Numb fingers

oblongomaculatus wrote:

I don't think it's something that can be improved by adjusting anything on the bike.

What have you tried?

I think this is the ulnar nerve, isn't it? The ideas already mentioned can help, as can moving your hands around on the bike as often as you can.

I went for the top of the range Specialized mitts which have extra padding and also got different bar tape with more padding. Specialized is called "phat" I think but mine is a different brand.

My little finger on my left hand is a bit tingly now, come to think of it, and I haven't been on the bike since Sunday :shock:

The usual culprit is keeping the hands in the same place for long period and/or having a lot of pressure on the wrong part of the heel of the hand. However if you're pretty sure it's not caused by that and gloves and hand position make little difference it's possible it could be a neck problem.
A typical symptom of a pinched nerve exiting the spine is numbness in the hand, usually starting with the little finger. I injured my neck several years ago and for a few years after I was prone to numbness in my left little finger from time to time. I was told it was a common issue for injuries at that specific location (C4 I think). It's improved since and rarely effects me now. Maybe your position on the bike is putting pressure on a nerve at your neck and causing numbness? The fact you get it in both hands might make this less likely but worth checking out.

Just did a couple of back to back 95 milers and after 2nd day and a really hard matress, have numbness in middle, ring and little fingers. Now fading on the left hand after a day of rest, still not great on right hand.
I have pretty short arms, so reckon too much pressure on the hands with correct saddle position. Altura Pro-gel gloves.
The neck thing make sense, so would the solution be to raise the handlebars to avoid long hours spent with the neck cranked up ?
Or go all mountain bikey and put an adjustable height seat post so I can back on the downhill / coasting parts...?

Thanks Elfed, sounds very similar to my symptoms, so will take a look at that.
Geometry wise, raising the handle bars will also put the hands more in line too. So a combination of handlebar angle + height adjustments might do the trick.

Sounds like an ulnar nerve problem, although given that it spreads onto other fingers, median can be involved as well.
Do you get pins and needles after you're off the bike? Do the fingers change colour? If yes to either of these, it's likely to be circulatory, not neural.
Look up palm innervation for ulnar and median nerves and compare it with the localization of your numbness.
The difficulty with nerves is that the problem can be located anywhere between the neck and the palm. There are fairly straightforward ways to find out where, but if you're in the UK, every step takes three months...

I was 'blessed' with a similar sounding issue, but with median nerve after a bike/car accident (I got knocked off on a t-junction). It was November 2012, they can still only say it's median nerve, and not in the wrist. The jury is still out...

What helps me when the fingers numb up, is to swing the arm(s) in a pendular motion three or four times; it makes the numbness go away for a few minutes; that's why I suspect my problem is in the shoulders, somewhere in the brachial plexus, perhaps, although the last neurologist I saw said it was more likely to be in the neck, around C6.
The downer is that that arm-swinging thing works only to a degree, and I have to do it more and more often as a ride progresses. Still, gets me through a day of touring OK, and it doesn't persist after the ride; not for long, anyway. A break for a few minutes, just walking around, also resets it almost completely.

It's interesting that I don't experience anything like that with any other sports, i.e., kayaking or rowing, where it could be expected. The only other activity that gives it to me is pushing a pram...

And unfortunately, you're right in terms of how long it takes. My first private GP was quite convinced it was the carpal tunnel syndrome, so tests had to be carried out. Since it is related to an accident, a lot of other people were involved in arranging it, and six months down the road the test came back with nothing: it's not the wrists. Back to square one, and each other step is worth six months, with little progress in diagnostics and no improvement to the actual condition.

But if it bothers you, the earlier you start the process, the earlier you'll get your answer and probably a cure. I'd advise you to pop in to your local surgery and have a chat with them. At least it'll get the process going.

Since you were asking for a medical solution, I would recommend PMFT, it generally supports blood circulation thus reducing pain and many other discomforts including the numbness you talked about.