Cycling and hand numbness.

D

DavidN1978

Experienced
Hey guys n gals.
I've tried to get back into cycling recently and having never had any previous problems before but now I've found after short bike rides am getting numbness in my little + ring fingers on my left hand only ( am guessing caused by handlebar vibrations ! )
Feels like my funny bone is being hit again and again.
It's not as bad as it was but I've stopped for a week and am still getting pins and needles in my 2 left hand fingers to a much lesser extent but as a guitarist it's making it tricky !!
Anyone had this problem / can offer any advice ?
Will rest up meanwhile and hope it fixes itself !
- David
 
I'm no doc, but that's usually a pinched/agitated nerve somewhere in the neck. I had this for many years and after lot's of tests this was the diagnosis. Extending your arms in front of you or over your head usually aggravates the nerve and manifests itself as pain and tingling/loss of feeling and strength in the arms and hands. Lot's of people have it...usually the more active you were in your life the more likely you are to have it. You can live fine with it as moderate symptoms. For it to last for 2 weeks non-stop is a little worrisome though. If this is what it is you have to be careful, as an extreme movement can permanently damage the nerve. If this is what it is, time is the only thing that works unless you want to have disc surgery (you don't, trust me I know.) Worth going to the doctor to check out if you still have constant tingling after a couple months.
 
Many thanks for the reply - I've googled around and seen it's very common in cyclists but as a guitarist I need my fingers !
I'll rest up another week and failing that will see the doc.

fatandugly said:
I'm no doc, but that's usually a pinched/agitated nerve somewhere in the neck. I had this for many years and after lot's of tests this was the diagnosis. Extending your arms in front of you or over your head usually aggravates the nerve and manifests itself as pain and tingling/loss of feeling and strength in the arms and hands. Lot's of people have it...usually the more active you were in your life the more likely you are to have it. You can live fine with it as moderate symptoms. For it to last for 2 weeks non-stop is a little worrisome though. If this is what it is you have to be careful, as an extreme movement can permanently damage the nerve. If this is what it is, time is the only thing that works unless you want to have disc surgery (you don't, trust me I know.) Worth going to the doctor to check out if you still have constant tingling after a couple months.
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I'm also a cyclist and have and still do somewhat suffer from this (for years). It goes away seconds after I'm off the bike. A good positioning setup and assessment on the bike from a professional store is important to be able to determine if there is something in your positioning that is affecting the hands. For my setup I've been able to reduce the amount of hand pressure on the handlebars by adjusting the seating position. I also think it improves over time as you develop leg and core strength you become less reliant subconsciously on your arms for support. I also found that switching hand positions frequently helps too and for that you need to be using drop bars. Another thing is to use a good pair of padded bike gloves and thick padded handlebar tape. I hope this can be of some help.
 
Many thanks for your reply too - the first time it happened the numbness went away in a couple of hours.
After a few short rides ( 9 miles or so ) it didn't seem to let up.
Basically the country lanes here are like cycling on the surface of the moon so holding onto a metal bar sending vibrations up my arm probably wasn't the best plan.
The numbness has moved back to the elbow today.
I'll get my bike fitted up properly and will get some good padded gloves + handlebar tape as advised.
Thanks again - appreciated !
 
As a longtime cyclist and former racer I can tell you most of these types of problems are from poor bicycle fit or setup. If the bike fits properly it is usually just a combination of seat and handlebar adjustments so your hands are mostly lightly floating on the handlebars. Find a good shop that does bike fittings and things should get a lot better.
 
DavidN1978 said:
Basically the country lanes here are like cycling on the surface of the moon so holding onto a metal bar sending vibrations up my arm probably wasn't the best plan.
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If the roads you ride are really rough you might want to look into a bike designed for rough roads and cobble stones like the Specialized Roubaix. I have one and it really does smooth out the ride.
 
AZG said:
If the roads you ride are really rough you might want to look into a bike designed for rough roads and cobble stones like the Specialized Roubaix. I have one and it really does smooth out the ride.
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Yeah - something with suspension is definitely going to be needed !
I just about stayed on the bike so if I can't fix my elbow for cycling / playing guitar I'd still have a good career at wrestling jackhammers ;)
 
Same here. I do not ride my bicycle much but when I do my left hand goes numb. Try a tennis band on your forearm and see if that helps. That helps me when I am going gardening or heavy lifting.
 
