A little health issue

[Condor]

I have a problem with my right hand, and sometimes my left, going dead after riding a while. I know...Carpol Tunnel... On the '83 I have a throttle lock that I can set in order to relax the hand and get the blood flow back into it. Some rides are worse than others, but on Saturday's VWIV ride from Ft Hunter-Ligette, 25 miles over to Hwy1 on the coast, we were in some fairly twisty road conditions, and I couldn't set the lock to relieve the numbness in my right hand. So for just about all of that portion of the ride... 1.5 hrs.. I had to twist the throttle with a numb hand. After a while it hurt like 'H'. Long story short, I think I screwed up my hand big time. It's been two weeks and the tips of the fingers on the right hands are numb 24/7 and they ain't getting any better. Went to the Doc's and she was non-comittal as to the cause. I have an appointment with... I guess.. a neurologist for tests on the 12th. I wondering if anybody else has had this happen to them, and did you finally get the feeling back?? Talk about a PITA trying to zip up the fly when I can't feel the tang!!!

[BuckShot]

:thumbsup:I have the same problem with my right hand. Just started this year. Feeling comes back quickly. Keep us posted. Thanks Gil

[Moakster]

I had an anterior neck fusion for two vertebra's back 2001. I found that if my spine got curved too much from slouching my left and right hand would go numb. I went back to the doctor and he advised that my slouch angle contributed to pinching the nerves that run out of my spine to my hands, causing them to go numb. When I ride for a while and the hands start to go numb I straighten up my spine and move my head left and right and up and down a few times and the tingling and numbness disappear. You might be in a slouch when you ride as I was. This helped me.

 

Moakster

[friesman]

Sorry to hear about your hand, dont you hate it when your health interferes with something you really like to do? (the riding, not the fly zipping,,,,,lol):rotfl:

I have never had the issue but a few friends have and I am happy to say that all of them are fine and pain free after the treatments, (and/or surgery), the only downside is that you prolly wont be able to ride for about 3 months or possibly more, so if you need surgery might be a good idea to push for an early date so you dont interfere with your riding season.

Ride safe and get yourself well

 

Brian

[Condor]

I had an anterior neck fusion for two vertebra's back 2001. I found that if my spine got curved too much from slouching my left and right hand would go numb. I went back to the doctor and he advised that my slouch angle contributed to pinching the nerves that run out of my spine to my hands, causing them to go numb. When I ride for a while and the hands start to go numb I straighten up my spine and move my head left and right and up and down a few times and the tingling and numbness disappear. You might be in a slouch when you ride as I was. This helped me.Moakster

 

Good tip. I've never had a fushion done, but I slouch somethin' terrible while riding. It's a tall person problem. I'm gonna start laying flat on my back on the floor to see if that'll help. I may never make it back up.....

[Condor]

Sorry to hear about your hand, dont you hate it when your health interferes with something you really like to do? (the riding, not the fly zipping,,,,,lol):rotfl:

I have never had the issue but a few friends have and I am happy to say that all of them are fine and pain free after the treatments, (and/or surgery), the only downside is that you prolly wont be able to ride for about 3 months or possibly more, so if you need surgery might be a good idea to push for an early date so you dont interfere with your riding season.

Ride safe and get yourself well

 

Brian

 

If it looks like I'm going to need surgery on the wrist I'm going to try to schedule it for sometime in Jan'09. Jan-Feb-Mar are wet...

[BEER30]

My wife has corpal-tunnel in both wrist and when riding long distance , the pain goes up her arm and into here neck and shoulder . She did accu-puncture and it helped relieve most of the pain . At night and when not doing other things she sometimes wears wrist braces and they help too. Have you considered wearing wrist bands like the atheletes do when riding ?

 

BEER30

[tomephil]

Hi Condor,

 

I have carpel on my right hand quite bad.

From what I know, carpel syndrome should only effect your thumb and first two fingers.

The nerve that controls these 3 fingers come through the back of the neck, through your shoulder, down the front (non-hairy) part of the forearm, through the carpel tunnel in the wrist and goes to the thumb and fingers.

I am not sure exactly where the nerve comes from for the other fingers.

I saw a physio guy a few years ago when it was very bad.

He tried a bunch of stuff but than he finally convinced me to try acupuncture.

The first needle that went in gave me "instant" relief.

He told me that certian muscles in your arm get knotted up and cause a stress on everything going into your carpel tunnel.

Knot may not be the best word. From what I understand you get spots where the muscle bunched up (looks like a knot on a string).

This basicly blocks the passage in your carpel tunnel and pinches the nerve so as soon as acupuncture needle touched the muscle knot, the knot relaxes, in effect, lengthing that muscle.

The muscle now being the proper length, now stops squeezing everything going through the carpel tunnel and stops pinching the nerve.

The reason I ran through this is that it may be you were overcompensating for your carpel nerve and caused damage to the other nerve(s) controling the other fingers.

There are times when I am riding that, first my carpel nerve goes, if I don't or can't use my throttle lock, the other nerve(s) start causing my other fingers to go numb also.

If you know or trust an acupuncturist, it may be an option.

This is just my expreience. Hope it helps.

My doctor had aslo suggested surgery but I chickened out. I never like it when anyone wants to chop a piece of my anatomy off!

 

Take care,

Tom

(True 1st gens rule!)

[Squidley]

Sounds exactly like what Lonna has...and is Carpal Tunnel. You need to go get it tested and they will do the surgery. Her symptoms are just what you have described to a T.

