I also suffered from numbness in my hands. I also have a shoulder that would ache really bad after a long ride, the results of a tear years ago. I have 2 flat bar bikes and even with bar ends there was never enough places to move the hands to. So, most of my riding was done on my Cannondale T2000. I finally extended the stem and shortened it but though better, I still had pain. The pain appeared even on my short 5 mile daily commute.

In May this year I bought a Easy Racer Tour Easy recumbent. First day to work, and no hand pain at all. This week I will roll up 2,100 miles with the longest trip of 450 miles in 5 days with no hand pain at all. The shoulder has not bothered me since I started riding the bent. I am much slower up hills but I still get there in the end. I just completed 82 miles of the Harvest Century in Oregon yesterday and rode to work this morning with no pain. Needless to say I am sold on recumbents.
Phil