Hand Pain

[Savra]

Ok, new question as a newbie since everyone was so helpful with my other questions. When out riding the fleshing part of my hands and thumb start to hurt and no matter how I move them around on the handle bars I can't get them comfortable. Any suggestions?
Of course, it may be a left over from hurting my one hand on my first day out.

[Blueberry]

I'm just guessing, but it sounds like a bike fit issue maybe?? I had that until we shortened my reach and raised my stem. Otherwise, try different gloves? I have to have less padding to be happy - others love big gel pads

[OakLeaf]

I dunno. Numbness is usually either a fit issue, or something having to do with the body's predispositions. Pain in fleshy parts of the hands may be just a conditioning issue. How much pain? Is it the same or similar in both hands? Is it more in the joints, or closer to the surface, or in the muscles? When you fell the other day, did you hurt both hands, or just one?

[redrhodie]

Are you wearing gloves?

[solobiker]

I agree, sounds like a bike fit issue. You should not be putting too much pressure on your hands.

[Kano]

When I got my Roubaix last spring, I had hand pain.

I had been wearing gloves the year before, and of course, continued to wear them. FIRST thing I tried was new gloves. That made a difference, but did NOT fix things.

As suggested by my bike guys, I rode a couple of hundred miles before we made any changes to the bike. Raised the bars a bit. That helped, but did NOT fix things.

What FIXED things was FIXING ME.

Core strengthening exercises, so that I was using my hands to steer and balance myself more than to hold myself up.

It's a problem again now that I'm starting the new season -- didn't think I'd let myself slack off THAT much through the ski season!

(I do need to look at my glove fit too: nothing else fits this spring, jewelry included, so they could be big this year too, but still gotta do the core work!)

Karen in Boise

[Savra]

I think I'm going to have to agree with the idea of it being a conditioning thing. I've had numbness with my mountain bike and that is definitely a fit issue since I have to reach really far to the handlebars. But I don't reach on my new road bike. I will admit to lacking "core" strength or even any muscles there at all. In fact, it's a little big and needs to be toned a lot. I'm also starting to wonder if my hands are just weak and need to get used to the positioning of the handlebars.
Thanks for the advice. Again, very helpful.

[Savra]

I dunno. Numbness is usually either a fit issue, or something having to do with the body's predispositions. Pain in fleshy parts of the hands may be just a conditioning issue. How much pain? Is it the same or similar in both hands? Is it more in the joints, or closer to the surface, or in the muscles? When you fell the other day, did you hurt both hands, or just one?

It is in the muscles and seems to be similiar in both hands even though I only hurt one hand. I had a thought that one hand hurts because well... it hurts and the other hurts because I am overcompensating for the hurt one. But they hurt in the same manner. Today, my 5.5 mile ride hurt quite a bit.