Well I just went for my first ride of the season yesterday and I noticed a problem that has been ongoing ever since I started riding sleds. It seems like whenever I start hauling @ss down the trail over the huge bumps where Im really clamping onto the handlebars, within a matter of minutes my fingers start hurting. I have to slow down and release my grip on the bars and stretch my fingers out straight, which is the part that hurts the most. After that, I can go for another couple of minutes before it starts happening again. Anyone else have this problem? It really bothers me because I feel it holds me back from going all out and Im afraid of losing my grip over a good sized bump. Any suggestions? Im 18 years old and in great shape if that helps at all. Do i just need to do some pre-ride finger stretches? finger exercises?
Fingers cramping?
- Thread starter akfmx
- Start date
My dad used to get finger cramps and drank Gin and Tonics for them (something about quinine in the tonic) and swore it helped. I always figured he just used it as an excuse to drink gin and tonic.
A very rudimentary search on Google revealed some info. about quinine in tonic water being helpful for cramps. Maybe he wasn't making it up after all. Might be something to look into.
Darrin
A very rudimentary search on Google revealed some info. about quinine in tonic water being helpful for cramps. Maybe he wasn't making it up after all. Might be something to look into.
Darrin
couple things you should do we do this with motocross
stretch your hands out roll them everything
eat banana in the morning keeps cramping down
and you need to relax when grabbing the bars to tight causes restricted blood flow to your fingers
also how is your riding position your arms should be up not below your hands
stretch your hands out roll them everything
eat banana in the morning keeps cramping down
and you need to relax when grabbing the bars to tight causes restricted blood flow to your fingers
also how is your riding position your arms should be up not below your hands
Thanks for the suggestions. I would like to loosen my grip, but like I said, it mainly happens when Im going through something really rough at high speed and I really need to hang onto the bars. And Im always standing up, so my elbows are always up. I used to race motocross, so I know a little bit about that stuff. Ill try these stretches and try to loosen my grip and see what happens.
cramps
you may have bone spurs in your shoulders, under the outside of the collarbone, (called chromium?) above your rotator.....the spurs look like little stalagtites and they can irritate the area causing cramps and numbness...they can be caused from impact, like motorcross, impacts hard enough not to break the bone but trick the body into healing anyway....if you hands cramp when using tools or other dexterous activities then you may have them, just got mine scoped, this happened to me and i lived with it for years till recently. It's a simple operation to fix.....you could also have cramping in the hands/arms from neck injuries.
you may have bone spurs in your shoulders, under the outside of the collarbone, (called chromium?) above your rotator.....the spurs look like little stalagtites and they can irritate the area causing cramps and numbness...they can be caused from impact, like motorcross, impacts hard enough not to break the bone but trick the body into healing anyway....if you hands cramp when using tools or other dexterous activities then you may have them, just got mine scoped, this happened to me and i lived with it for years till recently. It's a simple operation to fix.....you could also have cramping in the hands/arms from neck injuries.
F
freak58trio
Member
My hands do the same thing Doctor say's it's from years of hauling equipment and truck driving aka carpultunnel.
I'm 18 and have the same problem on rough trail. Only time my fingers ever bother me is on rough trail. I've ran a lot of chainsaw over the last three summer and never have had a problem with my hands cramping up. I think its a combination of having a death grip and the impact of hitting the bumps. I ride an edge chassis and i'm sure a newer chassis would handle a lot smoother over bumps.
When ever you put a death grip on anything it's usually an indication of one thing.....FEAR! My suggestion if you really want to eliminate the cramps, slow down a bit through the rough stuff. If that's not an option, I'd try Ibuprofen or Aleve just before a ride and see if that helps. Good luck, riding in pain is no fun.
dunno if this will help at all, but try to lock your arms so that your using your hands like a hook so that your shoulders are doing all the work. that way at least all your doing is keeping your fingers bent and your arms are taunt
just a thought, but what kinda sled do you ahve? some of the bars have such stiff grips that they just hurt to hold on.. get something like the RSI gel wraps or a thicker soft compound grip.. might help the issue as holding on tight bounching hard the bars make your hands soar, i know riding with no gloves makes my hands super soar.
i have this problem with downhill mtn biking and its common. like others said ,stretch, eat bannana. you can use larger diameter grips. somtimes for people with long fingers or big hands the grips can be too thin and the fingers are curved too much which is results in less blood flow. try relaxing your grip a little bit. and make sure your not riding stiff armed. be nimble and let the sled follow the contours of the terrain and keep your body smooth. watch moto x riders, the bike bounces around but their bodys seem to hardly move around at all.
D
diggerdown
Well-known member
You can get some potassium pills that work pretty quickly to relieve the cramps. By the way caffeine drives the potassium out of your system, so lay off the monster and red bull!
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions guys! Well, I went riding the other day which was after I had made that post and I think its mostly the death grip that I have, which is what most of you have been saying. So I have been trying to lighten it up and so far I think its working.
Stretch........ Roll your forearms with a rolling pin until your eyes water. Have someone else do it. Tell them to put all their body weight into it. Your muscles are set in flex mode and you need to work it out and train the forearm muscles to relax. They control your grip.
Like the others said, Ibuprofen, extra potassium and lay off the caffine(if you even consume it).
I would concentrate on working out the tightness of the forearms before, during and after riding. Worked for me. At the end of last season I couldn't even hold a pencil or zip up a zipper. I actually went to a muscle therapist and she killed me with a DEEP tissue massage on my forearms. I seriously had to go somewhere else with the amount of pain she caused me. But it worked!!!
Good luck.
Like the others said, Ibuprofen, extra potassium and lay off the caffine(if you even consume it).
I would concentrate on working out the tightness of the forearms before, during and after riding. Worked for me. At the end of last season I couldn't even hold a pencil or zip up a zipper. I actually went to a muscle therapist and she killed me with a DEEP tissue massage on my forearms. I seriously had to go somewhere else with the amount of pain she caused me. But it worked!!!
Good luck.
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I have big hands and the small grip size on stock bars does the same thing to me. I have been installing these grips over the top of my stock bars for years. It may be a bit large for some with smaller hands, but it also absorbs a lot of the vibration and allows great grip when hanging off the side of the sled.
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volcano buster
Well-known member
Better picture with the flare of the grip removed.
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