UKH

A mate of mine is cycling LEJOG, but has been suffering with numbness in one hand from about day 6 (now day 12). Padding bars and gloves doesn't seem to have helped.

I'm a bit concerned about permanent nerve damage.

Any experience within the UKC hive?

Get him to go through his bike position. Due to surgery I have nerve issues around my c spine. If I hold my head in the wrong position for any length of time I get numbness down one side. Could be that rather than road vibration.

Also ensure he changes positions, stretches out/ stands on the pedals when the conditions allow- just keep everything circulating. Holding a TT position for an entire long ride won’t go well.

C-spine outlet compression was what occurred to me (C6-8 would affect that area), having had issues higher up (facial numbness) in the past.

He's on a gravel bike, flat bars, so not in a TT tuck...

I used to get this and you’re right to be concerned a friend of mines hand turned into a claw for about a year after we did a big trip across Europe and that was only for about 6 days. 

Was there anything you did, in particular, to resolve your issue?

That might be exacerbating the problem due to the lack of grip options. Too much pressure on the inside of the palm is often a cause of numbness. Putting the pressure more on the outside of the palm might help short term, bar ends are a bit old school but could help and core exercises are more of a long term approach. 

By 'inside', do you mean the thumb side?

Can you fit tri-bars on a flat handlebar? Not ideal but might get them to the finish…

Yes, I think numbness is often associated with compression of the median nerve. 

Bar ends have also been suggested.

I’ve had minor issues of tingling and light numbness in the past. Changed grips to include heal of hand support and changed seating position were main changes to bike but main thing was to change riding position often to avoid upper body being static for too long.

Short term help may be obtained by almost continual movement shifting weight and position if only slightly. Flexing back and wrists (up down and sideways) often, re positioning (upper mainly) body position in relation to bars frequently (not forgetting head movements and shoulder shrugs and drops and the likes), can help with circulation and removing/reducing pressure on affected nerves.

Putting the saddle back 5-10mm and down by 5mm will usually help. If they’ve got too much weight in the front of the bike then putting the saddle back will counter this. If the bike then feels too long they could look at angling the handlebars and moving the shifters to reduce reach or - probably not suitable given the timeframe - fit a shorter stem or shorter reach bars.

Tbh we just carried on didn’t think anything of it and that it would go away when we stopped riding (young and naive) it wasn’t until he moved to Manchester 6 months later and I shook his hand that I realised he was still having issues. I had quite bad numbness during that ride as well but mine went away when we stopped riding. I also took a day off in the middle and got the train. 

I've started to get numbness on the outside two fingers of one hand.  I suspect it is cubital tunnel syndrome - a pinched ulnar nerve at your 'funny bone' on your elbow.  Not much you can do about it except frequent changes of position.

I hope your mate's lejog goes ok.

Wouldn't moving the saddle to the rear put more body weight through the arms? I'd have thought raising the bar or moving the saddle forward to reduce or drop would be the way to go.

On the numbness during a ride, I often get this on my road bike over an hour or two and continually have to relieve it with median nerve stretches (checking they won't be misunderstood as hand signals). That and frequent changes of grip and shoulder rotations have become a fact of life.

It depends on loads of other factors but for most people getting more of their body weight behind the BB will reduce the weight on their hands. But someone with lots of ‘core’ strength or simply a lightweight upper body will have very different requirements to someone with a weak core or a heavy upper body. Plus arm length, where the cleats are, etc all come into it. 

In reply to captain paranoia:

For fore aft  weight distribution I've always used the rule that I should be able to lift my hands off the bars while keeping myself in the same position. 

Knowing it's a flat bar I'd consider those geips that are shaped to distribute the forces over the whole hand like the ergon gp1.

I've found that easing the shoulders with arm rotations now and then helps with hand numbness.

It's the ulnar nerve being compressed.  One thing that helps is to hyper-extend the fingers of the affected hand by bending the fingers back against the bar.  It's a short term measure.  The problem is often worse in come orientations - going uphill for example.  A minor tweak the the bars might help too.

I think you're right in the diagnostic but for me it's not serious.  It's only something to think about after a few hours in the saddle.  Still, I don't think many people think 'shoulders' when suffering numb hands !

Thanks for the replies. New, shorter, angle-adjustable stem purchased and fitted.

My wife recently fitted those to her bike and is is happy with the way they've improved her comfort levels. 

Without reading the whole thread, it seems he's got flat bars, so easy option would be (as suggested) bar ends, to give more hand positions.

Try flipping the stem to raise the bar position?

You could kill 2 birds with one stone and try something like these for both more hand support and positions - there are several options and not just them doing them: https://ergonbike.shop/collections/grips/comfort-touring

well known phenomenon in ultra cycling. Just want to make sure the nerve damage isn’t long lasting. It becomes next to impossible to change a tyre with claw hand (speaking from experience)

If they have flat bars and can’t/don’t want to fit/use tri bars then the ergon grips is the answer.

The ergon grips stop the bar being round will relieve the pressure on the ulnar nerve stopping numbness and potential longer lasting claw hand. The GP2 is best as it provides extra bar end positions too.