Weak hand muscles after long ride

About 10 days ago, I was about 38 miles into a 45 mile ride with my training group when I started to notice that it was getting harder for me to shift with my right hand...not painful, just very very weak. I didn't think much about it until later that night when I started noticing muscle spasms in that hand. The next morning, the entire hand and arm were practically useless. Again, no pain, just very weak. It's been getting better with some ibuprofen and heat packs but it's still not 100%.
Has anyone out there ever experienced something like this? Any clues as to what I might have done? Glove too tight? Carpal tunnel? Too much weight on that arm?
Thanks!

Could be many reasons.
The easiest one to eliminate is the tight glove thing. I find that when I have my gloves velcro-ed closed just normally my hands get tingly and numb. If I leave the velcro really LOOSE this does not happen. It surprised me to find out just how little the snugness would be to cause numbness in my hands.

how is your hand position on the bike, are you bending at the wrist?

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Originally Posted by han-grrl

how is your hand position on the bike, are you bending at the wrist?

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I mostly ride with my hands right at the top of the shifter/break (i.e. where the bar meets the shifter). My wrist is pretty straight with the hand and I don't think that I'm gripping too tight.

are your elbows straight and locked? They should be loose and relaxed with a slight bent. Move your position around. Have you gotten your bike fitted by a qualified bike shop? You could have fit issues that could be resolved with a proper fitting.

I pinched the ulnar nerve in one hand while doing a long ride. I could wave bye-bye, but couldn't spread my fingers apart (no Vulcan "live long and prosper"). Fortunately my Doc at the time was a bike commuter. He sent me and my bike for a fitting, and said to have my handle bars corked - use a cork wrap, then the tape on top of that. Keeps some padding despite death grips on rough roads. Also told me to change hand positions. After about 2 weeks my hand function returned, but I still had to ride with a wrist brace for a couple of months to keep from reinjuring it.

So, get thee to thy LBS for a proper fitting, tell them you're having trouble with your hands, maybe get your handlebars corked, and change and positons while you ride.

Your whole arm, including the biceps and/or triceps? I vote for neck or thoracic outlet. Fit first, PT if that doesn't help.

Yeah, I'll ditto with a possible neck issue. Weakness can definitely be caused by an irritated/pinched nerve away from where the actual "issue" is.

Are you tensing up your shoulders, straining your neck or anything like that?

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Originally Posted by berkeley

Yeah, I'll ditto with a possible neck issue. Weakness can definitely be caused by an irritated/pinched nerve away from where the actual "issue" is.

Are you tensing up your shoulders, straining your neck or anything like that?

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I try to stay as relaxed as possible but, I'm still somewhat of a "newbie" so I could be tensing more than I think I am. And, yes, elbows are usually at somewhat of a bend.

I had my bike fitted when I got it so I don't think it's that. Like I said, it's getting better...it's just my hand that's still a bit weak so I tend to think that I might just have compressed the nerve running into the hand.

One of my fellow cyclists suggested a glove made by Specialized (maybe called Body Glove???) He said that it has extra padding at the outside of the hand where the wrist meets the hand. Anybody out there have a pair of these?

Position is important, and since you've had your bike fitted (did it take at least an hour??), then I'll assume that's not the problem.

Core strength is a big factor in position. If your core cannot hold your body up properly, you'll end up putting alot of weight on your arms, hands, and shoulders.

I've found the best thing to improve my core strength has been Pilates. Just make sure you go to a well-trained instructor, not some pseudo-pilates taught at some gyms (you can get injured in those classes--Body This and Body That).

Hope you get some relief soon!

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Originally Posted by tulip

Position is important, and since you've had your bike fitted (did it take at least an hour??), then I'll assume that's not the problem.

Core strength is a big factor in position. If your core cannot hold your body up properly, you'll end up putting alot of weight on your arms, hands, and shoulders.

I've found the best thing to improve my core strength has been Pilates. Just make sure you go to a well-trained instructor, not some pseudo-pilates taught at some gyms (you can get injured in those classes--Body This and Body That).

Hope you get some relief soon!

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Yeah, I've been neglecting time at the gym b/c I've been cycling outdoors so much. Maybe I need to get back on that stability ball and build up that strength again.

Thanks everyone for your input!