Dull ache at base of thumbs

jonny_trousers

I posted this over a year ago in Commuting and didn't find anyone who had suffered anything similar, so I thought I'd give it a try here. Anyone get this? It's in the thick muscle at the base of my thumbs and is exacerbated when wearing mitts/gloves. I have so far only ever used non-oversized bars (soon to be rectified) and I don't know whether that might have a bearing. Beyond that I'm completely stumped.

StorckSpeed

I've experienced this in the past but only for short periods of time. In my case this is usually brought on by a change of kit, the two most recent occurences I experienced were new STI Levers and new mitts.
I've subsequently managed to complete a couple of centuries so things can get better.
Your placing too much prolonged weight on the fleshy bit at the base of your thumb. I'll bet you spend most of your time riding with your hands on the corner of the bars ?
If you're experiencing this all the time, you need to change something on your bike.
Over-sized bars might be a start, buy ones with a softer curve on the top of the bars rather than a sharp curve. Fit Specialized Bar Phat tape, this is thicker than standard tape and includes gel pads which fit between the bars and tape to increase comfort. (It only comes in one colour - black. If this is an issue then just buy Cinelli gel pads instead).
Buy new gloves preferrably with gel inserts, GORE BIKE WEAR are good as they're really comfortable and give good guidance on measuring your hand to get the right sized glove. (They need some time to settle into the shape of your hand but stick with them).
If you can, increase the height of the bars slightly so that you have a more upright sitting position.
Lastly - actively look to change hand position every 10-15 minutes. Good guide is every time you take a drink change hand position. If your riding in the country and not using your brakes all the time there are at least 5 possible hand positions you adopt, vary between them.

Hope some of this helps and good luck with getting rid of the problem.

gmacz

Could simply be the gloves that are causing the problem.
I had it when I changed from fingerless gloves into full winter gloves mid journey.
Now use much thinner gloves especially around the thumb area, the extra force needed to compress the padding in the gloves was the problem when changing gear etc.

jonny_trousers

Thanks guys,

It is a weird one and is definitely worse when wearing gloves. I'm inclined to agree with gmacz in that, contrary to what you might expect, I would be better off with mitts/gloves without much padding at all.

I actually do have the Specialized Phat tape on one of my bikes and that one is particularly uncomfortable.

I tend to alter my hand positions regularly too and am ache free when on the drops.

One common factor among all the bikes I have ridden and suffered this problem with is that the bars are a little more narrow than is ideally suited for my size. I wonder if this is perhaps causing me to support my upper bodyweight on the heel of the thumbs rather than along the line between them and my first finger?

I have a nice, wide 3T Ergonova bar on order which I hope will help, but I think I will avoid too much padding beneath the bar tape to begin with.

Thanks again!

skyblueamateur

Slightly off subject but I get pins and needles in my hands quite frequently when I'm out on my bike. Any idea's?

StorckSpeed

Are you using flat bars or drop handlebars ?

skyblueamateur

Drops

StorckSpeed

Sounds like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001469/
If it is, you need to avoid putting pressure on the 'heel of your hand,' where your wrist and palm meet. See the diagrams.
The pointers I gave above still stand, especailly changing hand position frequently.

If it continues see a Doctor for proper diagnosis.

kayakerchris

Actually the commonest problem causing pins and needles in cyclists is too much pressure on the ulnar nerve and not the median nerve. However you do not tell us which fingers are going numb so all bets are equal.

jonny_trousers

Any chance you lads could take the carpal tunnel syndrome discussion elesewhere? I'm not suffering it myself and would rather the email alerts I receive related to my issue.

Best wishes in finding a solution.

suffolk-commuter

On aching thumbs, I had this for the first time at the weekend after completing a 31mi loop. Cold and misty weather so I wore some thicker gloves than normal - fingerless 'Thinsulate'.
In Sept I returned to cycling after 20+ years and his was my longest ride to date, so I initially put it down to lack of fitness but after reading this thread, there seems to be a common factor emerging and maybe there is something in the fact that there was extra padding involved. I now wonder if the extra movement of the padding resulted in reduced stability causing me to grip the bars tighter.

More testing needed this weekend I think.