What to do about numbness

Anyone experience one or more fingers numb after riding. My ring finger on my throttle hand becomes numb and it is taking longer and longer for the feeling to come back. This time its been 2 days after riding about 400 miles this weekend. Any insight anybody?

Good morning,

The numbness could be from a number of factors including lever angle, bar height and seating position. Did any of these change recently? There is not enough information to provide specific suggestions. What model are you riding? Does you occupation have anything to do with this?

About the only suggestion that comes to mind is to ask if you are using any throttle lock. If yes perhaps you may want to try easing it off some and if not you may want to get one so you can "shake out" your hand once in a while.

If this persists I (yes you probably don't want to hear this) would suggest discussing this with a MD who specializes in hand problems.

Good luck,

I've noticed the same thing, but never for two days. Try a different set of gloves, and remember to change your hand position on the grips the same way you move around in the seat to keep from 'flat-spotting'. That seems to work for me.

Two days is a lot, I would take this pretty seriously if I were you. Some cases of Carpal Tunnel syndrome get so serious that they have to perform surgery to correct it- if this doesn't get better I'd see a doctor. Some chiropractors also work with carpal tunnel sufferers too.

rotsa ruck

Just put on new gloves this morning (fingerless sailing gloves)for the ride to work and I think it helped a little. I ride an1150GS with no throttle lock. I've just started to problem solve the situation so I'll be trying all suggestions. The job has nothing to do with it, but flyfishing and the constant wrist motion and grip of the rod probably does.

Ergonomics are a big deal on motorcycles. I'd check to make sure your wrist is absolutely straight. There should be a straight line from your elbow to the tip of your finger. Your elbows should be unlocked and relaxed. Your shoulders should be unhunched.

Fingerless gloves? Don't get me started on gloves....

No hands, no work. The purpose of gloves is to keep your fingers from getting ground off when you hit the ground.

All The Gear, All The Time. ATGATT.

dave

Interesting that the sailing gloves would help.

Sailing gloves are generally thicker than riding gloves and they have a extra layer across the palm. Depending on the brand they are likely made with elkhide which is softer then most riding gloves I have seen.

If these helped I would suggest you take a look at gloves with gel inserts. Olympis makes a good range of golves with the feature. I have used a pair of their perforated leather gloves with the gel on the Butt Lite (7 day endurance rally) and I really liked them.

I suggest you do like Dave and check the ergos as well as get yourself a pair of olympia gloves. I would also recommend a throttle lock such as a wrist rest, throttlemeister, or the bmw friction screw (best imo but requires grip mod). If you have a throttle lock you could take you hand off the bars ocasionally for quick relief.

I would also agree that if the problem does not get better you should consult with a MD.

Best,

My right hand used to get numb after riding for about an hour and I've done a couple of things which have helped -

- got a wrist rest
- got gloves that are looser
- rotated the brake lever down

However, the numbness always went away once I gave my hand a rest. It sounds more serious that your hand stays numb for days....

I like the suggestion of gel padding, Rob - I'll try that too.

BG

Numbness

I was having the same problem and funnily enough it was the Throttle rocker, after taking it off I have not had the problem again. I ride a CLC on my Lt it was never a problem. Hope this helps. We are all made different thank the Lord so what works for one may not work for others.

I would get that checked out by a doctor. I would also invest $9.00 in a Throttle Rocker. It was the best 9 bucks I ever spent. I would also look into a set of Olympia Gel gloves. Both products should help.

Check the gloves, and tightness of layers

I had problems with numbness of hands as well while riding. I did a few things and no numbness other than in my skull.

I have gone through 4 sets of gloves before finding ones that work for ME. Other people have had other experiences. The key for me was finding a pair without any stitching across the palms. That was acting as a pinch point and cutting off circulation.

The other was checking how tight I was cinching stuff down. When I was riding without a fairing, it was Olympia Gels with guantlets over the AeroStich sleeve. Well I was cutting the movement off with how many layers I had.

I also got rid of my Throttlerocker as it was causing numbness as well. Went to a Throttlemeister and it works great. You may want to look at some mechanix gloves which are full finger and gelled.

Then there is the other thing I do, I have Chinese Iron Balls, some people call them Meditation Balls, Singing Balls, Chime Balls... etc. I have the largest set I could find and circulate them through my hands and excercise. It helped me a lot. My set was $9.

Good luck. Remember you only got one set of hands, so take care of them. If you don't think they are important, try using the restroom with one hand.

