[MrSDey]

My bike, the ST7, is quite heavy. Whenever I ride it I have a tingling sensation in my thumb and fingers, which usually goes away after a while.

Last week, I rode to Goa and back, total of 1300 kms, in about 48 hours, with a total of about 30 hours riding. It was a hectic ride and all through, I had this finger tingling, followed by numbness. I thought it would get okay after return, so I didn't mind.

It has been 10 days now, and my fingers on both hands are still numb, sometimes tingling, and very uncomfortable.

Anyone experienced this before? For this long?

Anyone know what to do, medically?

[girimajiananth]

I had been to this store in church street called spirit of biking (or something like that , I am unable to recollect the name) they had a small device / contraption which could be attached to the accelerator and you could control the throttle with your wrist rested . DO check it out once.

[danlalan]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

My bike, the ST7, is quite heavy. Whenever I ride it I have a tingling sensation in my thumb and fingers, which usually goes away after a while.

Last week, I rode to Goa and back, total of 1300 kms, in about 48 hours, with a total of about 30 hours riding. It was a hectic ride and all through, I had this finger tingling, followed by numbness. I thought it would get okay after return, so I didn't mind.

It has been 10 days now, and my fingers on both hands are still numb, sometimes tingling, and very uncomfortable.

Anyone experienced this before? For this long?

Anyone know what to do, medically?

I have had the same issue. Be it a sport tourer (Busa) or the Naked(Z1000).

BUT it doesnt stay for days on end. The sensation goes off soon.

What i do is take of one hand at a time from the handlebar and let it just loose so that the blood rushes back to my palms. Maybe for 10-20 seconds when on cruise mode during rides. This helps regain that sensation for me atleast.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

Last week, I rode to Goa and back, total of 1300 kms, in about 48 hours, with a total of about 30 hours riding. It was a hectic ride and all through, I had this finger tingling, followed by numbness. I thought it would get okay after return, so I didn't mind.

It has been 10 days now, and my fingers on both hands are still numb, sometimes tingling, and very uncomfortable.

The numb feeling is usually caused due to vibration on the bars. Even I get them usually when I cover anything above 600kms in a day. My Duke is also quite buzzy at cruising speeds and I can guess that the ST7 also has quite a bit of it. But this feeling will last only till the next day or so for me. 10 Days is a bit too much for that feeling to last! Or were the vibration on the bars that high?

I suggest you can go for a softer and more cushioned grip which will dampen the vibrations on the grips a bit.

[ebonho]

Play around with your handle position or handle rise/sweep as you could be placing weight on your palms which might be bent acutely from their normal axis, which could be stretching or compressing nerves traversing via the wrist.

Use good gloves.

Get bar-end weights if you already do not have them.

Don't grip the handle too tight - check consciously if you are.

[MrSDey]

Hi Guys. Thanks for all the responses. Yes, I made a mistake. This was my first really long ride. I rode all night at very high speeds. There was a lot of vibration. Even though I rested my hands as much as I could, it is really tough to manage the ST7 with one hand for long. I also didn't have a soft grip, nor gloves.

I will make sure this doesn't happen again. I will also check out the store on Church street. I know it.

As for now, its been 10 days, I guess a visit to Sparsh hospital is becoming necessary. Even now, while riding or driving or even doing daily work like typing on my laptop, I am finding it difficult. Just the top portion of the thumb and the forefinger on both hands. :(

[Sheel]

On a marathon run, on a motorcycle, riders usually move a bit so that there is blood flow & this numbness doesn't occur.

I move my feet, move around in the seat, change my position and increase/decrease the grip on bars as well as hand's position. It works.

Of course, I do watch for traffic and do this when bike is slow & on a straight road.

Minor topple can also alter your handlebar as can small collide. Anything of that sort for the vibe/tingle feeling?

While filling up and or having a bio-break, stretching out helps.

Also, if you are not doing long rides on regular basis, this will happen.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

I also didn't have a soft grip, nor gloves.

I thought about asking this. But somehow assumed that you might have had it.

[GTO]

It's a thumb rule with cars to take a break every 2 hours. Step out, stretch, move around, let the blood flow, get fresh. This greatly helps the body & concentration levels on long highway drives.

Perhaps the frequency should be higher with motorcycles? Did you take frequent breaks?

[Dodge_Viper]

Originally Posted by danlalan

What i do is take of one hand at a time from the handlebar and let it just loose so that the blood rushes back to my palms. Maybe for 10-20 seconds when on cruise mode during rides. This helps regain that sensation for me atleast.

This helps a lot. I do it often. It also helps to relax the shoulder muscles and elbow.

[Sojogator]

Show the doc, now. Rest of it can wait. Nerve endings might have been jarred way too much.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

It has been 10 days now, and my fingers on both hands are still numb, sometimes tingling, and very uncomfortable.
?

I am not quite sure though, and I hope to be wrong, but 10 days of tingling and numbing is too long to be normal.

If it was caused by vibrations, the lack of vibrations for the 10 days now should've brought you back to normal pre-ride state.

Could it be nerve pinching somewhere or blood vessel constricted (shoulder, elbow, wrist) because of the way you need to extend your arms while grabbing the handlebars and riding for an extended period? As I said, I don't wish to alarm, and maybe I am all wrong.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

Even now, while riding or driving or even doing daily work like typing on my laptop, I am finding it difficult. Just the top portion of the thumb and the forefinger on both hands. :(

Get yourself checked for Vitamin B12 deficiency. It can cause numbness & tingling sensations like you describe. Another cause could be an onset of a frozen shoulder - that can pinch nerves and cause this kind of sensations. I suffered from it once, but was completely fixed by a FMT specialist.

On the riding front, ape bar cruiser riders sometimes report of blood circulation issues, so make sure your hands are at a level lower than your heart.

Other than that, seek medical help to ensure that any nerves are not getting pressed the way you hold the handle bars.

A solution to that would be getting some gel based pads in between your hands and the handlebar - either in your riding gloves or by using specialised handle bar grips. Grip Puppy is one such option.

[MrSDey]

I am planning to see a doc. I didn't expect 10 days' of trouble. Even with my old Avenger, riding in Kaza and elsewhere, I have had numb fingers. But not for 10 days.

I did stop every hour or so on the onward journey. While coming back, had to ride nonstop for 5 hours because it was getting towards morning. That must have ruined it.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

My bike, the ST7, is quite heavy. Whenever I ride it I have a tingling sensation in my thumb and fingers, which usually goes away after a while.

The fellow BHPians have given good suggestions above.

Other than that, I think tingling and numbness shall not be taken lightly. This may be associated with brain or with pinching of the nerves. So better to consult a doctor if the numbness persists. Age 38 is not old but it is not 25-30 either. Better to pay attention to such symptoms.

Have you read about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

The main nerve to the hand, called the median nerve, passes through a band of tendons in the wrist called the carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the area becomes inflamed, pinching the nerve and causing tingling and numbness in the hand and fingers. Repetitive movement from computer work, factory work, or anything that stresses the wrist and forearms can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition can also cause hand weakness, making it hard to grip objects. Carpal tunnel can run in families. Obesity, diabetes, arthritis, pregnancy, and other conditions often occur with carpal tunnel syndrome. However, anyone with repetitive stress of the hand or wrist can develop the condition.


Numbness while driving could affect your emergency response, so take this seriously.

IMO, some rest and some simple physiotherapy shall help you, please seek medical advice.