General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Handlebar Palsy- who has had it? Rss Feed  
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2009-07-29 10:47 AM

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Champion
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Dallas, TX
Subject: Handlebar Palsy- who has had it?
So, last night after my bike ride... my elbow started hurting. Then my pinky and the left side of my hand went numb. Figured it would go away by morning, and it hasn't.

Posted about it on my blog and my friend sent me this link: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/cycling-injuries.html

Sounds like what I have...

Basically, symptoms of handlebar palsy include tingling, numbness, or pain on the outside or middle of the forearm; this sensation of discomfort may run all the way to the little finger.

Handlebar palsy should never be taken lightly: in severe cases which go untreated, the ulnar nerve may become compressed due to swelling of surrounding muscles and connective tissues, and its ability to transmit messages to the muscles of the forearm may be significantly reduced. The result is a loss of strength in the muscles of the hand, often first reflected in an inability to spread the fingers.

The bad news for cycling addicts is that if handlebar palsy is present, it is really best to refrain from cycling until symptoms disappear.

In most cases, if a cyclist refrains from cycling and receives appropriate treatment, the inflammation and pain will disappear within two to four weeks.


I'm thinking this has to be a freaky joke- in the sense that I JUST got back to running... and now a CYCYLING injury? Ugh.

I know... GO TO THE DR... well, I DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE. So I can't afford to spend thousands of dollars for a Dr. to tell me to rest.

So... anyone have handlebar palsy before? How quickly did it go away? Did you still ride at all?

I'm figuring I will keep riding. Just make sure I stay out of the drops and I won't put too much pressure on my left hand. I might even just pull out the tri bike and see if areo helps at all. I hope it will go away soon either way.






2009-07-29 10:52 AM
in reply to: #2314954

Master
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Subject: RE: Handlebar Palsy- who has had it?
I used to have issues with numbness in my fingers a long while ago on my mountain bike. I ended up getting cycling gloves with a lot of padding around the ulnar nerve and it definitely helped. Perhaps there's your position on the bike might be off putting to much weight on your hands?
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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Handlebar Palsy- who has had it? Rss Feed