Hands hurt so much i can't ride, advice?

About october time i started getting pain in my right hand while riding, Since then it’s gradually gotten worse until now where i can’t ride singletrack for more than a minute or 2 before having to stop.

It’s a sudden sharp pain in the fleshy bit of the palm under the thumb that starts when i start riding. It’s worse when riding rocky terrain or while braking hard. The odd thing is that as soon as I take my hands off the bars it disappears almost instantly, though the hand aches slightly for a few hours after the ride. I also only get it while riding, mostly on the mountain bike and also slightly on the road bike but on that it’s barely noticeable.

I saw the GP about it last month, who’s referred me to a sports injury unit (appointment at the end of the month). I also put esi chunky grips and carbon bars on the bike in an attempt to reduce feedback but it’s done nothing. I’ve already spent ages playing around with the cockpit setup but it’s done nothing.

I’m phoning up a few physio’s tomorrow, but before that i’m wondering if anyone on here’s had anything similar?

Nope, Sorry, not had that. Manage to get most injuries, but not that one 🙂

Good luck.

Learn to ride a unicycle.

It’s worse when riding rocky terrain or while braking hard.

could your brake levers need moving? rotated mine up a bit and made my wrists drop, and shoulder pain reduced.

Had very similar, in the pinky and ring finger of my right hand. Had to stop every few hundred yards of downhill.

I noticed it only happened on one bike, so changed grips (to fatter more padded ones). Sorted the problem straight away.

I had a problem like you describe, I run some terrible looking ergo grips works a treat. I think it may be because they spread the load.

Really do work for me though

thomthumb – Member
It’s worse when riding rocky terrain or while braking hard.
could your brake levers need moving? rotated mine up a bit and made my wrists drop, and shoulder pain reduced.

I have had a play with the positioning, i think it could be a factor as well but i haven’t found a place that reduces the pain yet, might head down to the lbs tomorrow and get their opinion. I’ll also check out the ergo grips although If i have them I won’t look as cool in the trail centre car park 😉

tpbiker – Member
Had very similar, in the pinky and ring finger of my right hand. Had to stop every few hundred yards of downhill.
I noticed it only happened on one bike, so changed grips (to fatter more padded ones). Sorted the problem straight away.

I’ve already put a set of esi chunkys on to replace the ruffians i had but i can’t say ive noticed much difference. 🙁

And if i rode a unicycle a sore hand would be the least of my injuries! 😀

sounds like an ulnar nerve issue

I’m not making this sh!t up

Agree with above , sounds like the ulnar nerve, that’s why spesh put padding in their gloves in that area.

Try changing the grips and I didn’t realise how good the Specialized gloves BG are until I started riding with winter non BG gloves. I couldn’t bend my baby finger for days after a long ride, gone back to Specialized gloves and trying not to grip the bars too tight or feather the brake all the time. Best of luck……….

I suffered nub fingers recently and resolved it by running the brake lever blade closer to the bar.

Try Voltarol gel on the affected area . This is not a cure but will help keep you riding.
I screwed my hands in France riding for 10 days. Look at the Spec BG gloves and try levers pointing more forward . Maybe try resting your thumbs ontop of the grips , makes you release your death grip abit.

It’s at the wrong side for the ulnar nerve for a kick off, so I doubt it’s that. There are a lot of muscles in and around the thumb, so you might have torn some fibres in one of those. You might also have damaged one of the dozens of ligaments around your carpal bones. Or possibly an avulsion fracture, or maybe a plain old fracture of one of your carpal bones, or a wee radial nerve impingement, or carpal tunnel syndrome or any one of literally hundreds of other things.

You fallen off and landed on that hand lately?

There is also the possibility that it has nothing to do with your hand.

You fallen off and landed on that hand lately?

I was going to ask the same. Is it both hands? I’ve only known of people getting it after a fall.

Are you hanging off the bars? i.e your hands aren’t fully on the bars and the ends are digging in. Quite common with too narrow a bar.

That’s crap news anyway, good luck.

Fill your boots trying to figure that lot out.

It sounds like carpal tunnel syndrome imv particularly as you get thenar pain on compression of the wrist.

Its unlikely to be a fracture as you say you only get pain when riding and the history is too long – unless you have had a previous fall and scaphoid fracture in which case you can get malunion or non union complications.

As said above, could be a range of things so you really need to see someone to do a few neuro and ortho tests and get a better history. Then you’ll be able to get a decent management plan. If it is CTS and its not referred pain, you’ll be given wrist flexor stretches and grip strengthening exercises. The powerballs are good.

I have found personally that actually decreasing the grip size (to odi cross trainer from ruffian) and using bg gloves with wrist padding helped my own hand pain, but I had it both sides.

