Is hand loss of mobility/injury tri related?

Ummm... it doesn't sound tri-related to me... just sayin'.....

Found it!!
http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_3_2.htm


Handlebar palsy
Ulnar neuropathy, known to cyclists as handlebar palsy, is caused by compression of the ulnar nerve at the hand and wrist (Fig. 1). The ulnar nerve controls sensation in your ring and little finger and controls most of the muscular function of your hand. Compression of the ulnar nerve is a common problem for competitive and recreational cycle enthusiasts, alike. Compression is the result of direct pressure on the ulnar nerve from the grip on the handlebars. Often, the nerve may be stretched or hyperextended (extension beyond its normal limit) when a drop-down handlebar is held in the lower position. The pressure placed on the ulnar nerve results in numbness and tingling in the ring and little fingers or hand weakness, or a combination of both. Symptoms can take from several days to months to resolve, but surgical treatment is rarely necessary. Rest, stretching exercises, and anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin, usually help relieve the symptoms. Applying less pressure or weight to the handlebars and avoiding hyperextension can help to prevent a recurrence

Now, anybody else have this issue? Any suggestions?

Edited by randomguymike 2009-12-16 1:13 PM

I think I have an issue similar to your issue if it is not the same. After rides I would have a lot of weakness mainly in my left hand. I would test it out by trying to flick something with my middle finger. I got in in my ring finger but not pinky. I would sometimes get it in my right ring finger as well. Not sure if yours does this but my finger will catch at a certain point. A good friend of mine is a plastic surgeon and he said it sounds like mine is trigger finger. Try researching that a little and see if that matches you as well.

I have not been cycling very much due to the weather, just running and I have had no issues at all with it.

I had some symptoms that sound similar (although less severe) than what your describe. There is a nerve that apparently controls your pinky finger and half of your ring finger (doing this from memory, so please excuse any inaccuracies). If it gets pinched somewhere along your arm, you start having issues. In my case, it was at the elbow. I started trying to keep my arm as straight as possible during the day, and at night, I slept with a towel wrapped around my arm to keep myself from bending the elbow. I started to notice improvement in a few days, and it was gone in a couple weeks.

-Matt

Yep, after finally finding it, I'm almost 100% sure that's what it is. Talked to my boss about it (she does lots of biking) and found out my riding position is horrid. When I explained how I sit when riding the bike there was lots of wincing from her. So, going to have to lookup how to ride bike in the right posture (for instance I had my arms pretty much locked, which I guess is very bad).

I'm also going to accelerate the bike fitting at my new tri shop. Another thing that she winced at was the description of the 'fitting' process at my bike shop, which I already knew sucked.

That's the first thing I thought of too! had a mental image and thought "what else have you been doing more of lately?"

Road bike or tri bike?

Riding outside or inside?

If riding tri bike either place you should be good with your hand if you ride in aero. If riding road bike on a trainer don't hold on so tight or at all. If you are riding outside on road bike, try moving your hands around but also not holding on to the handlebars with a death grip more loose and easy.

road bike on trainer.

sounds like death grip, along with locking shoulders & elbows  (and possible fit issues) are largely causing my issue. with my current form riding without holding at all isn't even possibe. So, I'm obviously doing something wrong.

Edited by randomguymike 2009-12-16 2:22 PM

Most any bike you can sit up and ride without holding on at all especially on the trainer.

You live in Chicago with lots of bike shops. You could post on the IL forum for suggestions on bike fit as there are often many options with varying prices.

Good luck!

Zed's reply made me laugh!

I think you've zero'd in on the cause of your hand problem, ulnar neuropathy. Now you have to determine the cause of your ulnar neuropathy.

Most important thing is that you want that nerve to heal 100%. You don't want to be stuck with a lifetime disabiliyt like you just described (impacting work and typing, etc.). It usually gets better, but may take a long time...weeks to months depending on how severe the nerve has been injured, or if there is just local tissue swelling.

The issue can come from anywhere along the ulnar nerve where it wraps around the elbow to where it passes along the wrist and into the hand.

Google the anatomy so that you become aware of where the pressure areas are and can avoid that until you get a proper bike fit.

it can happen in the aeroposition too, because a lot of weight will be on your forearms near the elbows. So you need great fits all over.

Bike fit aside, one reason that many people lean on their hand sand lock out their elbows is because their back muscles are relatively weak. Next time you are on your bike in your regular riding position, keep your trunk at teh same angle, but unweight your hands. Does your trunk stay still or do you sink towards the handlebars and struggle to stay upright? with or without your hands on the bars, the seated cycling position on hoods or drops requires engagment of the paraspinal muscles. The more aero you go, the less engaged the back muscles are.

anyway...my point is that your back muscles may be weak in addition to a poor bike fit. When I had my bike fit, the fitter actually showed me different hand positions to avoid pressure on the ulnar and median nerve.

Just to echo a couple of the previous posts....you are definately suffering from Ulner Nerve Compression.  I had the exact same issue when I got my new tri bike.  I went on a few group rides (without gloves) and ended up riding on the horns a good bit.  A few days went by, and I picked up my guitar and literally could not even grip a basic chord...needless to say, I was VERY concerned.  I immediately got my wife involved (she is an Occupational Therapist) and she diagnosed the problem and showed me a few different movements designed to "stretch" the ulner nerve.  Those movements combined with wearing gloves when I ride had me back to normal in literally a week or two.  I am no doctor, but I would highly recommend gloves if your not wearing them, or new gloves if you are wearing them...look for gloves that have a single pad across the lower part of the glove b/c gloves that have the two piece pads across the heel of the hand usually have a seam that coincidentally runs along the path of the ulner nerve and can still cause nerve compression (I use Bellweather Plush Gel gloves...and, no, I do not work for them...LOL).  Anyways, I hope this helps, and if you would like to know the movements you can do to relieve the stress on the Ulner Nerve send me a message offline.  I definately know how stressful this "injury" can be, but there is a fairly simple and effective way to treat it.