Sore hands and thumbs! What to do?
OLeoLionessO
Posts: 152
I've been biking a few times lately as a new active thing I'm doing. I noticed though that my hands, especially the thumb area is really sore and it feels like I have to crack my thumbs constantly. Any tips or tricks to help with this problem? or what is actually causing the pain?
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What kind of bars do you use? It's most likely the position you have your had in, which really depends on the bike.0
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I'm all for a good chiropractic adjustment, but wonder about the whole cracking the thumbs...some people theorize that the more you do this, the more you'll have to keep doing it, but I can't say. My lower back bothers me enough I have to pop it around every morning, and once I do, it is generally good for the whole day--if I don't do this it will feel like I'm pinching a nerve in the same area and be tight until I do, so you may have some legitimate reason to pop them, I'll have to let you decide that. Nevertheless, you might benefit from a pair of gloves, these improve your grip (so you don't have to hold on as hard) and they also mean you won't have to wrap your hands as tightly around the bars (since the gloves add to the padding and thereby keep your hands more open. You also may be having trouble with your hands from some other area of life--perhaps even sleep. A few years ago when I was a commercial driver, and for like 11 hours a day holding a steering wheel not very different from your handlebars, well, I started having trouble getting my hands (and by extension, me) to rest at night. I ended up adding not only padding to my steering wheel and driving (actually, weightlifting) gloves, but also constructed devices to help me sleep at night when my hands still wanted to grip. Some of this also comes with age, I had a little bit of the same problem before I got behind the wheel of a big rig, and I saw in a friend's CNA/Nursing manual where they advised giving patients a balled-up washcloth to clutch in their hands to sleep with, I don't understand why, and I have no idea what to call this, but it helps to relax the hand by holding it more open as the muscles and tendons want to contract. Basically, the washcloth never did all I needed it to, so to finally solve my problem, I found something like tennis balls and then two smaller balls (like hacky-sacks) and sowed them inside a pair of socks, so that they were kinda egg-shaped, one for each hand (so I could hold them different ways, depending on my nightly needs), and slept like a baby, and woke up with rested hands. No, I'm not sure this has anything to do with what you're experiencing, but particularly if there is any family history of arthritis, you may want to give it a try. I've been out of the truck for over four years now, but still find them helpful to my hands, but no, I don't pop my thumbs, just my lower back
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You didn't mention if you wear gloves when riding but they really helped me. I got mine at the local bike shop & paid around $20.0
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Most likely, there is something off about your bike fit that is causing either too much weight on your hands or for your hands to be at a weird angle to the bars.
It could also be as simple as the way you hold the bars, but it's hard to say without more details.
Nice padded gloves can help with road vibration and comfort, but this does not sound like a problem that gloves will fix.0 -
I got the gloves, sorry I didnt mention that.
my bike looks almost exactly like this bike!
https://store.bicycleczar.com/47cm-Vintage-FUJI-Club-Fuji-12-Speed-Touring-p/02130108.htm
its made from the 1980s I really wish I could figure out the exact type of fuji it is
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I tend to hold tension in my wrist, thumbs and right shoulder while I ride.
I spent some time adjusting my seat correctly-that helped. I try to give myself "cues" every now and again on my rides to 1)drop my shoulder and 2)engage my core, which takes some weight off of my hands. Concentrate on keeping a slight bend in your elbow, relax your thumbs and don't **** your wrists. Good luck!0 -
oh now that's pretty ridiculous... MFP changed one of my COMPLETELY appropriate verbs to "****" since it CAN be used as a crude noun. Assume context much MFP?0
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I got the gloves, sorry I didnt mention that.
my bike looks almost exactly like this bike!
https://store.bicycleczar.com/47cm-Vintage-FUJI-Club-Fuji-12-Speed-Touring-p/02130108.htm
its made from the 1980s I really wish I could figure out the exact type of fuji it is
Lovely vintage steel bike!!
As above said, I guess more likely a setup/angle issue that causes the discomfort (can be handlebar, levers, hoods, saddle positions) - that you have to put your hands at an angle that is not right to your anatomy. Sure if you death-grip the handlebar can be a reason but seeing you ride this bike I doubt this is the case.
Suggest adjust the setting (LBS or yourself). As Cyclink said gloves doesn't really do much to solve pain like this.0 -
Shift your position often, continue with gloves, shift you position often, expect that time will build some tolerance as your hands/thumbs get stronger to this type of activity, Bike fittings are good, but I didn't look at your bike pic so I won't go further into this. If you have mountain bike bars you can look into some of the grips available - some have a flattened platform that your palm rests on, if you try those make sure you get the type that lock on with a set screw.0
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If your bike handlebars & brakes are setup like the one in your picture, then I see the problem. You are reaching over the bars to rest on the brake hoods and that could be the culprit. I am very picky about my handlebars. See the way my bars are flat and my hoods come straight off of them. Makes for a much more comfortable platform for your hands.
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