loss of feeling/strength in fingers

[bonniekate]

I went for a 50 mile road ride Saturday and about 3/4 of the way through my left hand lost a lot of it's strength. It was a really rough/bumpy road for most of the ride so I'm thinking the excess vibration and stress may have pinched a nerve. It was bad enough I had to reach over and use my wrist in order to shift up because I couldn't get enough pressure using my fingers and braking was interesting to say the least! When I got home my ring and pinkie fingers wouldn't straighten on their own for the rest of the day and my whole hand was almost useless (creepy).

I'm usually pretty careful about not keeping too tight of a grip but sometimes have minor numbness in my right hand if I don't shake it out enough. I've never experienced anything like this. Anyone had something similar? It's been getting more feeling and strength back in the last two days, but I don't know if this is something I should see a doc about or just let it heal. My hand is about 75% maybe of it's usual strength right now.

Thoughts?
BK

[Running Mommy]

It sounds like an impinged ulnar nerve. That's exactly the symptoms I had when I did it to BOTH arms at IMAZ a couple of years ago.
Google "cyclist palsy" or the Ulnar nerve and you should find plenty of info on it.
My doctor told me there wasn't much I could do, and eventually (about 2 mos. for total healing) my hands came back to normal. But yeah, I had "claws" for a week or so. I remember needing to use BOTH hands to start the car!
YIPES!!

[ttaylor508]

I had the same experience years ago while riding a double century on my flat bar road bike. It only effected my right hand though. It took about a week before I was really able to grip things. I couldn't brush my hair or teeth using my right hand or even zip up my zipper (try zipping your jeans with your left hand...not easy). I haven't had the problem since I switched to a regular road bike. I think it helps being able to switch positions with your hands while riding.

[alpinerabbit]

I had it (time: for about half a day to a day) after +100km rides before I had my bar raised (using a steeper angle headset). I could not shift anymore, particularly from the small ring to the big in front.

See if raising your bar relieves pressure/makes you put less weight on your hands.

oh yeah. I also had it once after playing SimCity for 4-5 hrs straigt because I had my left hand rested on the edge of the table. It went away after a couple of days.

[latelatebloomer]

I had the same thing for a few weeks during the summer, just when I was starting to tackle some climbing techniques. Sometimes my right hand was so weak I couldn't use chopsticks or nail clippers. I would have been worried but it was definitely a post-ride thing. I started keeping my hands as relaxed as I could, and I cut down my computer use - which did'n't cause it, but exacerbated the problem. No problems recently!

[MomOnBike]

Actually, the numb hand thing is the proximate cause of me getting a recumbent. I make my living with my hands, and just couldn't/can't afford to have numb hands after every bike ride.

I also sleep in a wrist brace, took the arm rests off the office chair 'cause it was hitting the ulnar nerve, and wear an elbow pad whenever I think my elbow is going to be resting on something.

Take care of your hands. You neve know when you'll need them.

[Torrilin]

I get hand pain and numbness after about a 15 mile ride on my flat bar mountain bike. A looser grip helps some. Doing my weight work also helps. Wrist curls make my hands feel better right away, and there are a few other exercises that help loosen things up. The numbness is usually worse in my right hand, and makes computer games really unpleasant. Knitting and handspinning seem to mitigate the problem, provided I use good technique.

This is great for my craft productivity and rather awkward otherwise. It would be worse, but I'm one of those right hand for the mouse lefties, so most of my daily activities are not impaired.

I've been test riding bikes to see if different bars help. So far, a narrow cruiser bar seems best for my hands.

[Wahine]

Numbness is definitely a sign of nerve damage, (temporary it sounds like), but there are several possible causes. It could be a simple matter of direct ulnar nerve pressure from the handle bar in which case you need to adjust your fitting somehow to get some of the pressure off your hands as some of the other ladies have already mentioned. It could also be related to pressure elsewhere like at the elbow or in the neck. The neck cause is also very common with long rides and worse with poor surfaces.

Did you have problems bending your wrist backward or tricep weakness?

If you did, it's likely your neck and you should see your doc for an x-ray. Really, the safe thing to do would be to see your doc anyway. If there is weakness, not just numbness, it's best to get some of the more nasty stuff ruled out.

So go get it checked OK.

[RoadRaven]

I have similar happen to me, and can usually shake it out as you describe in the first post...

Just want to echoe the others, if its not going away, go get it checked out...