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Beginner Cycling

Goose T.
Goose T. Sendmail

Numb hands and fingers

asked 8 months ago | Report

I searched for this topic, thinking maybe other have had this problem but didn't see a thread on it.

My hands and fingers go numb when I'm riding my bike. Do any of you have tips on why this is happening, and/or what I can do to make it stop? Or is this just something that occurs when cycling?

Thank you to anyone who can give me some advice!

*Edited: I don't know how to reply to your answers so I guess I'll answer by editing.

My bike is an older (1990s) schwinn mountain bike. I doubt it's carpal tunnel that is the problem because it only happens on the bike. I will try not to lean so much on the handlebars tomorrow when I ride and try not to grip tightly. Bars aren't straight - kind of mustache-ish shape.

*Update March 2012: it still happens occasionally and I find that moving my hands around or remembering not to lean on the bars helps! Thanks everyone! I may look into gel grips too.

Answer

19 answers

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  • G-Bones
    G-Bones Sendmail

    One of the keys for me is changing hand positions on the bars regularly, and also not having elbows locked straight, keeping arms loose so-to-speak !

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Jill E.
    Jill E. Sendmail

    I have the same problem. It's only my left hand and its just my thumb, index and middle finger. I rode 20mi on Tuesday and it didn't happen one time. Rode 10mi yesterday and it happened almost the entire ride. I can't figure it out. My trainer suggested I get some gloves. Someone else told me it might be carpal tunnel, but I don't think so. I don't notice it with any other activity (except when using TRX) and my hands don't hurt, etc. I'm going to try the gloves and see if that helps. Good luck.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Mitch
    Mitch Sendmail

    Do you wear gloves? If not that may help. The other thing is bicycle fit. Its hard to say without seeing you on the bike but you may have too much weight on your wrists. There are a few adjustments that can be made. My suggestion is go in to your local bike shop and ask for some advice. Any decent LBS should be able to give you some pointers.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Francesca
    Francesca Sendmail

    Similar issue here - my left pinkie finger has been going numb. What I've read says it is pressure on the ulnar nerve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nerves_of_the_left_upper_extremity.gif

    On a long ride tomorrow I'm going to try several things. First, relax the upper body, drop the shoulders and flatten the back - opposite of "turtle" position. Second, I'll try not to grip the handlebars quite so tightly. Third, rest each hand periodically, especially the left, by riding with one hand while shaking out the other one.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Richard C.
    Richard C. Sendmail

    You are most likely irritating a neve in the wrist or at the base of your hands. The wrist is not designed to hold a lot of weight and biking seems to bother it. There is a spot in the base of the palm where a lot of nerves channel and that is right in a spot where bikers like to rest their hands when riding.

    Here are several suggestions:

    1) Use biking gloves with good gel in the palms to cushion and absorb shock.

    2) Try to learn to relax the hands on the bars/drops/hoods. Don't ride with a "Death Grip" on them. Learn to just hold them and not squeeze.

    3) Move your hands around often (every 3-4 minutes) from the hoods to the bars to the drops. Shift the grip on the hoods from time to time.

    4) Work on building core strength in your body so the arms/wrists/hands do not have to support so much weight. The stronger your core (stomach and back) the less you have to rely on your arms/wrists/hands from keeping your nose from hitting the cycle computer resulting in less pressure on those sore areas.

    answered 8 months ago |edited 8 months ago |Report

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  • Kevin M.
    Kevin M. Sendmail

    What kind of bike are you riding? Road? Hybrid? Mountain? A big mistake most novice riders make is putting (too much) weight on their hands when riding. You should be supporting your torso with your core muscles, your hands and arms really shouldn't be supporting too much and be kept neutral. This ensures proper weight balance and handling charactersistics.

    On bikes with flat bars like a hybrid or mountain bike, this is much more common and is usually due in part to poor grips or padding. Gloves and good grips will help. There are also ergonomic handlebar grips available that help to releive pressure on the ulnar nerve. On a road bike, usually it comes down to nothing more than weight balance and adjusting the hoods properly on the handlebar, but there are also ergonomic road bars available for riders who spend a lot of time riding with their hands up top.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Cris M.
    Cris M. Sendmail

    not a good sign...I would talk with a doctor. Do you see a chiropractor or have any back pain??? May do well to see a chiropractor for spinal adjustment after speaking with an MD.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • George R.
    George R. Sendmail

    I'm a professional pianist and have really sensitive hands. Using a good pair of gloves will definitely help, along with all the other points people have made about ride position, seat height, etc..

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Lucy C.
    Lucy C. Sendmail

    Do you have just straight handlebars, or have you also got bar ends?

    I find cycling for any length of time on the handlebars makes my hands and wrists ache - and bar ends are a real godsend to help you switch up hand positions during a longer ride.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Ryan
    Ryan Sendmail

    What Richard said - exactly. Only other thing is what Mitch said about a fitting, specifically saddle and handlebar height.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Steve R J.
    Steve R J. Sendmail

    I have exactly the same problem and have found that the only remedy is to shift my hand position as frequently as possible. I am convinced that the numbness is the direct result of putting to much pressure on my wrists, which must interfere with the blood flow. It is an annoying problem, but I am going to keep working to eliminate it because it otherwise interferes with an enjoyable ride. Good luck!

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Bryce H.
    Bryce H. Sendmail

    Have you had your bike fitted? Could be to much weight on the handle bars also not enough core strength once I figured these to items out it really helped my position and arms and hands from going numb.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Bo A.PRO
    Bo A. Sendmail

    I've also found that my gloves contribute to getting numb fingers due to the glove being push back and pulling tight on fingers because of my grip position. I've learned to feel for this happening and then loosen up the glove by repositioning my hands to push a little glove fabric down.

    Also, un-turtling you shoulders can help.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Ray G.
    Ray G. Sendmail

    Try moving the saddle forward a little. You may have to adjust it several times before its a good fit. Also, mark the saddle position with a Sharpie so you can see if it moves back any. If that doesn't help you may have to raise the handle bar stem up a little as well. That last step helped me a lot.

    Just remember to to sit on your bike on your buns of steel and not your arms. Happy Cycling :)

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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  • Buddy C.
    Buddy C. Sendmail

    You can get ergonomic grips which are designed to relieve the pins and needles, and other aches and pains. One brand is Ergon but there are others I imagine

    answered 7 months ago |Report

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  • Rob K.
    Rob K. Sendmail

    Think "heavy feet, light hands". Building core strength can help alleviate hand pain too since your abs are supporting your upper body instead of your hands.

    answered 3 months ago |Report

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  • Michael D.
    Michael D. Sendmail

    Well you have a mountain bike, so that probably means flat handlebars. Wear gloves, and keep changing hand position. You shouldnt be leaning on your hands to support yourself, keep elbows bent and support yourself with your core.

    answered 3 months ago |Report

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  • Clifford L.
    Clifford L. Sendmail

    Dont feel like reading everything to see if someone had same answer...lol ...But I had this problem when i first started riding and my Brother in law (who rides competitive) told me i was putting to much weight on bars and handle. He went through bike with me and my seat was to high(not by much like an inch) and my grips were no good for someone my size. I got new gel grips,and learned to lean more back in my seat. And problem completly went away. Hope this helps even though very late in responce.. :)

    answered 3 months ago |Report

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  • Serg D.
    Serg D. Sendmail

    change the angle of your seat. if the front of the seat is level or pointing down it will lean you foward causing more weight on your handlebars. raise the front or your seat up some until you notice a differance and use a good pair of cycling gloves. hope this helps

    answered 3 months ago |Report

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