wrist ache

[liksani]

Hmm, I'm a fairly new rider and after some rides I notice that my right wrist kind of aches. I know that's not a very good description. And sometimes when I rotate it, I can feel clicking? I'm not sure if I should be doing something to try to fix this or not... I think part of it might be because I'm putting too much weight on my hands cuz sometimes I just tense up and grip the handlebars too tightly... I don't know if this is important or not, but I've injured that wrist before falling on it while snowboarding and using the mouse also kind of aggrevates it so I switched to using a mouse with my left hand... Any advice for me?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Two things that may help - try not to put much weight on your hands (use your abs to hold your upper body position), and keep your wrists straight.

You might also find some good suggestions in Sheldon Brown's article on Bicycling and Pain. It's at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html.

--- Denise

[Fuji Girl]

Two things that may help - try not to put much weight on your hands (use your abs to hold your upper body position), and keep your wrists straight.

+1. You might also want to try some pads underneath your bar tape to reduce road vibrations - I use the Fizik ones and it helps with my numb hands and sore wrists a lot. Some other options too:

Fizik Bar Gel:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5256

Aztec Vibe Wrap:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5256

Specialized Bar Phat:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=10018

[Hell-uv-a-job]

I am even having difficulty holding on to my car steering wheel, my hands hurt. Gosh!! I am a mess, first the knee and now my wrists.
I have a commuter bike, with straight handle bar. I am thinking of three possible causes of my pain:
1) Carrying a lot of my upper body weight on my hands. I think i could raise the headset or maybe get a longer stem so the handlebar is closer to the body. But then, i have to consider my saddle since more weight would be going to my saddle... gezz...!! Is cycling this complicated? Maybe I am just putting too much tought.
2) I think the grips are too big, I have small hands.
3) Since my closest LBS is very short on supplies, I went ahead and got me some "male" fitted gloves, with the gel padding (my third set of gloves, can't get one I am comfortable with). As a matter of fact, as dumb as it would sound, the best gloves so far are my weight lifting gloves . I think the last I purshased are too small. Where's the spellcheck?

[liksani]

oh yeah.. also forgot to mention i have flat handlebars. have a specialized sirrus.

[Hell-uv-a-job]

Omg!!! I Do Too!!!

Any suggestions on a set of gloves ya'll like best??

[Fuji Girl]

oh yeah.. also forgot to mention i have flat handlebars. have a specialized sirrus.

Ah, flat handlebars. I think you're more likely then to have some numbness/soreness/achiness due to flexion of your wrists, which impinges the ulnar nerve that travels through your wrist. Definitely use gloves - that helps a lot. I like the Pearl Izumi Pittard Carbon gloves:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...egory_ID=1240#

Also, I changed my grips on my (hybrid) bike to the Specialized Body Geometry Comfort Grips, which has a little rubber pad on them to pad the ulnar nerve and to reduce the amount of flexion (keeps the wrist more straight, not bent). So far, so good! I have these:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=10020


http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=13266

Good luck!

[wavedancer]

I had really bad wrist pain last spring after starting to do more mountain biking with straight bars. They felt fine on my road bars, but the tendonitis or arthritis (or maybe a combination of both) was very uncomfortable for several months. I changed the grips on my bars to Ergon WP1 grips and it really made a difference. They have a wider, ergonomically-shaped platform that gives my hand more support and puts less stress on the outside (ulnar side) of my wrist.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/ergon_wp1.php?la=en

[fixiegrrl]

I was wondering how long you've had your current setup and were you properly fit? As I'm picturing your riding position, it sounds like you're putting more pressure on your hands and wrists and that is aggrivating your wrist condition. How high is your saddle compared to the height of the top of your handle bars? I'm told that it's supposed to be between 0-2 inches. I find that if the bike is too small, I have to raise the saddle higher which then tilts my body forward and places more pressure on my wrists and hands. I ride with bull horn bars and I had to experiment with getting the most comfortable position. Because the bull horns are flat and somewhat curvy, I was placing too much weight on my hands. I raised my bar height and tilted it up a little and that seemed to fix the problem. Although, you may want to have a doctor examine your wrists to get a diagnosis and rule out any carpal tunnel or arthritis problems. It may cost you some money but at least you'd know if it was a medical condition or just a simple bike accessory/fit issue.

[Nanci]

I was thinking about arthritis, too. I have it most annoyingly in my hands, from the wear and tear of 20 years of shoeing horses. My hands would be curled into painful little balls without the miracle of Celebrex. And you can't tell by looking at them, and there are no radiographic changes, yet. It got to the drugs-needed point when I was about 40.

I'm trying a new kind of gloves Saturday, Louis Garneau ErgoAir, will let everyone know how they are. My last gloves were Trek gel, and I really love them, and they lasted forever.

Nanci

[tulip]

I second the proper fit advice. I had to cut my flat bars down about 1-1/2 inches because they were too wide. I also put bar ends on them, which provides more hand position options.

Make sure that you are bending your elbows. If not--you might be reaching too far (your bike does not fit you), and you are likely putting alot of weight on your hands and wrists. Bending elbows also helps with shock absorption.

[singletrackgirl]

I had somewhat the same problem. I visited a doctor and found that it was Tendinitis. See a doctor is my advice. If it is tendinitis changing your bike will not help too much.

[SimpleCycle]

I second the suggestion of bar ends for more hand positions. It seems like flat bars would be easier on your wrists but they're actually harder because you can't change hand position.

I had problems with hand numbness that I attributed entirely to cycling, but as it turns out too much mouse time was contributing too. So make sure you're taking care of your wrists all the time, not just on the bike.

[makbike]

I too have a pretty bad case of tendinitis in my wrist. I have seen a hand specialist about it with little relief. We tried putting my hand/wrist in a fiberglass cast for 6 weeks, steriod injections and antiinflammatory drugs - none which have "cured" my carpal tunnel. I am now seeing a chiropractor and after three weeks my wrist is feeling a bit better. He has given me some exercises to do to help strength the joint and these seem to be having a positive impact on my wrist.

Hope this helps!

[anne_77]

I have various problems with my wrists. Solutions?
Never hold onto things too long, keep changing positions. That includes handlebars.
Don't carry things that are too heavy. For instance, my briefcase has a shoulder strap so I don't have to hold it by my hand.
Don't use the TV remote too often.
Use a keyboard tray at work and keep everything ergonomically located at my desk.
Use gel padded gloves for cycling and spinning class.
Make sure clothing, gloves, watch, etc. aren't too tight on my wrists.
Try not to drive more than an hour at a time, and if I do, I take advil before I start.
I avoid the following activities: golf, tennis, playing piano or guitar, volleyball
When my wrists are painful or inflammed I rest them, ice them, or take advil (4 = 800 mg, anti-inflammatory strength, per my md)
I would definitely recommend seeing a doctor if you're having trouble. He/she can give you recommendations on how to alleviate and control your symptoms. My md offered to prescribed viox or celebrex (this was a couple years ago, when they were legal. Are they still?) and discussed surgery, but I opted for over the counter advil (200-800 mg at a time) and preventive measures.