Hand pain..??

[cyclicmadison]

So after riding like only two or three miles, I get this muscle pain in my hands. it's a weird spot, like the palm right under my thumb. Is this normal? I got gloves because someone told me they'd help but I don't think they did. Any suggestion would be awesome!

[chicagogal]

I am no expert, really, but I don't think that even if you haven't been riding much that you should have hand pain after only a couple of miles. Maybe you are putting too much weight on your arms/hands? You might want to try adjusting the fit yourself or take the bike into your LBS. You can also try just putting your hands in different positions. If I don't shift my hands around enough, I get some numbness after a few hours (not a few miles). Also, if it's muscle soreness in your hands, you might just be gripping to tightly, relax your hands. You only need them to balance (and break and shift), you don't need to hang on for dear life.

[Rosie8]

There's a nerve that runs in that area. Some typical problems:
Gloves that are too tight or have a seam that hits that spot.
Gripping too tight (as mentioned above).
Flat bar handlebars with limited hand positions (as mentioned).

You might try:
Looser grip and shaking hands every "X" miles.
Looser gloves without seam on palm or wrist.
Ergon grips.
Different style handlebars that give you more hand positions.

I changed to tourist style / North Road style handlebars that sweep in toward the rider. My bike is a cruiser style with upright riding position which works well with this style. Good luck.

[TrekTheKaty]

My LBS adjusted the seat and that helped my hand pain. Now I only have to shake my hands out every hour or so.

[Jiffer]

I guess everyone else said all the things I was going to say, but I'll reiterate. :)

- Gloves could be too tight.
- You could be gripping too tightly to the handlebars, not moving your hands around often enough. You shouldn't be putting a lot of weight onto your hands. It should be on your seat, using your core to hold you up.
- Position of seat and/or handlebars could be wrong.
- There are cushy things that can be added to your handlebars, under the tape that make it more comfortable.

I do highly recommend getting a professional bike fit. Not only will they potentially move your seat and handlebars, but you might gain so much information about what you are doing right and wrong in your position and pedaling, etc. But make sure you go to a reputable bike fitter.

[Cloudymoor]

I'm very new to biking myself and posted about pain issues a while back. Mine probably stemmed more from nervousness than anything else. I was all set to buy gloves or go back to the LBS if that didn't work. A couple of weeks after riding I discovered that my hands didn't hurt at all. Rather like magic. I was thrilled!!! I would definitely say that I relaxed my grip and shifted my fingers around (sometimes holding my fingers on top of the breaks, then back onto the handlebars. I would also move my thumb up to the handlebar with the rest of my fingers, not underneath by itself. Best wishes with this!!

[LoriO]

If you have any type of cubital or carpal tunnel isses that can be contributing too. I've been suffering from terrible hand pain in my right hand ever since I got my flat bar road bike. Tried bar ends, that helped but didn't solve it.

Last week I finally ordered a pair of the Ergon bar grips. I switched them over and Mondays ride was the first ride in months that didn't end in pain and with my half of my right hand being numb.

Definately something to consider.