Good luck

Re: Numbness

John Bass said:

I was having the same problem and funnily enough it was the Throttle rocker, after taking it off I have not had the problem again. I ride a CLC on my Lt it was never a problem. Hope this helps. We are all made different thank the Lord so what works for one may not work for others.

Click to expand...

Interesting.
The Throttle Rocker has helped me immensely. I don't have to wrap my hand completely around the grip and can find different positions for my hand and wrist.

Throttle Rocker = "Best Helmet"?

Depends on who you are?

I used some leather conditioner called Lexol on my gloves this weekend- you wouldn't believe how big a difference it made. The gloves are softer than when they were new and they are a LOT more comfortable to ride in. If your numbness is because of the way your gloves fit, this might help.

They sell the stuff in Tack Shops

Weighing in on the numbness issue

Exercise really helped me. I had a similar problem and then started an exercise regimen and found that the numbness is gone 98.3% of the time.
Actually wrote about the experience and it appeared in a motorcycle magazine called the Owners News. Of course, nobody reads the silly magazine - it is all about those black bikes from Germany.
Seriously, excercise helped a ton.

Formerly Numb In Michigan

Numbness

Snoone,
What one really needs to question is why the numbness is occuring in the first place. As you grip the throttle and squeeze over period of time you inevitably will "squeeze" the small capillary beds of your forearm, hand and fingers. The result is a decrease in circulation to your hand and fingers resulting in numbness. Relaxing your grip, changing position of your grip, and using after-marketing devices such as the "throttle rocket" are all appropriate ideas and will help. However, there are a few other things you might do. One is to exercise the hand with exercise balls of various densities and strengthen the forearm muscles with dumbells. However, you run the risk of developing muscles that become too tight. So, stretch the forearm muscles as well.
I will refer you to various manuals for stretching.
But the best thing you can do is to use both Niacin (vitamin B-3) and Vitamin B-6. The combination of these two vitamins helps to open the capillary beds, hence improving circulation. They also help with energy and muscle metabolism. However I must CAUTION you. The Nicacin can and probably will cause a FLUSH, which if you are not prepared for will feel really strange. It causes a spontaneous dilation of the capillaries thus leading to a red, warm feeling, usually in the face, neck and arms. This is acutually desireable and lasts only 15 mins or so. It is harmless. I dose patients with 100 mg of B-3 BID with food and 50 mg BID of B-6 with food. I use this protocol for patients with Carpal tunnel syndrome as well with great results
Good luck and please reply with questions
Bumper

the latest vibration coming from my bike had both my hands numb as well as my butt after about an hour above 5K rpm. I hooked up my trusty carb stix and re adjusted the dealers "fine tune of the tb's and now the problem has gone away!! You could try some different grips, or some of the grip sleeves that are padded, they may help with the problem you are having. By the way, my balls are american and are definately not iron...

Been there, felt that.

I'm glad this came up. Maybe I can help.
This is a very comon long-distance-rider injury/inflamation.
Firstly,
You ride a GS so there are a number of options for ergonomic fit. I'd start by strongly recommending that you save your money and a pair of Ricardo Kuhn's ProTaper bars and bars risers.Ricardo's web site
They make a world of difference.
Secondly,
Some self massage helps a great deal.
Try this:
With your thumb(print side) of the non-pained hand press on the area of your forearm just down from your elbow about two inches. (See photo)
This area is on top of the largest muscle group of your forearm. If you press hard and move your thumb in a slow circular motion you will find a sore spot. Press firmly on this hard spot. Do this for about thirty seconds if you can stand the pain.

-Now extend you arm and lock your elbow.

-With your arm extended roll your entire arm as if turning a door knob all the way in one direction and hold it there for a few seconds.

-Now roll it the other way until it stops and hold that.

-Gently and slowly flex your wrists and see if your pain is still there.

You should also take some Aleeve/Naproxem to reduce the inflamation.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jorge

Bumper, Thanks for your comments. Since I first experienced the numbness, I've tried a couple things that have helped. New gloves with a gel pads have done wonders and changing how I grip and how tight I grip has lessened the problem. This all started during a full day of flyfishing , then was aggravated on the bike for a 60 mile ride home.

Snoone,
I think the take home message is stick with riding and don't fish for flies.
Bubber Cow's suggestion of doing trigger point/myofascial therapy is a good one. Though an experienced therapist will go deeper into the muscle than you will yourself.
Bumper

Sorry bumper quitting fishing for flies is out of the question. My bike is rigged as a fishing machine . See you at the Roscoe Diner