Thumb and Wrist Pain

[Carson424]

After long rides I experience severe pain at the base of my left thumb where it meets my wrist. I haven't crashed or otherwise injured it, and have tried multiple different hand positions to no avail. Tenderness lasts about a week then I'm fine until I ride again. Anyone else experience this?

 

[Conniebiker]

Its a carpal-tunnel like effect just like I have dealt with since mid teens. There are two aspects that make that symptom. Reach and grip angle.
(MTB)
Your levers should be virtually in line with your forearm and your shifters should be in the natural thumb position when you are in this position.
Grip angle is controlled by the sweep of the handlebar and the angle of rotation you position it at. Many swear by having the bar level when sighted from the side, I prefer downward tips.
The roadie setups are somewhat more subjective and as such I will not elaborate on them here.

 

[Conniebiker]

Having alternate hand positions within your setup is critical. That is my largest reason for using barends on my mtb. Also, increasing the grip diameter is helpful. For all but race use, foam grips(mtb) or padded grip wrap(road) will help a lot. In race use the soft feel can be detrimental when clenched.
The other means to the same end is padded riding gloves. Not all brands are equal, so ask around and try on many if that option suits.

 

[MoBentRdr]

This may sound a bit strange, but if it is the carpal-tunnel as Connie brings up, a Chiropractor may be able to help. A client that is a Chiropractor came into my office when I had my wrist wrapped due to soreness, said he could fix the problem and did in a matter of seconds.

 

[Conniebiker]

It depends on the variation. I had it bad enough to have surgery at 17 yrs old. Ulnar nerve numbness however, is common to many non-carpal patients. The hand specialist that performed my surgery said only to do stretch excersises and watch ergonomics.