[Guindalf]

If you don't already have one, a throttle boss may help you by not having to grip the throttle all the time. I have Kuryakyn ISO grips with the throttle boss extension on my '03 Midnight and that plus the cruise control helps with grip problems.

[DragonRider]

Those are the same classic symptons I had, and it was cp, had the tests and confirmed very far gone on my right, as I am right handed and minor in the left. Dr. did the surgery, outpatient, and I was home by 3 pm that same day, out of work for 2 months, but was back riding in 1 month, against Dr, and wifes:buttkick: orders, but i had to, and now no problems and it's been almost 3 yrs. Good luck and dont rush it, wait at least a month before you ride.

[Condor]

I just want it to go away.... IO hate this feeling...or lack of... If I need surgery, so be it. I just hope the HMO... Kaiser... doesn't try to put it off. They have a tendency to do that. Actually it's the thumb print side, the index, middle...worse of the lot.. and ring. So four total. The little finger is fine. Been using it to open bottles ect. If I try to grab or pick up something with my thumb and middle I can't tell if I even have it unless I'm looking at it. Dropped a carving knife a couple days ago and it almost hit my foot.... Impossible to pick up a quarter, or piece of paper off the floor. Another thing is my power grip has gone to 'H' in a hand basket. I have to use my left hand to open anything hard. Thanks to everyone for all the feedback. Apparently Carpol Tunnel isn't as rare as Common Sense....

[davepa]

I had the carpal tunnel corrected in both wrists 2001. Also for the "pinky and ring finger" numbness, the ulner nerve tunnel (6 inches) was cleaned. It is on the outside of the elbow. When the symptoms return, and they will, I was told the ulner nerve must be relocated in the elbow. This nerve goes from the wrist to the shoulder. I had numbness in the two fingers and pain well into the neck and shoulder. 6 to 8 weeks to heal,

I had a nerve conductivity test done which found the ulner nerve to be bad also.

Edited September 1, 2008 by davepa

[tomephil]

I had the carpal tunnel corrected in both wrists 2001. Also for the "pinky and ring finger" numbness, the ulner nerve tunnel (6 inches) was cleaned. It is on the outside of the elbow. When the symptoms return, and they will, I was told the ulner nerve must be relocated in the elbow. This nerve goes from the wrist to the shoulder. I had numbness in the two fingers and pain well into the neck and shoulder. 6 to 8 weeks to heal,

I had a nerve conductivity test done which found the ulner nerve to be bad also.

Wow,

I didn't know that they could move or clean the nerves but I guess they do this in other instances.

I was told my option was to have them remove a chunk of bone from my carpal tunnel.

Where it goes from a O (ovel)to a C shape.

Tom

[davepa]

Wow,

I didn't know that they could move or clean the nerves but I guess they do this in other instances.

I was told my option was to have them remove a chunk of bone from my carpal tunnel.

Where it goes from a O (ovel)to a C shape.

Tom

 

My Doc. told me since the ulner nerve rubs between two bones, they could move the nerve to the outside of one of the bones to stop the rubbing. How they secure the nerve in place...I have no idea.

Dave

[davepa]

The nerve is not cleaned , the tunnel in which the nerve passes through is cleaned to stop rubbing, pinching , etc.

[dr_bar]

I was told my option was to have them remove a chunk of bone from my carpal tunnel.

Tom

 

From the best of my knowledge, there is no bone "IN" the Carpal Tunnel. It is composed entirely of connective tissue forming a space between the wrist bones to enclose several ligaments, nerves and arteries. This is from memory from consultations before surgery back in 1984. Hell, bodies may have changed or medicine may have come a long way since then...

 

One cause of Carpal Tunnel, is repetitive strain (which is how I contracted it on a timber mill green chain.) What happens is that the "tunnel" swells with inflammation and pinches the nerve going through it.

[SilvrT]

Go see a chiropractor ... you've probably got a pinched nerve somewhere.

[Condor]

Go see a chiropractor ... you've probably got a pinched nerve somewhere.

 

Don't get me started Rick... I went to a Chiropractor for a bad back back in my 30's. Came out worse than when I went in.... Told myself, never again.

BTW I saw a bike on Craigs that looked exactely like your's. You have a twin running around out there somewhere....

[tomephil]

From the best of my knowledge, there is no bone "IN" the Carpal Tunnel. It is composed entirely of connective tissue forming a space between the wrist bones to enclose several ligaments, nerves and arteries. This is from memory from consultations before surgery back in 1984. Hell, bodies may have changed or medicine may have come a long way since then...

 

One cause of Carpal Tunnel, is repetitive strain (which is how I contracted it on a timber mill green chain.) What happens is that the "tunnel" swells with inflammation and pinches the nerve going through it.

 

I didn't know that also.

I thought the circle was made of bone and the nerves, muscles etc. went through it.

Good thing I'm not a doctor!

Thanks,

Tom

[Marcarl]

If you can find a REGISTERED massage therapist, that's what I would try first. They won't \ can't do any damage but can help relieve a lot of your problems. Did the chiropractor route for years, now it's just the therapist and I.

[bongobobny]

Welcome to my world, Jack, I suffer from preriferal neuropathy which ncauses constant tingling as well as carpel tunnel. I pretty much have to always wear good riding gloves which does help a lot.

 

If you think zipping your fly is tough, try getting a dime out of your pants pocket...