Ulnar Damage

[ribbit_zap]

Hi Everyone!

My ulnar nerve (this is the nerve that you hit when you hurt your "funny bone") is severely damaged in both arms. I am currently undergoing testing for this condition, but I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem? Will cycling make it worse? My arms hurt all the time, and putting extra pressure on them doesn't make them feel great...but if it ultimately isn't going to make them worse.... Just wondering if anyone has had this condition and has any advice. Thanks!!!

[Kiwi Stoker]

I hate to say it but cyclists palsy (ulnar nerve damage) is a common problem. You will need to take precautions to avoid it for example-

Padded gloves (make sure the padding is right for you, some like lots, and some find minimal works for them).
Bar tape with padding
Carbon fork and/or handlebars to reduce road buzz
Moving hands often and using different hand positions
Making sure your gloves/watch is not putting pressure on your wrists
Trying to avoid bumpy roads (yeah right!) and making sure you limit the time on the bike to what you can stand without causing your arm nerves to play up.
Keeping the weight off your hands- strenghtening your core, raising your handlebars etc.

Good luck. I know nerves can regenerate, but very slowly.

[OakLeaf]

What she said, plus most importantly a good professional fitting. Stem length can be counterintuitive sometimes.

[bmccasland]

I pinched that nerve by cycling, and temporarily lost function in one of my hands - couldn't spread my fingers apart. My doctor, who is a cyclist, and I figured out the injury occured when I was riding in my drops. So he put in in a wrist brace, then sent me and my bike to his favorite LBS for a professional fit, where pretty much everything Kiwi Stoker described happened - the fit, moved the handle bars, corked bar tape, new gloves.

New bike added the carbon fork - and I made sure it had the corked bar tape. I haven't reinjured myself either in 5 years. I maybe be slow on the uptake sometimes, but I do learn! And I really don't want to ride another season wearing a wrist brace, that was no fun.

Writing this reminds me, I need new gloves....

So my 2 cents is - make sure you've had a professional fit, and tell the person doing your fit that you're having problems with your arms / hands, that way they look at your reach and not just what your knees are doing.

Good luck, and I hope your hands start cooperating soon!

[Wahine]

I just want to reiterate what others have said. It most important to minimize pressure between the interface of your hands and the bars. So cushioning with gloves and bar tape, road surface etc (Kiwi Stoker lists it well) and bike fit is very important. To the extent that you can get more weight on your bum and off of your hands that's good. Sometimes how that is done is counter intuitive, saddle position fore and aft, tilt and the saddle itself can be very helpful (as well as the usual stem length, handle bar width, using flatter bars). If you can get a good pelvis position on your saddle, combined with good core strength, you should be able to ride with very little pressure through your arms.

Hope that helps.

[Fredwina]

I always had problems with my hands going numb. Then I bought this bike:

May not be your cup of tea, and You do need to do some re-training, but it works for me! (You could always wear a paper bag over your head)