I am also a cyclist and completely agree that proper setup is key. You may also want to look into (if you do not already have them) some sort of vibration killing inserts to put into the ends of your handlebars. Check out Specialized or Bontrager - both make inexpensive inserts that plug into your handlebars that make a HUGE difference in reducing road vibration.
 
Many thanks for all these answers.
So slight numbness 1 week after being off the bike ( but with normal, no weights or cycling ) isn't uncommon ?
 
Get some of these -> ERGON BIKE ERGONOMICS ...and a pair of special cycling cloves. I know the problem, its a nerve irritation, most common of cyclists called "ulnar nerve irritation" ( Ulnar nerve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ).
I'm a cyclist myself (approx. 12'000km per year!!!), had these problems after a long bicycle ride in 2011 (couldn't play guitar for almost 2 weeks afterwards) since I use ergonomic hand bars and special "gel pad" cloves, I got none such problems again.....:)

cheers
Paco

PS: Corection, these were mine: ERGON BIKE ERGONOMICS
 
DavidN1978 said:
Many thanks for all these answers.
So slight numbness 1 week after being off the bike ( but with normal, no weights or cycling ) isn't uncommon ?
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Numbness when your off the bike is uncommon if your bike fits properly and is setup properly. A little numbness while riding longer distances is pretty common, but should stop once you move your hands around or get off for a few minutes. If you are riding cobblestones for long distances only a full suspension mountain bike will make that comfortable ;-)
 
You should get a Mary Poppins type bike then you don't have to angle your neck like you have to do on modern bikes where you put your head down and point your arse at motorists who are already thinking of murdering you for holding them up :razz

(You can also pick up some shopping if you fit a basket)

Or get a Harley Chopper .... at least the vibrations will be going somewhere beneficial then ;)
 
Evidently I've p*ssed off my ulnar nerve - googled it and it's describing how my elbow + fingers feel down to a tee !
Feels like my funny bone keeps going off like a cheap car alarm but nowhere near as bad as a few days ago.
I'll rest it up and thanks to all your answers - will definitely make the needed modifications to my wheels and grab some padded gloves too as I was loving getting back into cycling !
Have a good week all !!
 
Talk with: cragginshred. He is a physical therapist. Here's a video he made in regards to hands and forearms: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/lounge/71038-hand-therapy-video.html. He can help you!

I have gotten numbness riding as well. As I have aged, I have to raise the stem height to take some of the weight off of my wrists and transfer it to my back. It sucks when its windy! Consider getting a shorter steering stem as well. Mine is pretty short. I don't remember the length but it helped.
 
Thanks for posting the link HwyStar! David watch the portion that goes into nerve glides. Bike set up would be key too to prevent needing the nerve glides.
 
cragginshred said:
Thanks for posting the link HwyStar! David watch the portion that goes into nerve glides. Bike set up would be key too to prevent needing the nerve glides.
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Appreciated - will let you know how I get on.
Rest assured I won't touch my bike again until I've had it set up !
 
I've had similar problems, but it was my thumb and first two fingers. I already have a full suspension mountain bike, so I needed another solution... ;-) The problem turned out to mostly be a pinched nerve and some disc damage in my neck, between (I think) C5-C6 which controls the nerves that go to those fingers. The pinky and ring finger are on a different circuit, so a different set of vertebra would be involved if that's where the cause is. There's also something called the "first rib" that can get involved in wrist and hand problems, including numbness, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

I found a combination of chiropractic and massage (to relax the muscles involved in the pinched nerve) solved it. If you can find a good chiropractor they should be able to help a lot, as would someone who can do deep massage (not just the swedish relaxation type, I needed deeper myofascial type work).

Hope this helps...
jb
 
AZG said:
If the roads you ride are really rough you might want to look into a bike designed for rough roads and cobble stones like the Specialized Roubaix. I have one and it really does smooth out the ride.
Click to expand...

I second that with the Roubaix. I have one too and its very comfortable even with my 245 ib body riding own it for long distances.
 
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