Hand problems

[BikerJeanne]

Thanks SadieKatie. I have a road bike...just got it a month ago so I am new to all of this so my husband is trying to help much like yours. He has been riding much longer than me. My bike is a Specialized Dolce Elite (women's bike). http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=11502 I am going to take a look at everything more closely tonight after getting such great replies from everyone here. My bike came with the Specialized phat gel tape that is 2.5mm. I am thinking about switching that out for the 4.5mm this weekend. I am really going to focus on my wrist position on the bars and hoods to see what angles are going on there and see if I can make some angle corrections. Since I am new at riding (putting in nearly 100 miles a week though training for a TNT 100 mile ride in October) I am not comfortable down on the bottom of my bars which may have a lot to do with it. I have a tendancy to really hit the brakes hard coming down hills and I am doing it from the top. After reading, my symptoms sound much more like a carpal tunnel thingy more than UCS. I think I am going to try a different pair of gloves too. Mine have pads in key areas instead of being more uniform and that could be doing it too.

[Honeywell23]

Good thing you asked this question! I have been feeling numbness in my right hand and was like what is going on? Now I know it's normal and I can do something to stop it so I can have a comfy ride.

[sarahfixit]

I just had a little finding in my last race(which I got 2nd overall )
Placing my small finger around the outside of the barend, instead of the normal 1 lever, 3 on the grip(mtb). It was instant improvement, since my hand was almost locked in place, then felt perfect.

[nicolezoie]

Here's a few hand/arm/back stretches that will help you out:

1. Hold up your arms in front of you at shoulder-height. Bend your left elbow at a 90 degree angle, do the same with your left wrist, bending it backwards, fingers towards you. Bend your right elbow as far as it will go, bend your right wrist so your fingers are pointing away from you, and bring your hands together so that fingers & palms are touching. Gently push your hands together so that your wrists get stretched, and hold. Then, swap positions so that you're doing the same but with your hands going the opposite direction.

2. Hold your arms in front of you at shouder height, palms down. Make a fist with one hand, and angle your wrist downward. With your other hand, press the fist so that you feel a little stretch in the back of your fist, and hold. Do the same with your other hand.

3. Hold your arms in front of you at shoulder height, palms up. Bend one wrist backwards as far as it will go. With your other hand, pull/press on your fingers and hold, but leave your thumb out of the stretch. Swap hands.

4. Do the same as #3, but palms up.

5. At stoplights or pause-points, stretch your shoulders & back by grasping your hands behind your back. And, to stretch your lower back, press your hands into your lower back, thumbs curled around your hips, for a moment or two.

One other thing that my LBS pointed out how to determine if I've been "straight arming" is callouses on the bottom of my palms. Straight arming comes from putting too much weight on your hands while riding. Your elbows aren't meant to support your whole upper body, but to flex & absorb bumps. Definitely strengthen your core muscles & try to bend your elbows a little while riding so as to evenly distribute your weight.

[Pedal Wench]

I've been getting symptoms of trigger finger - my pinky and ring finger don't move smoothly - they snap from one position to the next. I've only gotten it a few mornings, and it's better in a little while. I don't know if it's cycling related, because the first time I got symptoms, I had been off the bike for over a week. I've only woken up with it for a few days, but it's really a weird thing.

[latelatebloomer]

I had some really severe hand problems a few years ago, pre-riding days. No one could diagnose it. I went to an acupucturist and she cured it. She insisted that I keep my hands warm at all times - wearing gloves to do my barn chores and other outside stuff even when it was only a little chilly, making sure I waited til water was warm before I wash my hands.

Also, we tend to curl our hands and wrists up in all kinds of contortions when we sleep, restricting blood flow and healing. I wore braces that kept my hands and wrists in a straight but relaxed position.

I hope these ideas can help your hands heal up faster, too.