Peewiglet wrote:
> I've noticed that both of my thumb joints are really quite sore.
> I'm hoping that it's been caused by all the cycling I've been
> doing lately i.e. wrapping my thumbs round the underneath of the
> handlebars, rather than some sort of arthritis. Has anyone else
> experienced this?
Take a long critical look at your grip on the bars. Which part of your
thumb is making contact? It should be the fleshy part immediately below
the joint. If you put the tip of the forefinger of your other hand on
this part, then bend your thumb, the top joint should come down to
touch your forefinger and be in line with it. If the pressure is coming
on the side of your thumb then you are stressing the joint in a way it
was not designed for, and setting yourself up for chronic problems.
Another test is to hold your thumb in the other hand and push hard
against the point that makes contact with the bars. You should be able
to resist the push comfortably. If it feels as though you are doing
ju-jitsu on yourself then you are gripping the bars badly. If this is
the case you may need to look at the position of the bars, or even the
type of bars you are using, to enable you to get a more ergonomic grip.
You could also try gripping the bars more loosely, or even gripping
them just with the fingers and resting your thumbs on top except when
on the bumpiest terrain.
--
Dave...