Because you’re putting pressure on the nerve that runs down your arm to your fingers. This can easily be prevented by buying a good pair of bicycle riding gloves. Also, consider shifting your hand position when you ride.
Numb hands are a common problem for cyclists, and there are many brands of gloves to alleviate the issue. You may need to pay twenty bucks or more for a good pair of gloves, but believe me, if you spend any time in the saddle at all, it is worth it to relieve the hand and arm ache.
For more information see: What is handlebarpalsy/ cubital tunnel syndrome?
posted by Heather at 2:02 pm
Recently, I had a strange lump on my wrist. It did not hurt, but it did concern me. I learned I had a ganglion cyst.
A Ganglion cyst — also known as a Bible cyst — is a tumor or swelling on the top of a joint or the covering of a tendon. It looks like a bony like bump on the hand or wrist. It may feel firm or spongy and is not harmful. In fact, my doctor told me not to worry about it, and that no treatment was necessary. They told me that if I did want it removed, they could remove it through surgery, but that it would probably come back.
Bible cysts are very common in women, and usually occur on the back of the hand, at the wrist or even on the palm side of the hand. Other places they occur are on the outside of the knee or ankle or on the foot.
The ganglion cyst got its nickname of “Bible cyst” because back in the old days, the cure for one was for the doctor to whack your wrist with a bible while you held your hand or wrist flat on a table. That cure is actually effective for the spongy ones, though I’d recommend you see your doctor if it worries you or is painful in any way.
posted by Heather at 1:54 pm
Probably because your bicycle is either too long or short for you from the handlebars to the seat, or your handlebars need adjusted up or down.
Check the handlebars. The handlebars can actually be adjusted up or down. Unfortunately, this is one of the more difficult adjustments to make since everyone has different back flexibility and upper body musculature. In general, your stem shoudl be long enough so that the crossbar of the handlebar obscures the front hub when you are seated and your hands are on the break hoods or a road bike or on the grips of a mountain or hybrid bike. Honestly, the easiest way to adjust this is to go to a bike store and have the bike store folks help you out. Sometimes you may need to get a longer stem length than your handlebars have — a worthwhile investment to keep your shoulders from aching.
Women Suffer Sore Shoulders the Most
Many women under 5′6″ tall — myself included — have difficulty finding bicycles with a short enough top bar — that is the bar that goes from your handlebar to your seat — to properly fit them. Bicycle manufacturers have finally in recent years heard enough women screaming about this problem and have now decided to make bikes that are especially fitted to women.
My personal recommendation is a bicycle company in New England called Terry Bicycling. Their web site is: http://www.terrybicycles.com/. It was started by a vertically challenged woman named Georgina Terry. She was sick of her shoulders hurting and decided that, with her engineers degree and her retirement check, she was going to start a company that makes bicycles engineered to fit women’s smaller sizes. She was the first to do it and 10 years after she started her company, other companies followed suit.
posted by Heather at 1:40 pm