# Palm pain... it won't go away!



## x3u93n3x (Apr 1, 2007)

My palm hurts, as if they are bruised.

I'm assuming that it is from cycling, because the point of pain is exactly where I rest my palm on the bars. But I've been cycling for a while now and this has never happened.

The only reason I can think of is that I was riding fixie for awhile, and I noticed that I kept doing the death grip while riding in general, and putting extreme pressure on my hands whenever I was doing the skid stops.

Even that, it's been well over a month since i stopped riding fixie. it's to a point where I avoid standing because of the pain.

any advice? does this happen frequently?


----------



## SleeveleSS (Jun 3, 2007)

-flat top "wing" bars
-higher rise stem
-new gloves
-new tape
-time off letting the palms heal preventing continual reinjury


----------



## Dr. Placebo (May 8, 2007)

please tell me you have padding under your bar tape or gloves. do you have a flat bar (bar ends maybe?) or dropdowns? i'd think switching positions often would help.


----------



## plag (Apr 30, 2007)

I had this problem a couple of years ago but mine had a lot to do becuase I used to bowl several times a week and golf so my hands and wrist took a beating. I used a wrist brace for a while which took some of the stress off of my palms and lots of rest.


----------



## Derailled Dropout (Dec 14, 2005)

*Unhelpful Advice and Repetitive Stress Injury*

I have the same or similar problem. Some advice I have received:

1. Switch hand positions frequently
2. Try different handlebars
3. Try different gloves
4. Avoid the death grip.

I appreciate the advice, but these are, to varying degrees, not very helpful, as you will discover. The reason is that your last ride had nothing to do with the pain you felt on your last ride. You probably have a cumulative stress injury which resulted from weeks or months of aggravation. It is very likely a tendon injury, which takes very long time to heal. If your pain in your palm is to the meaty heel on the pinkie-side, then it is very likely the flexor carpi ulnarus. This is a tendon which starts in the underside of your forearm and connects to the bony prominence on the medial side of your palm, called the pisiform. The attachment of the tendon to the pisiform can get inflamed, and it takes months to cool off. The advice that works, in all likelihood:

1. Time off the bike. That will be difficult to hear. But the pain you experience is a cumulative stress injury. It wont go away by changing your hand position during a ride. It will heal after six, perhaps 10 months of rest. Unless you cease the activity that caused the injury, you will prevent it from healing.

2. Better fit. Raise the stem. Maybe even buy an adjustable stem. Changing the weight distribution from the "ideal" to one where more weight is on the saddle and less is on the handlebars - a more upright position - will help you when you are finished with your six months (or longer) rest period.

3. Ice, stretching, massage. During your six months off, and when you resume riding thereafter, the basics of physical therapy should apply. Ice down the inflammation. When it is no longer acutely sore, start a stretching regimen with hands flat against a wall or table and gently moving the forearms so that the hand gently bends a little backward.

Good luck.


----------



## x3u93n3x (Apr 1, 2007)

Thank you.

6-10 months is a long time though! Time to get on a cruiser bike then! Hehe


----------

