Bike Forums - Numb hands

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Thanks for the article.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldacura (Post 18904648)

I did set up a bike fit. I checked with Boulder Center For Sports Medicine. They have since been bought out by the University of Colorado. I don't know if Andy Pruitt is still with them but I seriously doubt that he would be doing my fit. Likely one of his apprentices. They now charge $300 for a fit plus doctor charges if I want a "medical fit". I guess that the doc charges will be submitted to my insurance but I don't know how beneficial this will be. I decided to go with a fitter at a Golden, Co. bike shop who was recommended by several people.

With regard to gloves: I only recently tried wearing gloves. I tried some Specialized "Grail" gloves. They have padding in the middle of the palm with the idea that the load can be distributed better. The gloves don't seem to help. Just now when I was riding I note that I spend most of my time with my thumbs & forefingers wrapped around the brake levers and most of the load on the "heel" of my palm - between the pads for my thumb & pinky. In an area with very little meat. I now think that if gloves would do any good, I would need to find some with padding in the center of the heel.

Well, that's the problem right there. The ulnar nerve is located in the center of the heel. As my Numb Hands link in a previous comment showed, your weight should never be there, rather on the base of the thumb or the outside heel of the hand. Change all your grips so that the center of the heel is never loaded. Go back and review that post.

BTW, that's the reason that decent cycling gloves don't have padding there. The padding would press on the ulnar nerve. Rather they are padded to prevent pressure in that area.

I have not seen any comment on seat tilt. If your seat is tilted down, your weight will bear down on your hands. (ouch) Not usually a problem with 2,3 or 4mm but 5 and definitely 6mm will start to significantly increase pressure on your hands. Just use a small torpedo level and a few allen keys to make the determination.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian25 (Post 18907639)

Definitely check seat tilt. I put a new Adamo seat for my wife a week ago, after a few adjustments during the rides she started complaining about pain and numbness in her hands something that never happened before. Today I removed all tilt and zero pain or numbness as well as her butt pain is gone. Albeit was only a 23 mile ride but she said a world of difference.

So I had a bike fit (on my single bike). My intent was to try to migrate the saddle position & bar position to our tandem.

The fitter changed my single pretty radically. Cleats on shoes moved from far forward to far back. Saddle moved down & back. Bars moved up & back.

I've ridden the single on several short rides. It seems to be more comfortable initially but I find that the new position takes weight off my shoulders/arms/hands and transfers the strain to my lower back. My "core" has always been weak and this new position makes that more obvious. At the end of a short ride, my hands are no longer numb but my lower back is really sore. Aside from doing exercises to strengthen my lower back & abs, I'm just trading one complaint for another.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldacura (Post 18957392)

So I had a bike fit (on my single bike). My intent was to try to migrate the saddle position & bar position to our tandem.

The fitter changed my single pretty radically. Cleats on shoes moved from far forward to far back. Saddle moved down & back. Bars moved up & back.

I've ridden the single on several short rides. It seems to be more comfortable initially but I find that the new position takes weight off my shoulders/arms/hands and transfers the strain to my lower back. My "core" has always been weak and this new position makes that more obvious. At the end of a short ride, my hands are no longer numb but my lower back is really sore. Aside from doing exercises to strengthen my lower back & abs, I'm just trading one complaint for another.

Gotta grin at that one. Can't fix weak with fit. One of my mantras. Aging just makes that more apparent. Heck, when we were 20, we didn't know what "bike fit" meant because it didn't really matter. It matters more when we get old and weak, but it's not really a fix. In lieu of working out at a gym, Core Advantage offers a way forward. Just riding a lot is also a fix. It'll gradually get better. My system is "make my back hurt like hell, then rest it. Repeat."

Unlike numb hands, back pain is fixable. Numb hands never goes away, they only get worse until they're non-functional.

I get hand numbness issues. Over the years I have discovered that I have wimpy trapezius muscles, and that it's important to have the right width of handlebars. Handlebars should roughly be the same width as your shoulder blades.

When I remember to do the trapezius exercises, I have zero numbness. I also find that doing abdominal exercises gives me better endurance on bike.