dynawolf

Strange question here...

I am 55 and been riding for 30 years. I tend to keep my kit for a long time. I have noticed my hands are starting to tingle more. But...also, it seems my gloves feel tighter than they used to. I air dry them to keep them from shrinking. Question: do your hands keep growing as you age? I know I wear a half size bigger shoe than I did 10 years ago.

canklecat

Old style leather and knit fabric gloves can shrink, especially from years of being soaked in sweat, but can be stretched again when dampened with saddle soap or other leather treatment and worn while still damp. I wore the same pair of leather and knit gloves for about six years in the 1970s-'80s, occasionally using saddle soap on the leather to soften and stretch it again. Eventually the gloves fell apart but lasted longer than I'd expected.

Might also be a good idea to check your meds -- prescription and OTC, supplements, topical medications -- diet, new health issues, etc., for anything that might cause swelling. One of the few meds I'm allergic too is erythromycin antibiotic -- besides the GI upset it also made my hands swell. Arthritis can also cause hands to swell. It can start out so gradually it goes almost unnoticed at first. Ditto seasonal allergies for some folks.

JoeTBM 

I Don't mean to alarm you but have you spoken to your doctor about this?

It may be a sign of poor circulation or diabetes

Many years ago I suffered frostbite damage to the nerves/circulation in my left hand and now I have the tingling all the time there. It hurt my golf game as I have trouble now with the proper grip pressure. I am now 67

dabac

Your feet a load-bearing for a big part of the day. They tend to flatten and widen/elongate over the years.
Doesn't seem like the hands would be as likely to do the same.

Trakhak

No, hands don't grow as you age (past your teenage years, at least). The mention of air drying the gloves implies that the OP has been regularly washing the gloves as part of a load of laundry, possibly in warm or hot water. Not surprising that the gloves have shrunk.

Cuyuna

It's more likely that the gloves have shrunk than that your hands are getting bigger unless you're getting swelling for some reason. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, that's certainly something that would have been picked up at your most recent physical exam. As to the numbness and tingling, if that happen during other activities, or driving, or at night while in bed, you should mention it to your doctor. It may be some form of repetitive strain injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

bruce19

OJ's gloves didn't fit.

fietsbob

OJ didn't take anti inflammation meds he was on, and the wet glove, shrunk ..

gave an effective show, back then


as to Topic; I always buy one size up. ski gloves are cheap..





....

deacon mark

As a jazz guitarist hands are things I keep track of. Mine are the same size as they have been since I was around 20. I have fairly large hands but I am 6'1 and my shoe size has been the same. Funny I am runner first and been wearing 11.5 for years. Not sure if that is normal but my weight it down a bit from my best years of running but say 5 pounds. You can stretch your hands too as my left hand from playing it about 1 inch larger that my right and stretches way longer.

Oso Polar

Did you gain any weight over these 10 years? I've lost quite a bit of weight last year (70 pounds) and as a result needed to replace not only all clothes but shoes as well. Yeah, and previously very tight wedding ring started to fall off the finger as well, so hands also became significantly thinner.

noglider 

Look at people's hands and notice their ages. Yes, fingers definitely get thicker as we age, but I'm not sure the girth of the palm does.

Tingling is a medical condition, so I agree that you should ask a doctor, perhaps a sports doctor.

peterws

My hands have always given trouble with gloves. They just shut off the circulation; I use ski gloves which give the best results. And they're comfy!

specialgreen

I wear thin leather gardening gloves. They get soaked-through with sweat. After a few months, yes, they get crusty and tight, and I get another pair ($7 at the hardware store). If I don't let them dry-out, then they don't shrink or get hard, but then they tear easily.

KraneXL

My gloves shrink from the laundry but stretch back after wearing. Hands on the other hand, definitely swell, and tingling can be a sign of circulation issues from hand placement and/or too restrictive gloves.

smoore

I'm 69 and have noticed in the last year that the vibration on my motorcycle has gotten much worse. Was really concerned there was an issue with my motor, wheels, chain alignment, etc. Turns out it is my hands, not the bike at all. Grrrrr. Not only are my hands getting more sensitive to that kind of thing but they are getting a tad stiffer and my knuckles getting a tad bigger, arthritis I presume. Are your hands bigger because of swelling of arthritis or similar? Good luck. Getting old ain't for the weak of heart (my heart is another issue) but its' better than the alternative.

smoore

I've been a drummer for 56 years...now 69 and my hands and forearms are different sizes from playing. Nurses love me, my veins are very easy to find.

CreakingCrank

I'm somewhat convinced gloves are made slightly narrower than in the past. I have strange hands ... the palm area is normal for a man my height/size but I have relatively short fingers. For years I bought medium sized gloves, which were slightly snug in the palm and slightly long in the fingers. It's now hard to find mediums that fit the palm area unless very snug. Maybe most/all gloves are made in China now, accounting for narrower widths?

dynawolf

OP here. I started wearing the same gloves all week without washing them and that seems to have solved the problem. No daily "fresh" gloves. They were shrinking when washed. All is well except my gloves smell like gym shoes as I sweat a bunch. But no tingling hands.