Worn out fingertips

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Hi everyone, almost done 400 days of rowing 20km per day. Anybody else had issues with wearing off their finger tips? A couple of mine have gone shiny from the rowing i think.

[Ombrax]

Only at the tips? Usually blisters happen farther down:

https://medium.com/@beantownKMD/rowing- ... 5a29eba0c2

[mict450]

Sounds like you're over-gripping if you're getting callus formation on your fingertips. I hold the handle by the proximal phalanges of the hands. The medial & distal finger bones are relaxed, not gripping the handle with any pressure at all.

[Dangerscouse]

I only ever get blisters from the first finger joint downwards, never close to my fingertips.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Only at the tips? Usually blisters happen farther down:

https://medium.com/@beantownKMD/rowing- ... 5a29eba0c2

Hi, its weird because my fingertips dont touch the handle.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Sounds like you're over-gripping if you're getting callus formation on your fingertips. I hold the handle by the proximal phalanges of the hands. The medial & distal finger bones are relaxed, not gripping the handle with any pressure at all.

Its odd because they dont touch the handle. I was wondering if the rowing was pushing fluids / water in my fingers to the tips and this was effectively creating a sort of water blister but with no water.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

I only ever get blisters from the first finger joint downwards, never close to my fingertips.

I have those blisters but these are like a burn but without the water blister. My finger tips dont touch the handle. Wondering if the constant rowing is moving fluid in my fingers to the tips.

[Tony Cook]

Sounds like you're over-gripping if you're getting callus formation on your fingertips. I hold the handle by the proximal phalanges of the hands. The medial & distal finger bones are relaxed, not gripping the handle with any pressure at all.

Its odd because they dont touch the handle. I was wondering if the rowing was pushing fluids / water in my fingers to the tips and this was effectively creating a sort of water blister but with no water.

Is it sweat running down your arms and soaking your fingers so softening the skin on the tips? I had that last summer when it got warmer. I wear 70s style towelling sweat bands on my wrists now, that solved the problem.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Sounds like you're over-gripping if you're getting callus formation on your fingertips. I hold the handle by the proximal phalanges of the hands. The medial & distal finger bones are relaxed, not gripping the handle with any pressure at all.

Its odd because they dont touch the handle. I was wondering if the rowing was pushing fluids / water in my fingers to the tips and this was effectively creating a sort of water blister but with no water.

Is it sweat running down your arms and soaking your fingers so softening the skin on the tips? I had that last summer when it got warmer. I wear 70s style towelling sweat bands on my wrists now, that solved the problem.

Hi Tony, I purposely row at a level where i don't sweat so ruling that out. Great call on the wristbands though - i might give that a go to create some 70s ritual!

[Tsnor]

Wonder what else those fingertips are doing.

Stick a Band-Aid on one of your fingertips and see what you are doing when you notice something feels odd.

(I hook the oar / erg handle rather than grip it. Probably bad form, but even then the force is on 2nd joint not the finger tip).

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Wonder what else those fingertips are doing.

Stick a Band-Aid on one of your fingertips and see what you are doing when you notice something feels odd.

(I hook the oar / erg handle rather than grip it. Probably bad form, but even then the force is on 2nd joint not the finger


I think my constant rowing must be squeezing my finger and the tips are kinda pressurizing.

My finger tips are nowhere near the handle. Super odd.

I was doing 20km per day. Ive had a rest this month at 10km per day so hopefully they will return to normal

[Dangerscouse]

(I hook the oar / erg handle rather than grip it. Probably bad form, but even then the force is on 2nd joint not the finger tip).

That's good. I look like I'm struggling to cling on, as I hardly grip the handle at all. It's just wasted energy otherwise.

[AndyWicks]

I fidget my hands a lot and find I have little callus’s on the top of my little fingers in particular. This is mainly from effort rows. When doing easier rows I tend to hook more.