Hand Numbness

Chris Kuebert

Rode my first century on Saturday on my rode bike and now I have a little bit of numbness in my right pinky and ring finger.  I have been fit to my bike and have not had a chance to talk to the fitter yet.  I have a round bar (not flat top).  

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Coach Rich

It happens, I get numbness in my hands during a ride but not afterwards. Gloves with gel in the palms, flat top bars, change hand positions, a lot. That's what I do but I still get it. 

Scott Alexander

My hands get numb all the time on the road bike, mostly from gripping one spot too hard (ex, descents) and not changing hand positions frequently enough like Rich said.

For the last several years I've used the Ironman-branded Spenco gloves, which have some great gels in the palm, but haven't been able to find them lately, so had to switch to another brand (Specialized), which I don't like as much for this exact reason!

Chris Kuebert

Thanks for the info.....I have some MTB specialized gloves with pads, I will try those.

 

Ralph Moore

If you get numbness in the thumb, index, and long finger it is commonly due to compression of the median nerve. Numbness in the ring and fifth finger is ulnar nerve compression. Ulnar sided Numbness is more common in hand positions used on road bikes and straight aero bars that cause the wrist to be flexed to the side. Flexed Aero bars (witht he turned up fronts) less commonly cause numbness. If the numbness resolves with positional changes and rest, it is usually of less significance. If the numbness worsens or persists, you might need further evaluation for nerve impingement. The suggestions above are all good to try to see if you can resolve the problem without further medical evaluation.



FYI I used to get hand numbness in the thumb and index finger when I rode and I later developed carpal tunnel syndrome. I had surgery and have had no problems since.