Hand numbness... from elbow?

theselinskiest
theselinskiest Posts: 4
edited July 2017 in Road beginners
Hi All -
3 months ago I started riding again for the first time in 25 years. So glad I'm back at it. I'm having a nagging issue with hand numbness though, and I'm wondering if you have any suggestions. I don't think this is typical hand numbness. I change my hand position on the bars every few minutes, and I use all parts of the bars. Without fail, my right hand starts going numb at 30 minutes into a ride. Once it starts, it's impossible to completely remedy.

At first, I tried taking my hand off the bars and rolling my hand in a circular motion. That would help for the moment. But I noticed one day that if I bent my elbow completely in (like bringing my hand to my shoulder), my elbow would be very sore. So I'm wondering if I'm actually cutting off circulation at the elbow, and just feeling it in my hand. I make sure that my elbows aren't locked, and make sure I always keep some bend in them.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any remedies? I tried angling my handlebars back another 2º but that didn't help. I was thinking of taking 20mm off the stem. But before I go down a rabbit hole, I thought I'd ask you fine folks.

TIA!

Comments

  • Where does your hand go numb - all over, fingers on the thumb side or fingers on the other side?

    If you definitely think it's elbow related, have a read of the following link and see if it fits:

    Cubital tunnel syndrome
  • Interesting, it's actually the opposite: the numbness is strongest in my thumb, fore, and middle fingers. I get a little in my ring finger and none in my pinky
  • Which sounds like the distribution of the median nerve. That is the one involved in carpal tunnel syndrome - there are others places it can be pinched, such as the elbow or the forearm. Might be worth a visit to the GP to get it properly assessed, as occasionally the nerve can be damaged if left under pressure.

    Median nerve on Wikipedia
  • Damn... alright thanks man