Problem with numbness in hands

[djg21]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Pinky and ring finger are generally ulnar nerve impingement related and thumb and pointer finger are generally radial nerve impingement related..

The tough thing is that tightness and compression in any of the nerve channels from your neck to your fingers can be the source of the issue, and short of getting an electrical test of your nerves (can't remember the name of the procedure), trial and error on changing position and other variables is probably your best bet.

One thing I've found is that having my hands cocked down at all - think of shaking a hand and rotating your hand forward and down - causes all sorts of problems with hand numbness, so I have to have a very flat transition from the shoulders/ramps of my handlebars to the hoods of the levers. I've found that padded gloves can actually make this worse since they elevate the hand a bit when in that position and cause the rotation when braking from the hoods or just holding on to the bars.

I've also found that the shape of bars makes a huge difference. Flat carbon bars with a flat should and approach to the hoods are so much better for me than round bars that I will probably never go back to riding round.

These bars spark joy:





Lastly, don't assume that having your saddle further forward/back or having more/less stack will solve your issues. We are complex individuals with complex issues and what works for some may not work for others.

Also lastly, don't forget to pay attention to your activities off the bike. Smartphone and/or keyboard use, or other activities, can prime you for a flare-up on the bike.

Yes. I spent 30+ years riding and racing without gloves. I hated wearing them. Out of the blue I woke up one morning last spring after a long gravel ride with parathesia (pins and needles) in my pointer and middle fingers of my right hand and I could not feel anything. I couldn’t button my shirts or tie my shoes. and my arm got incredibly painful at night, keeping me from sleeping. On my bike, I could not feel my shifter/brake lever.

I had a nerve conductivity study and was diagnosed with severe carpel tunnel syndrome. While my job entails heavy typing, I’ve always used an ergo keyboard and mouse and never had any issues with my hands.

I ended up having carpal tunnel surgery about 5 months ago. I have about 80% of my feeling back in my fingers now, and I’m told it can take a year for the nerves to regenerate.

Apart from making sure that the bike does actually fit you, make sure your saddle is level or very slightly nose up. I always have ridden with the saddle very slightly nose-up. This will reduce pressure in your hands because you will not need to push on your bars to prevent sliding forward on your saddle.

Wear padded gloves. From experience, you do get used to them and I now find them comfortable. I initially used Gareau gloves with gel padding. I recentl obtained a couple sets of the Giro Supernatural gloves with a foam pad. These are my new favorites and are really comfortable. They really help my hands.

[benb]

If it's already progressed to numbness and especially if it is lasting after you get off the bike for a bit get to a bike fit person, get off the bike, get to the doctor if it doesn't clear up off the bike.

Everyone is suggesting 100% valid things.. just if you've already got this degree of symptoms you need to see someone or multiple people in person and get it take care of ASAP and not do it trial and error by yourself with internet advice.

It may be relatively simple for someone at the LBS to look at this and nail it in 5 minutes. It's worth a little money.

Gloves have never helped this for me. Some have made it way worse. Gel inserts in particular can push into places they shouldn't.

[sheepdog84]

Before I blather on, here's a great video that I've referred to as well to try to solve hand numbness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbFrz5FsIow (also, any of their Neill Stanbury vids are golden for trying to troubleshoot your own bike fit).

It's definitely a process and will take time - assuming the bike is the right size in the first place

Is this in both hands or just one?

If the seat is slammed all the way back, you may have trouble if the reach (measurement) is already too long. Maybe you were locking your elbows out just to reach the bars?

I would check saddle height too, as too high will basically just pitch you into the front end of the bike, and thus causing too much weight to the front end, resulting in numb hands.

If it's just one hand, it's possibly as symmetry issue where you're sitting askew to the rest of the bike, which can be very difficult to sort out on your own!

best of luck!

[callmeishmael]

As others have mentioned, this is likely a simple problem: too much weight on the hands.

Just because a problem is simple, though, doesn’t automatically make it easy to fix.

I would start off by using Steve Hogg’s balance test (on a trainer). That should get the saddle in the ballpark.

After that, it’s about some experimentation with bar height and reach. With some time, patience, and an ability to ‘tune in’ to your body, you should be able to get a decent enough fit yourself in a few hours.

However, this presupposes no significant asymmetries, that you have the ability to switch out stems/spacers etc. It may be quicker (and cheaper) simply to see a good bike fitter.

