, then the other part down on top of it. Do this to the remaining flap as well. What you should have now is a fingertip completely covered by the tape that has been contoured by cutting the loop formed each time you stick an end down. All of the edges should be facing towards your fingernail.

This works best if you scrub the area to be taped with alcohol first so the tape really sticks to your skin. It really works and will get you through a playing gig, both holding the cut closed and protecting the whole area which is very sensitive. Good luck. I hope this makes sense.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

Fake skin is my saviour!

[sherry-lenox]

Kay you might want to call a pharmacist to see if he has any glues that are designed specifically for healing wounds. They may be a little more expensive than Super Glue but a little more gentle to the skin.

My teacher uses a technique similar to the one Carl has described, but I can never seem to fix the tape so that it doesn’t catch the string.

If you attempt to use a glue, hold the slit together gently and paint the smallest amount over the top of the slit, then hold the slit closed gently so that the glue can take hold. If you get much of the glue into the slit, it can sting like purple blazes.

Before bed, cover the wound with antibiotic jelled salve and bandage it. A lot of healing can occur during the night.

I’ve had a split index finger for about 3 weeks. I get it almost closed, play for an hour and it opens again.

Hope it’s much better soon!

[Sid Humphreys]

Clean the area well with alcohol, it will sting. Then Super Glue it! You may need to file it a bit to get it smooth. It will affect your tone but it will heal in a hurry.

[patricia-jaeger]

At night apply Polysporin salve, that has more ingredients than Neosporin, under careful bandaging such as Carl’s suggestions above. I keep Band-Aid Flexible Fabric bandages on hand just in case. Your wound might knit together

[rosalind-beck]

Kay, I believe the surgical tape Georgina is describing is also known as steri-strips.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

No, def not steri strips – they are like thin white paper sticky strips.

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