How much numbness is too much numbness?

I've found that the angle of your pelvis makes a difference. To all sorts of things.. Ahem.

I never get tingling these days unless I ride for long periods on the aero bars. When my pelvis is more upright - say for example if I'm riding in a more upright position - I never get any tingling or numbness. So I think it's pressure towards the front of your parts (taint!), rather than the back, that causes the loss of sensation...

dont be fooled into thinking people on here know what they are talking about when it comes to medical bike fitting.

read andy pruitt's cycling book and you will sort a heap of other problems too.

ok, i have persistent numbness in my left hand, extending through my little finger, my ring finger and the palm side of my lower wrist.

im thinking it'll go away but i have it even when im not riding. It's persistent numbness. It feels like a mild anasthetic has been administered to the area.
been like that for 2 weeks now.

I'm thinking carpal tunnel syndrome, but is it something else, cos i'm otherwise 100% healthy. Had blood tests a year ago so im not diabetic or anything like that.

im thinking it's doctor time, but i wondered if this is something that "happens". and does it go away.

thanks

dylan

dylan, i find this happens to me sometimes when i'm leaning on my hand in a funny way, could be something to do with your bars/stem setup? too much weight on your hands?

i however only get it for a little while then it goes away. but its the exact same feeling you described. spooky.

sorry i'm not much help hope you get it sorted

How stretched out are you on the bike?
If you are riding along and were to lift your hands from the bars (just hover them slightly over the bars) do you immediately fall forward, do you hover a little bit and fall forward or are you nowhere near falling forward?
Do you ride with padded gloves?
Do you ride with bar tape?

dylan, i find this happens to me sometimes when i'm leaning on my hand in a funny way, could be something to do with your bars/stem setup? too much weight on your hands?

i however only get it for a little while then it goes away. but its the exact same feeling you described. spooky.

sorry i'm not much help hope you get it sorted

cheers, its all good info :)

How stretched out are you on the bike?

i have drops, and alternate between the drops, the hoods and the straight part near the stem.

Only use the stretched out part at the hoods when hanking it, so it varies. I guess.

one thing i can say is that the stem i use is too short, in terms of ideal ridin position. It gives me a more upright position which is ideal IMO for London.

If you are riding along and were to lift your hands from the bars (just hover them slightly over the bars) do you immediately fall forward, do you hover a little bit and fall forward or are you nowhere near falling forward?

Nope pretty upright. i can take my hands off the bars and hoover in that position.

however on the hoods i would fall immediately forwards.

Do you ride with padded gloves?

no i dont, but i have double wrapped my bars which i think covers the vibration thingy. its quite spongy and confy.

Do you ride with bar tape?

see above :P

So, it doesn't sound like you have too much weight on the bars.
I'd still suggest gloves over double taping. The padding works for the hoods AND stops your palms filling with tarmac if you hit the deck palms down.

Have a read of these..
http://www.cptips.com/handsyn.htm

So, it doesn't sound like you have too much weight on the bars.
I'd still suggest gloves over double taping. The padding works for the hoods AND stops your palms filling with tarmac if you hit the deck palms down.

Have a read of these..
http://www.cptips.com/handsyn.htm

good point MR H, it didnt even enter my mind to think about the eventuality of crashing, and gloves.
Nice one. thanks.
I think i'll some gloves after all.

gloves FTW. dylan you should be wearing gloves anyway!

i started wearing them when my hands were getting callous and scarred... good enough reason IMHO :)

have you had a sniff of your gloves lately ? :P
anyway im prescribing myself 400mg Ibuprofen (NSAID) every 6 hours and see if that helps over the coming days. so that 3 pills a day, roughly.

Specialized BG gloves will sort it, I think its called your ulna nerve, the one that's giving you gip anyways..

have you had a sniff of your gloves lately ? :P
anyway im prescribing myself 400mg Ibuprofen (NSAID) every 6 hours and see if that helps over the coming days. so that 3 pills a day, roughly.

Treat the cause, not the symptoms.

Something could be wrong with your position or how you are resting your hands and the lack of gloves would worry me (says the guy who did the Michael Jackson impression today after leaving the house with only one glove on!).

I wouldn't take that much ibu. I would htfu whilst sorting out what's causing the pain in the first place. Do you have existing hand/wrist injury - excessive wanking as a younger lad perhaps - that might have injured your nerves, tendons, etc? :)

Specialized BG gloves will sort it, I think its called your ulna nerve, the one that's giving you gip anyways..

"Body Geometry gel pad reduces hand numbness by relieving pressure on sensitive ulnar nerves."

See I knew I was close even if my spelling was off.

lol hippie, i broke both my wrists in pretty severe accidents.
so maybe i have some problem creeping up on me. like a bone callous pressurising in the wrong place. or something. Im not a doctor i dont really know.

im ordering some BG gloves as we speak.

Wrist injuries.. I should be a fuckin' tv psychic. Try the gloves. No improvement - google time.

after gloves its doctor time, thanks again guys, i'll let you know how it works out.

:)

I had some bars that where too narrow and left me barely a hands breadth with the lever on and I got exactly this issue - fixed that and my weight distribution and it went away after a few days. My biggest problem was not haveing my hands 'flat' on the bars - i was putting more weight through the outer edge of my plams.

hope that helps a bit

"Body Geometry gel pad reduces hand numbness by relieving pressure on sensitive ulnar nerves."

these guys are great- got the full finger version and they make a massive difference. I kept pinching the nerve in my palm and getting the same sensation and they sorted it right out.
I've never been a fan of gel gloves as I don't like anything between me and the bike (comes from riding dirt jump bikes and downhill), but I have to admit I won't go back to unpadded gloves for road cycling now.

Had similar problem - turn out that the handlebar was a little bend on one side, not only it's worth checking your handlebar/stem alignment, but also have a careful look at your handlebar if it bend slightly.

maybe see the doctor, don't want anything to fall off now!

I had some bars that where too narrow and left me barely a hands breadth with the lever on and I got exactly this issue - fixed that and my weight distribution and it went away after a few days. My biggest problem was not haveing my hands 'flat' on the bars - i was putting more weight through the outer edge of my plams.

hope that helps a bit

Had similar problem - turn out that the handlebar was a little bend on one side, not only it's worth checking your handlebar/stem alignment, but also have a careful look at your handlebar if it bend slightly.

i find discomfort in the outer palm area of my hand, i think due to the same thing. i use risers and they are the appropriate width its just i don't think i get on with the "backwards sweep".

does anyone know a riser bar that doesn't have this?

+10000 for Ulnar nerve padded gloves!

I meant bend as in cause by a crash or even something as simple such as a bike fell down, not the sweep of the bar.