Loss of grip in hand

ksalno
ksalno Posts: 8
edited July 2008 in Road beginners
Just started riding this year. After 25 miles of riding mostly on the hoods, I noticed that my hands get a little numb and tingle. This goes away fairly quickly after my ride. What is more concerning is that I lose grip in my left hand. It isn't sore and there is no muscle ache, I just can't generate any grip between my thumb and forefinger. I can grip a steering wheel fine but if I try to pull a drapery cord or use a finger nail trimmer, I don't have enough strength to operate them with one hand. This gradually gets better over time but if I ride every 2-3 days, I never fully recover the grip in one hand.

Is this unusual or is it something I will get used to (like the sore bum) after enough miles? Any suggestions for minimizing would also be appreciated.

Comments

  • Rich Hcp
    Rich Hcp Posts: 1,355
    I know that if you put too much weight on the bars then the hands can go numb

    Is your grip REALLY tight?

    I think you should go see someone about it
    Richard

    Giving it Large
  • FCE2007
    FCE2007 Posts: 962
    Rich Hcp wrote:
    ... I think you should go see someone about it

    But don't shake their hand :lol:
    Powered by Haribo.
  • ris
    ris Posts: 392
    are you wearing gloves at all? you may find that they reduce the buzz up into the hands.

    i'd still get it checked over though, to see if they can offer any help.
  • gumball3000
    gumball3000 Posts: 14
    I get that....

    Not as bad as that, but I get it pretty bad if I have been riding for several days back to back.

    Mine comes from too much pressure on my Ulnar nerve. I have fairly big hands and was using a standard road bar. The vibration from the road and my weight pressing on the nerve led to dead hand.....

    Try a glove with a gel section over the ulnar. Specialized do them, for one....

    I changed to an FSA K Wing bar as it has a large flat top and it took the pressure off. 6 days riding in the Pyrenees with over 6 hours a day and no issue.

    Try the gloves first though! It's cheaper!
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,715
    It could be that your hands are just knackered from riding on the hoods. It happens to mine too. The beauty of drops is that you have 4 positions to choose from - Bottom of the drops, in the drops by the shifters, hoods and tops. Each position requires gripping in a different way, so can give you hands a rest. In or at the bottom of the drops puts more weight on your hands than being on the hoods, so those positions may not help as much, but as you sit more upright while on the tops, the weight through your hands is reduced (it can be taken down to essentially zero by leaning back a bit, while still retaining control). Switch to riding on the tops for a few minutes every so often and you'll probably see some improvement.
  • ksalno
    ksalno Posts: 8
    Thanks. I've done some reading and I'd say it is definitely the ulnar nerve, so thanks for that lead. I have Specialized gloves with gel padding and an FSA SL-K bar that is wrapped with gel tape, so I think the best advice is to keep changing my hand position. The trail I ride on is fairly crowded with other cyclists, joggers, roller bladers, etc. so I tend to stay on the hoods a lot to keep my fingers on the brake levers just in case someone does something unexpected. But I'll try riding in the drops more. Although there is still pressure on the hands, I think just getting my wrist into a different position may help. I'll also try using the top of the bar more, although I don't feel like I have as much control of the bike when I am on the top of the bar.

    Thanks again for the excellent tips.

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