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Riding with wrist problems

3K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  Kingshead 
#1 ·
I know I'm not the only one out there with wrist problems who is riding. I had an accident when I was in high school that resulted in permanent nerve damage in my wrists, leaving me with the pins and needles feeling in my hands and wrists very frequently. When I'm out riding I find that I have to stop every 10 or 15 minutes because my hands are p&n.

For those out there with wrist problems, what do you do to increase time between stops? I already plan on getting a pair of throttle rockers (one for each side so that I can rest my hands rather than maintaining a full grip at all times) and trying to find grips that are bigger and softer since my current ones are small enough that I can wrap my hands pretty much all the way around and don't provide much cushion. I can't change the position of the bars much as my bike doesn't have a single piece bar, I have a bar for each side. All I can do there is rotate them around and they are already as far forward as gets, almost 90* to me.


Any tips or advice?
 
G
#4 · (Edited)
I am in the same boat. If you haven’t already take an afternoon and really go through and fine adjust all your controls. Loosen the bars and pivot them to whatever you can to get yourself in a better riding position. Turn your levers so they sit in a more reachable position. Fine-tune everything so you are at max comfort. And if you cannot achieve this with the bars you have consider new bars, or risers etc. The more natural your riding position and hand placement the less painful your ride will be.
And as you mention take the time to stop and stretch before and during a ride.
 
#5 ·
Not much I can do, really.
I had carpel tunnel surgery years ago in my right hand but it really doesn't give me problems. It's my left, the one I didn't have surgery on. After about 20 mins my finger tips go numb, soon after my hand goes numb. I just keep going and ride one handed while I shake out my left and let it relax. It's not just a buzzy handle bar either because I get the same thing when I sleep or hold the phone with my left hand too. I ride really relaxed and usually don't grip the grips unless I'm in traffic, depending on conditions.
 
#6 ·
http://www.casporttouring.com/cst/motorcycle/hand_cont_$50/GPSMALL.html

I've been meaning to order a pair for mine. I had some on another bike and liked them. I just got a cramp buster and really like it for longer rides, not around town tho. It's easy to give it too much gas if you're not used to it. Are you riding with your elbows loose or kinda locked? I have a little damage myself and have to keep them loose.
I remember that test with a needle and electricity....never again!!
 
#7 · (Edited)
I was very concerned about my chronic elbow tendinitis (and carpal tunnel is one form of tendinitis) when I first got my V Star, so the first thing I got for it was a crampbuster. It takes some getting used to, and correct positioning, but it's worth the effort.

I recently realized I had a death grip on the throttle whenever I got stressed (like tight turns, or practicing figure 8's), and the crampbuster allows me to really relax that hand. You should definitely give it (or the throttle rocker).

Btw, I've had carpal tunnel too - had it bad. I thought that might be a problem on the M/C. It has been for bicycles for me. But the V Star doesn't seem to have handlebar vibration. Those weights on the bar ends must really work, because the footpegs are certainly vibrating at about 60mph. And I'm using the stock grips too. The only change I've made is the crampbuster.
 
#8 ·
I ride a sport bike most the time and I have really bad wrist problems from the military. Tendinitis.

You learn ways to counter act it, weather it be seating possition or whatever. A lot of times I'll ride with my thumbs over the the handlebars and rest my palms on them. If your on a cruiser you can get a throttle boss type thing that clips to your throttle and makes it a lot easier to hold the throttle.

Its mainly finding ways to take pressure of your wrists... that makes the biggest difference. Wearing padded gloves makes it worse too.
 
#9 ·
Diagnosed with arthritis in both hands (and elsewhere) 35 yrs. ago. Diagnosed with carpal tunnel 30 yrs ago, elected not to have surgery. Literally crushed my right wrist (I'm right handed) 3 yrs. ago, again elected not to have surgey (both times against doctors advice). Major fall at work 2 yrs. ago, crushed 2 vertebrae, herniated a disc, compressed 2 other discs, again elected not to have surgery. Three months after the fall rode my hardtail 7,600 miles across country and back (read "Deer Jumper" thread for details), have lived my whole life with pain (allergic to pain medications). I understand what you are going through, but the mind can be a strong ally in your fight here. Try concentrating on the riding experience and not focus on your discomfort and you will be surprized with the results. Pain is an electrical signal received by the brain, give your mind something else to do and it will over ride the other. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

In case you are wondering why I elected not to have surgery, in all 3 cases the possible outcomes could have left me crippled, and the spine injury dead. I was able to work construction and walk, having the surgery couldn't guarantee the same outcome.
 
#10 ·
smashed both my wrists more times than i care to remember, resulting in the left radius offset by 15 degrees, makes guitar playing a doddle lol.

over the years i've got used to it and can say it doesn't really bother me that much now, but i put vfr800 bars on my vtr to raise and back off the bars a bit - helped a lot for long distance.

another thing you may find helpfull is to fit some larger diameter grips so your hand isn't clenched as tight when riding - or maybe get some foam over-grips.

do you get a problem reaching for the levers as well??? i did.
consider something with abs & linked brakes, or for a quick fix get some pazzo or similar short reach levers - makes a hell of a difference.

@kingshead, i did a similar spinal injury, oooh, nearly 28 years ago now in a high speed frontal impact, the impact shrunk me by almost 2" with the disc damage lol - again, over the years i've got used to it and i actually find the sports riding position more comfortable than bolt upright.
pins & needles when riding is not good though - you need to find a solution to this or tbh it could end your riding career before too long :thumbsdown:
 
#11 ·
OK, with wrist problems the pins and needles usaully go hand in hand with pain (no pun intended). Are you noticing the left side seems to be worse than the right? If so then it is most likely a vibration issue as the throttle grip is less directly attached to the bars. I ride an older Honda Vtwin (single pin crank design) known for their vibration problems. Through experience I've found some speeds seem to exascerbate the problem more than others. At 60mph the bars seem to vibrate worse than at 70 but the lower frequency at 60 seems less of an issue. I've also noticed the problem seems to subside over 75mph (possibly the frequency is so high it doesn't transmit through), but the police don't seem to like this (I wonder why?). There is a company (Kuryakyn) making replacement ISO grips that are supposed to alleviate this problem. I've been meaning to order some for my bike but procrastination keeps getting in the way.

If anyone has tried these grips, post a response and let the rest of us know how or if they were effective, and would you recommend them to others.
 
#13 ·
The frequency that bothers my hands the most is so high it's almost imperceptable. This is the reason it was so long before realizing very high speeds would lessen the problem. It's still there though, 60mph or less is the best but the safety issue of riding so much slower than prevailing traffic on the hwy's worries me.

I'm still planning on purchasing a pair of the Kuryakyn ISO grips from Dennis Kirk on the internet.

Good luck with what ever you do. If you find a solution post it here on the forum for others with this problem to read.
 
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