pinky and ring fingers are numb?!

I posted this in "general". I think it probably belongs here. Forgive me, my first time posting!

Help! My pinky and ring fingers are numb from riding

Hi! I have only been riding for about 4 months now. At 34, I finished my first Triathalon this month.

My hands kept falling asleep on bike rides over 12 miles but the feeling always went away.

Last week I started alternating 12 mile and 20 mile rides and it feels like my left pinky and ring finger never "wake up"....

The bike shop keeps telling me not to hold on so tightly to the handlebars. I have purchased handle bar extensions and I feel like I am hardly ever gripping so tightly anymore.

Has this "tingle" ever happened to anyone else. I weighed in at 253 when I started riding the bike this year...now i am down to 230 and i almost feel like I would rather be numb then ever stop riding the bike and risk gaining the weight back.

Many thanks for your replies,
Jam (sisu_concepts)

I had the exact same problem.

What worked for me...

I consciously move my hands around, and every few miles, I just shake them out.
I put Specialized 'Phat Wrap' and gel wrap bar tape on my handlebars. They use gel pads under thicker tape to reduce vibrations.

When I was using the computer (which I do for hours and hours) I used a 'smart glove' support glove that protects against carpal tunnel, but made things feel better for my issue (ulnar nerve compression is what we're talking about here) and I make sure I don't put more pressure on the nerves.

It took a few weeks for the feeling to come back, but it has and I haven't had a problem since I put the new tape on my bike and was more aware of moving my hands.

Look up 'Ulnar Nerve Compression" or "Ulnar Nerve Damage" for other opinions and solutions. Just don't give up - riding is just too much fun to avoid!

Edit! Oh - the most important things I changed - saddle and stem position! I tilted up the nose of my saddle ever-so-slightly and changed the angle of my stem so that I wasn't putting as much weight on my hands. I used a slightly shorter stem to. Do you feel like you're supporting a lot of your weight on your hands? If so, see if you can make small changes to shift some weight off your hands and back onto your saddle.

What Audio-A said! :)

Could gloves contribute to or alleviate some numbness? Just wondering. For me altering my saddle angle up a tiny bit helped take pressure off my wrists and hands.

I have the same problem. I also put phat bar tape on my bars which made a big difference. There is also Aztec Vibewrap that can be cut so you can customize it a little better to fit your bars and suggested by my LBS. I also put in line brakes on the top of my bars in addition to my STI levers and switch hand positions constantly as well as wear padded gloves. I still need to shake my hands out every so often too.

I have ulnar compression problems also. The stronger my back and abdomen, the fewer problems.

I too have had that same problem... it happened when I rode 45 miles... at 10 MPH. LONG RIDE!

My hands would tingle and go numb!

I suspect that getting areo bars would help... because I could then change positions and eliviate the pressure off my hands.

But... yea... I don't have any solutions... just thought I would let you know... you are not alone!

I think that SadieKate really has the answer that should help - and that is to use your back and ab muscles to hold your upper body in position. That allows you to get a good deal of the pressure and weight off of your hands.

You might also want to check out the Bicyling and Pain page on Sheldon Brown's web site.

--- Denise

What helped for me, and I've mentioned it on another post about elbow pain, was going to a wider bar. My bars were too narrow. Also, the thick gel tape helps. Check your hand position when you are on the top area of the bar where you can brake or change gears (I know there must be some techinical term for that part of the bar but it eludes me). If your hands angle outward at the wrists, even slightly, that may mean your bars are too narrow. You cannot imagine the pain I was in, then to have it fixed by simply chaning bars was nothing short of a miracle for me. I thought I was going to have to give up cycling. Oh, I think we also tweaked the angle of the bars, too.

Don't give up, just keep tweaking! I think it must be a dark secret that the key to cycling to tweaking. At first it will seem that you are always tweaking something. It will all come together eventually...then you'll want a new bike, and get to start all over again! :D

Kik