Numb/ tingling hand

TRbike

I did a 100 miler on saturday at the end of the ride my left hand was tingling and numb, especially my little finger. This is not the first time this has happened but ussually goes away after an hour or two. But this time its still here 4days on. Im worried, have I done some serious damage?

How can I prevent this happening again?

estampida

specialised did alot of research on the nerves within your hand a few years ago, ther is some sort of pressure point in the muscle of your thumb or summit,

check the web site

or knock 1 out, what ever suits

velvetytoast

I used to have the same problem and bought some of the specialised gloves - not that expensive and seem to sort it out

gaddster

I just got some Giro Monza gloves and they have cured my right hand finger numbness. They don't have the gel pads down the centre of the glove palm which seems to have helped me. YMMV though.

Wacky Racer

I suffered from this problem when I took up MTB'ing some years ago. Firstly, it is unlikely to be anything to worry about, this is much more common than people realise. In my case I tried a few things one at a time to see the effect. It comes from leaning on the bar at a certain point on the outer edge of your left hand for long periods. It was easier to cure on a MTB because I was able to fit gel grips, but I guess there must be something that can be achieved with bar tape. I also use lightweight gloves (Troy Lee), they are actually XC gloves but they make a difference. Apparently others have improved the problem by fitting wider bars because it changes the angle of the pressure. Seat height and stem length can also make a difference, hence it's best to play around with different ideas one at a time to see what works best for you.

I guess it depends how much it bothers you, for me it was pretty frustrating for a while, so was glad to get it sorted.

Xommul

You are putting too much weight on your hands and arms. You need to adjust your riding position so that you can support your upper body without leaning forward so much.

Go for a bike fit, it will save you in the long run.

Xom

alwaystoohot

Xom, you got yer Rose yet?

lef

the specialized comp gloves are very good as far as placement and amount of padding. Are you holding the hoods or are you holding the curved section of the bar which bends round to the hoods? i find this causes numbness.

marcusjb

Problems with numbness in the little finger (and usually the outside edge of your ring finger) are related to the ulnar nerver. This is the 'better' one to damage (compared to the median nerve (carpal tunnel nerve).

The damage is unlikely to be permanent after only 100miles - it will go away in days or weeks. Nerves are funny things and take their own time to sort out.

There's a few things that can be done to help out - some of it bike fit stuff, some of it discipline on the bike.

A good fit is essential - making sure there's not too much weight on your hands etc.

Bar gel, MarSAS padding etc. can help.

Make sure any transition points around the levers etc. are smooth (i.e. no little ledges).

Move your hands around as you ride - use the hoods, the flats, the bends, the drops etc. - don't sit in one position all day.

Learn to drink and feed yourself with both hands (let's say you only ever drink with your right hand - this puts an awful lot of pressure on the left when you're riding all day).

Gloves - try several pairs - maybe swap them half way through the day - don't be afraid to ride without gloves for a few hours.

Think that's about it for my thoughts. I suffered with ulnar nerve damage on my first 400km event earlier in the year - so went for a bike fitting, talked through the problems with other riders and came up with the above list. So far, touch wood, I have not had further aggravation with it despite now having ridden 600km events (and readying myself for Paris-Brest-Paris in August).

It is a very common problem in distance cycling - but that combination of fitting and your discipline on the bike will help (moving about your hands will also help your shoulders, neck etc.).

Hope that helps a little.

ai_1

TRbike wrote:

I did a 100 miler on saturday at the end of the ride my left hand was tingling and numb, especially my little finger. This is not the first time this has happened but ussually goes away after an hour or two. But this time its still here 4days on. Im worried, have I done some serious damage?

I would imagine the most likely cause is hand related but there is another possibility worth pointing out. Numbness in the fingers can be caused by pinching of the nerves to your hand where they exit the spine at your neck vertabrae.
I had pins and needles in my little finger, sometimes for several days, about 18 months ago. I'd had some neck stiffness for a couple of months prior to that and it turned out that finger numbness is a common symptom of neck issues. It's not necessarily serious or hard to deal with. Some physio on my neck and the finger problem went away.

My problem was not cycling related (it was before I started cycling) but cycling can cause neck problems too and it's possible your 100 mile ride irritated your neck, not your hand.
Again, I'm not saying this is the most likely cause but I wouldn't rule it out. Especially if you do have any neck discomfort.