It’s also worth noting that your fit will change, especially if you’re a newer rider. Generally speaking, experienced cyclists produce more power (and hence ‘upthrust’), and have stronger cores and less mass in their torsos, each and all of which makes the counterbalancing process easier. As you become fitter and perhaps lighter, you may find that your position relative to both the bb and the headtube creeps forward and down (something Dan Empfield talks about iirc).

The final thing to factor in is how you ride. I remember Brian Rourke saying 25(?) years ago that fitting a the same person on racer vs a tourer was about ‘moving the whole rider forward or backward on the bike’. Like many things Brian said, it’s not wholly precise but has more than a grain of truth to it.

[Turkle]

I paid a lot of money for a bike fit, and the most important lesson I got out of it is how important saddle position is. When you figure out where you need the saddle relative to the pedals, everything else is pretty easy.

And I'm not saying that there's an absolute value on this. You can learn to ride in different positions! And my position on the bike changes along with my fitness level: as my belly fat recedes and hip flexibility goes up, I can get a whole lot longer and lower on the bike by the end of the season.

But in general, as long as my saddle is where I want it, the rest of the bike is just the details.

For me, I didn't get numbness in my hands, but I was getting terrible neck pain. It was caused by having the saddle too high and forward. I kept thinking that the bars were too far away so I kept moving the saddle up and in to get closer. Turns out that was the OPPOSITE of what I needed to do. Moving the saddle back to where I have a stable platform took all the weight off my arms and now I can ride much further without any discomfort.

Just one person's story, but it sure did work for me!

[herb5998]

As others have noted, weight on hands is one of the potential causes, but, I'd also look at the amount of drop, as well as how tight/loose you are in the shoulders in your riding position. If they are creeping up to your neck, it's potentially going to increase the potential of pinching nerves which cause your numbness.

For myself, a good fit made a difference, but I had to make more adjustments, because it as discovered via my doctor and some scans that I have some disc issues in my neck from old injuries. Once we accounted for that, and started some PT exercises, the numbness issues have gone away.

[benb]

Yah to get into details we often talk about the saddle being too far forward causing you to be off balance and result in too much weight in the hands.

But the saddle being too far back can cause you to activate the traps and tighten everything up too, and cause similar issues. Bars too far forward can cause this too even if the saddle is right.

The saddle mis adjusted in almost any way can challenge your lower back and as a ride goes on that will shift the weight onto your hands... Bars too low or too far forward can challenge your back/hips too and cause similar issues.

Cleats adjusted wrong can shift weight onto one hand if it creates asymmetry in the legs.. the legs push your hips around and you end up activating muscles in the arms to compensate which can then put too much weight on the hand that is fighting the forces at the hip.

I really think there is no single answer for everyone since there are so many ways to cause similar issues hence so much better to get someone to look at you in person.

[Jeffrobots]

Originally Posted by herb5998

As others have noted, weight on hands is one of the potential causes, but, I'd also look at the amount of drop, as well as how tight/loose you are in the shoulders in your riding position. If they are creeping up to your neck, it's potentially going to increase the potential of pinching nerves which cause your numbness.

For myself, a good fit made a difference, but I had to make more adjustments, because it as discovered via my doctor and some scans that I have some disc issues in my neck from old injuries. Once we accounted for that, and started some PT exercises, the numbness issues have gone away.

I used to get right shoulder and neck discomfort as well and kept messing with my fit to try to solve it. Then I ended up in the doctors office after a concussion and he noted that I had extremely tight shoulder muscles on one side that were limiting my neck flexibility.

PT has helped a fair bit. I still have a lot of work to do. But one thing I learned: don’t neglect your core and shoulders. Even if you think you’re strong, you probably are more imbalanced than you think especially if you have a desk job.


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[leerjarm]

I have this same issue sometimes and my understanding is this is a result of too much pressure on the nerve as it enters your end through a sheath in your wrist. This is caused by a number of things including reaching too far. You might consider getting a fit at a shop. It's sometimes a big pill to swallow $$ money wise but it will make riding more enjoyable if your body is happy on your bike

[kvlin94]

I raced my first Tri the other day, no shade please

There was a ton of climbing surprisingly and I was on my road bike
The numbness was quite apparent especially after some big climbs
Overall, I think my biking fitness and increase core strength has helped a ton but not completely solved the issue
Next step I am trying is some bike gloves and more training
I think most of the posters are right and I'll probably bite the bullet on a robust bike fit at ACME when I am in pretty decent biking form and then save the geometry for my future custom TT bike

[A_Bear]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

These bars spark joy:

Which bars are these?