Numb fingers

[Cecilanne]

Have you ever noticed whether your fingers go numb when you are not riding? Like when you are cold or under stress? I have Raynaud's Phenomenon, which is a condition in which something triggers the blood vessels in the extremities (fingers, toes, hands, feet) to constrict, causing numbness (among other things). Although my RP is a hereditary rheumatic form, RP can also be acquired as a result of trauma and it is common to see in bikers who experience a lot of road vibration. Vibration triggers mine all the time. Good gloves help - I also have the Trek "buzzkill" ends in my handlebars and that seems to help as well. There isn't really a "test" for RP - just symptomology - but you might want to check with your doc if it is becoming a big problem. There are test for the various rheumatic conditions that can cause it. RP isn't necessarily dangerous in and of itself - but the one thing my doctor is adamant about is that I must never ever smoke (not that I would anyway, but apparently that can create havoc with RP because of tobacco's constricting effect)

[Deanna]

You may want to check the angle of your saddle as well. If the "nose" is pointed a little too far downward, your body may be pitching forward just enough to put too much pressure on them. The slightly down nose position initially felt more comfortable to me, but it was leading to numbness in the hands.

[Dok-torr]

I recently read an advice letter about the same thing and they said to check the position of your shoulders while you ride. Apparently where your brachial plexus (the nerves that supply everything to your arms) exits the base of the neck through the scalene muscles, can be affected by shoulder position. If you squash these nerves before they even get to your arms it can cause numbness. To relieve it we often sit up a bit and shake the hands around so we think its the hand position but it is often at the shoulder/neck. You wont be getting pain in the neck though as its just the nerves passing through the scalenes.
I get numb fingers on my upright commuter and had noticed it was more in the head-wind and when I was pushing it harder. My instinct is to hunch up my shoulders when I ride hard. I now make a conscious effort to relax my shoulders, even to pull them down, towards my waist and it has really improved.
Worth a try?

[KnottedYet]

What the good Dok-Torrr said. Think about keeping your shoulderblades pulled down toward your bra strap and your sternum held up proudly. (get that lower trap working!)

[Trek420]

obviously we all use computers, and some of this is just a risk of too much "screen time".

So make sure your computer situation at home and work is ergonomicly sound. And try to log off more...except for TE of course.

It's important to get up, move around, stretch at work. There are excercises I do at my desk for hands and arms.

[Triskeliongirl]

Usually this means too much of your body weight is being supported by your hands. Sometimes moving your saddle back a tad can help redistribute your weight, as long as that doesn't negatively impact your knee over pedal position. Anywhere from neutral to 2 cm back though is good for power and hill climbing, so unless your saddle is already very back moving it a little further may help. Try small changes though, say 5mm at a time.

[hirakukibou]

I noticed too that with my Fuji I have I have more numbness than the Luna. I think it has to do with fit. I have to reach farther with the Fuji and I think the stem is too long. I am not sure what it is doing with my shoulders but the numbness is worse the more stretched out I am it seems.