Throwing hand problem

I would think that if he left it longer it wouldn't be able to ingrow.

We've tried that, but it continues to grow sideways. I guess its due to the curve of his nail. I should mention that he hasn't thrown a CB till this year, so its happening when he throws his FB and CH.
When it gets irritated, he's tried Neosporin, but it gets too soft. We've tried building a callus(sp) by just leaving it alone, but it tends to bleed.
It happens each year, but not constantly. He can have a problem for a few weeks and it clears up. I plan to pay attention this year to when it starts and how it heals.
Just wondering if someone had dealt with this? I guess we could ask the pitching coach at the college he'll be attending next year. We're perplexed.

KCBaseball,

This is not the exact same location, but very similar, so perhaps worth a try:

When my son was in about 10th grade, he got blisters on his pitching hand several times because of fingernail friction, though his blisters were on the very end/tip of the finger, near the edge of the fingernail. I did some research since this was a tiny thing that caused big problems - not able to pitch for days at a time, or even weeks if we hadn't found a solution.

The "solution" that worked for him was Domesboro Solution. He soaked his fingers in it several times per day - I don't remember exactly, but maybe 3 x per day for 20 minutes per soak. It toughened the skin better than anything else he tried - not only dried the skin, but toughened it, so it didn't become brittle and crack later.

Some graphic details coming up now, but I know what a big deal this was to my son when it kept him from pitching, so I'll tell all that I remember.

He used Domesboro after getting a blister, so he would first have to pop it very carefully with a sterilized needle (popping a blister under a callous, so it was kind of ugly). But the Domesboro toughened the tender skin under the blister, so that within a day or two of repeated soaking it was okay for the loose skin cover to peel off, and he could throw again within a few days after that (still continuing the soaking). I think the Domesboro toughened the skin enough to prevent blisters for a while afterwards, as I don't remember this being an issue more than twice per season.

We bought the Domesboro at our local Target pharmacy, no prescription needed, but you had to ask for it over the counter. It came in little paper envelopes of white powder that you mix in warm water, or you could buy a box with a bunch of the little envelopes in it. We just bought maybe 6 or 8 envelopes at a time, because you only have to use a small part of one packet at a time to mix up the amount needed to soak fingers.

I hope this helps!

quote:

Do you clip the nail curved or straight?

Does he bite his fingernails?

Mechanically speaking, the fingernail should be stronger if you cut it straight across (ala a knuckleballer). You might want to make it mostly straight across with a rounded corner so it won't be able to cut into the skin.

Wasn't their a major leaguer who had this problem, so he had his finger nails removed?

Ouch! I remember that and I think it was a Royals player, but he had a blister problem. I'd hate to think we'd need to go that far. Fortunately, he only has a problem a few weeks per season.
Thanks, MN Mom. We're going to try your suggestion. Appreciate the help! We're also visiting son's college of choice in a few weeks to watch some games. We'll talk to the pitching coach and see what his take is.