Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - who knew??
01-25-17, 03:08 PM
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My GP had me on the usual route for carpal tunnel and I looked like a textbook case but as noted by posters above, handlebar hand position could be crucial and your CT may have nothing to do with typing.
On basically a whim of an idea I changed the handlebars on my commute bike from straight bars to drop bars and within a few days the symptoms had lessened and after two weeks . . . totally gone.
YMMV, obviously, but it's worth a try.
Rick / OCRR
On basically a whim of an idea I changed the handlebars on my commute bike from straight bars to drop bars and within a few days the symptoms had lessened and after two weeks . . . totally gone.
YMMV, obviously, but it's worth a try.
Rick / OCRR
01-27-17, 02:58 PM
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I got the numb-hands-in-the-morning thing a few years ago. Being me, I looked it up on the internet. I found two things which cured me completely in a couple weeks:
1) Instead of using splints, I tuck my hands, held flat, under my pillow at night. I sleep on my sides or stomach, so that works fine for me.
2) I printed this out and started doing these exercises twice a day: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises
I still tuck my hands at night, but don't need to do the exercises anymore.
On the bike, I concentrate on dropping my shoulder blades down my back and relaxing my shoulders. When on the hoods, I tuck my little fingers behind the bar. That helps relax my hands. Plus of course the eternal Numb Hands post.
1) Instead of using splints, I tuck my hands, held flat, under my pillow at night. I sleep on my sides or stomach, so that works fine for me.
2) I printed this out and started doing these exercises twice a day: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises
I still tuck my hands at night, but don't need to do the exercises anymore.
On the bike, I concentrate on dropping my shoulder blades down my back and relaxing my shoulders. When on the hoods, I tuck my little fingers behind the bar. That helps relax my hands. Plus of course the eternal Numb Hands post.
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01-31-17, 12:46 PM
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In addition to stretching of hands and fingers I've also used a different bar wrapping system that is probably the equivalent of double wrapping such as I've read Pro's do to ride cobbles. In my case I had some sticky back foam left over from customizing my ski boots. I cut and installed two cm wide stripes under the bar tape, just on the sides, not the tops, tapered the edges carefully with a razor knife then wrapped the bars. These strips give the bars an oval shape so that the tops have more area under my hands. I've no idea if this actually helps with numbness. I know stretching does.
01-31-17, 08:30 PM
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I'll share 3 stories:
1) I was keyboarding for too many hours/day and got tendinitis in my forearms. Of course I went to the doctor. Doctor said, "OK, I can fix you right up with disability payments. Let me go get the paperwork." I told him I was self-employed and that what I wanted was to fix the tendinitis. He had no advice for that. I thought about it for a little while and recalled that my gym had a device consisting of a bar at about chest height that rotated on bearings. It had a cord attached to it which went down to a weight. The object was to roll the bar, bringing the weight up to it and then back down to the floor. I'd do that a few times in each direction. Forearms were cured in a couple weeks. RSI can be cured by strength training. Who knew, eh?
2) I had pain in my knees from cycling. Of course I went to the doctor. He measured my knee angles with a protractor device and concluded that I was physically incapable of cycling without pain and that I should quit it immediately. I'm not kidding. Instead I raised my saddle a bit and started strength training at the gym. Pain went away and never came back.
3) I had pain in my shoulders. Of course I went to the doctor. He diagnosed impingement and gave me a prescription for PT. The PT did no good at all for the impingement, though it did improve my upper body strength a little. I went looking for answers and found that all I needed to do was to hang from my hands for as long as possible (brachiate) for a few reps twice a week. Impingement pain gone.
If it hurts, you can almost always fix it.
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02-01-17, 08:21 AM
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Thanks for the trust! I've found that many physical ailments can be cured by exercise. The trick is in knowing exactly what to do.
I'll share 3 stories:
1) I was keyboarding for too many hours/day and got tendinitis in my forearms. Of course I went to the doctor. Doctor said, "OK, I can fix you right up with disability payments. Let me go get the paperwork." I told him I was self-employed and that what I wanted was to fix the tendinitis. He had no advice for that. I thought about it for a little while and recalled that my gym had a device consisting of a bar at about chest height that rotated on bearings. It had a cord attached to it which went down to a weight. The object was to roll the bar, bringing the weight up to it and then back down to the floor. I'd do that a few times in each direction. Forearms were cured in a couple weeks. RSI can be cured by strength training. Who knew, eh?
2) I had pain in my knees from cycling. Of course I went to the doctor. He measured my knee angles with a protractor device and concluded that I was physically incapable of cycling without pain and that I should quit it immediately. I'm not kidding. Instead I raised my saddle a bit and started strength training at the gym. Pain went away and never came back.
3) I had pain in my shoulders. Of course I went to the doctor. He diagnosed impingement and gave me a prescription for PT. The PT did no good at all for the impingement, though it did improve my upper body strength a little. I went looking for answers and found that all I needed to do was to hang from my hands for as long as possible (brachiate) for a few reps twice a week. Impingement pain gone.
If it hurts, you can almost always fix it.
I'll share 3 stories:
1) I was keyboarding for too many hours/day and got tendinitis in my forearms. Of course I went to the doctor. Doctor said, "OK, I can fix you right up with disability payments. Let me go get the paperwork." I told him I was self-employed and that what I wanted was to fix the tendinitis. He had no advice for that. I thought about it for a little while and recalled that my gym had a device consisting of a bar at about chest height that rotated on bearings. It had a cord attached to it which went down to a weight. The object was to roll the bar, bringing the weight up to it and then back down to the floor. I'd do that a few times in each direction. Forearms were cured in a couple weeks. RSI can be cured by strength training. Who knew, eh?
2) I had pain in my knees from cycling. Of course I went to the doctor. He measured my knee angles with a protractor device and concluded that I was physically incapable of cycling without pain and that I should quit it immediately. I'm not kidding. Instead I raised my saddle a bit and started strength training at the gym. Pain went away and never came back.
3) I had pain in my shoulders. Of course I went to the doctor. He diagnosed impingement and gave me a prescription for PT. The PT did no good at all for the impingement, though it did improve my upper body strength a little. I went looking for answers and found that all I needed to do was to hang from my hands for as long as possible (brachiate) for a few reps twice a week. Impingement pain gone.
If it hurts, you can almost always fix it.
02-01-17, 08:56 AM
#32
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02-01-17, 04:22 PM
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09-22-22, 12:52 AM
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What Causes it?
The symptoms of CTS are caused by compression of the median nerve which supplies the sensation and feeling to the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. It also supplies the muscles to the thumb on the palm which means people can report wasting and loss of size of the muscles at the base of the thumb.
The symptoms of CTS are caused by compression of the median nerve which supplies the sensation and feeling to the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. It also supplies the muscles to the thumb on the palm which means people can report wasting and loss of size of the muscles at the base of the thumb.
09-22-22, 08:18 AM
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Redshift Stem
If reducing the vibration while riding will help, try the Redshift Stem. I have one on my road and gravel bikes. A little pricey but the comfort is wonderful and no I don't work for them.
https://redshiftsports.com/products/...uspension-stem
https://redshiftsports.com/products/...uspension-stem
09-27-22, 11:03 PM
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Too much weight on your hands. You should be able to hold your back angle using your back muscles. If you can't, it might be because (a) the saddle is tilted too low in front, (b) your back muscles just aren't strong enough, or (c) the saddle is too far forward. And don't squeeze the handlebar too tightly.
09-28-22, 09:52 AM
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Folks, this is an old thread.
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