Nothing other than what’s already been said. Hope it gets sorted though.

I get this to ,I also get it bad riding motorbikes road and off road.

As said above Specialized bg gloves do help alot and also some chunky grips (not the ergo ones)as well as trying not to grip as tight.

I also notice its worse when I change between my bikes. One has Fox 150 FiT and the other some oldish rochshox I do notice on the latter it is worse.

So there’s an excuse to go and buy some nice lovely new Kashima coated forks.

Do you find yourself leaning on your hands when riding? Worth trying adjust your seat position and bar height to minimise pressure on your hands when seated pedalling. There’s also quite a few bar shapes you might try. When freewheeling, try to balance on the pedals with no weight bearing on your hands.

I hope you get the bottom of it.

Ergon grips are wonderful:

sorry if its already been mentioned, cba reading through everyone elses replies

I had this in both hands and prevented it by rotating my brake leavers downwards slightly, turns out because the leavers were too high my thumb/palms were supporting my weight on the bars and making them ache like ****.

try it, if you haven’t already

I used to suffer from this as well. It’s what others have said above about the ulnar nerve. It affects some more than others.

Adjust your bike setup, try ergo grips and wear specific gloves, but there are a lot of other contributing factors that make it worse. Stuff like when you sleep at night with your arms bent this traps the ulnar nerve for long periods of time making it inflamed.

If you work at a computer all day, adjust your posture. Keep your arms as straight as possible, make sure your wrists take most of the weight when typing. Don’t plant your elbows solid on the desk, this will trap the ulnar nerve.

Things like this will inflame the problem then when you’re out riding you will trigger it.

If it’s really bad, pop a couple of ibuprofen before riding.

i assume you have been resting for a period – ie a couple of weeks rather than trying to ride through it.

post a side view photo of you on your bike in riding position.

seen this before when riders try to emulate their heros by SLAMING THAT STEM(Cm*)

*cock mark

How does damage to the ulnar nerve effect the thumb?

If you work at a computer all day, adjust your posture. Keep your arms as straight as possible, make sure your wrists take most of the weight when typing. Don’t plant your elbows solid on the desk, this will trap the ulnar nerve.

If it is nerve pain, its unlikely to be ulnar. Pain in the fleshy part under the thumb (thenar eminence) is median/radial nerve, not ulnar. And this isn’t a great posture imv – it will end up causing shoulder and neck pain and possible carpal tunnel syndrome in the long term. Your wrists should be straight, elbows bent and forearms able to rest parallel with the desk. Shoulders relaxed, and minimal distance between torso and table. You should also have all your equipment within easy reaching distance and be leaning back slightly in your chair.

Ergon grips are wonderful:

Was going to say exactly the same thing. I run those very grips. The look a bit “special bus” but they are very comfy. I pair them with some nice Specialized gloves that flashes mentions.

I spent a couple of days over Xmas with my wifes cousin and her husband…. anyway, long story short he specialises in fixing problems like this – set up a business a few years go and is constantly busy with referrals.

I spoke to him a lot about it when down there, fascinating how minor tweaks can make such a big difference.

Sorry for shameless (but relevant) plug!

http://www.bikedynamics.co.uk/

Mostly used by road cyclists but he has also helped quite a few mountain bikers.

sounds like its a radial nerve issue if anything and not an ulnar nerve one. i suffer from a similar problem in my left hand as a result of a pretty big crash many years ago. multiple scans and x rays never showed the problem even though my left thumb sticks out more than it should.
i use ODI Rogue grips and i also make sure that the brake levers are positioned in the correct spot to stop the occasional pain i get.

Well, went to see a physio today.. She believes it to be a damaged muscle or ligament. Doubted it was a fracture as in the area of pain (between the thumb and index finger) there’s no bones and if i fractured a bone in the thumb itself i’d be in pain all the time. Also doesn’t believe it to be nerve related as I still have full feeling in my fingers and have no pain in the carpal tunnel area.

When I go to the fracture unit later this month I’ll get x-rays done which will definitely rule out a fracture and also possibly show up any ligament damage if a bone looks out of alignment.

Also found the point in my hand that needs pressure on it to cause pain and was told to massage this area daily to help with the healing process. I’m not allowed on the bike either until I got to the fracture unit at least, where I will get a better diagnosis 🙁

Cheers for all the replies guys, i’m going down to my lbs(spesh concept store) tomorrow as they do a bike fit similar to the one andy mentioned (that isn’t 200 miles away! 😀 ) Hopefully I’ll find a set up that reduces the pressure on that point as much as possible when i’m back on the bike.