NUMB PINKY!!!!
Thread started by
sancho1 at 07.27.09 - 2:19 pm
I went on a couple of long rides this weekend on a new bike. all through out I kept feeling a tingle in my right pinky. I kept shaking it off but returned as soon as I put my hands on the bars. I used to have regular cork tape on my old bike and the tape on my new one seems to be too thin. is this the issue or could it be something else? what did you do about it? will it get worse? how long does it last?
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You're probably going to die. Can i have your bike?
jesus07.27.09 - 2:20 pm
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It's definitely from riding. Easy off your ninja grip, make sure everything's adjusted to your fit (ie. handlebars, seat height, etc) and if it persist go to a doctor it could be the beginnings of carpal tunnel. I say this as a rider and someone who works at a computer all day.
et07.27.09 - 2:23 pm
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It is somewhat normal. If it only happens while riding your bike, it is because for whatever reason, the positioning of your hand is cutting off minor circulation in that area of your hand, and therefore cutting off blood flow to your pinky finger. If it continues to stay numb even after you take your hand off the handlebars, you need to do a little, "pinky and hand massage" by moving your pinky all around, squeezing it, pulling it (gently) and also do this to the rest of the hand. This kind of thing also happens to toes sometimes when high heels are worn. It's basically a circulation kink that needs to be worked out. Unfortunately, this will probably keep happening if you are holding the handlebars the same way or you can try changing the tape too. Hope this helps!
S
Lady Sadie07.27.09 - 2:29 pm
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Yah, I have that too. Only it's my left pinky and ring finger. It's caused by too much pressure on your ulnar nerve. It should go away after a while. I got it after my first century (June 7th) and it actually hadn't healed completely by the time I did yesterday's, so they are numb again, although not as bad as before. (The first time my whole arm from my elbow down was sort of tingly.) I've switched to a thicker gel bar tape and I think that helped, but I also want to get super padded gloves that fit better because my hands are small and the padding on my current ones don't fall in exactly the right places.
Anyone else got another suggestion?
HappyLand07.27.09 - 2:29 pm
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I thought that pinky numbness was caused by ulnar nerve damage, whereas carpal tunnel affects the other three digits.... ?
HappyLand responding to a
comment by et
07.27.09 - 2:43 pm
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Hey happyland I sent you an email a few days ago. Not sure if you got it?
buckchin responding to a
comment by HappyLand
07.27.09 - 2:55 pm
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I do wear gloves. I niotice that the tape that came with it iiiis just slightly thinner. I can feel the bars through the tape. the one I had before was the cork tape and it never bothered me before and im used to going 50 to 70 miles on an average road ride.
sancho107.27.09 - 3:00 pm
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Heavier bar tape and change hand positions. If that doesn't do the trick, slight changes in handlebar position and/or seat position.
User1 responding to a
comment by sancho1
07.27.09 - 3:12 pm
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i had that problem when i used drop bars and rested the side of my hand on the inside of the drop bars. i got a pair of body geometry gloves with this one big fat gel insert on that spot. as soon as i started using these gloves, the problem went away. now that i'm using pursuit bars, the spot that gives me the problem is slightly higher though, so i'm still looking for the perfect glove.
tortuga_veloce responding to a
comment by sancho1
07.27.09 - 3:16 pm
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Happens to me after intense polo games. Sometimes lasts til the next day. You'll be fine.
kryxtanicole responding to a
comment by digablesoul
07.27.09 - 3:31 pm
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What kind of gloves do you use, sancho?
I would make sure they have some sort of gel padding for the base of your thumb and for the palm where your fingers connect. I had a similar problem but got the Pearl Izumi "Elite Gel Vent" gloves and they have been serving me well for over a year, no hand/wrist/finger pain at all. I forgot my gloves a few times and the next day: massive wrist & hand pain.
I also had a pair of the regular Pearl Izumi Gel gloves and they worked well too.
jonnyboy07.27.09 - 4:14 pm
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Raise the handlebar height and/or adjust the handlebar angle. Sometimes your hands don't sit on the bars quite right and/or you put too much pressure on them, so playing around with the fit can really help.
JB07.27.09 - 4:17 pm
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ohh, da poor wittow pinky got a num num?
Joe Borfo07.27.09 - 4:19 pm
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I wear the regular pearls. non gel padding. im trying to weigh what would be a more cost effective solution(cheap quik fix). either new gloves or tape. in the mean time im getting measured this weekend. that should definitely help right?
sancho1 responding to a
comment by jonnyboy
07.27.09 - 4:57 pm
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Hey! I just saw it! Dunno how I missed it before! I really gotta turn off my Facebook email notifications, shit just clogs my box!
I will respond right now!
HappyLand responding to a
comment by buckchin
07.27.09 - 5:34 pm
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