Numb hand?

tt48

tt48

Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
255
Location
Newalla, OK
Bike
97 ST1100
The last few times I have ridden my '97, I have experienced some numbness in my throttle hand, accompanied by some minor pain in my elbow, after about 20 minutes of riding. I can get some temporary relief at a stop by letting my throttle hand hang straight down, but once it starts it comes back quickly.

Has anybody experienced this? Any advice on how to eliminate it?

I don't think it's from vibration...she runs pretty smooth, and it's just the right hand.
 
Thanks, Bikeric. I had a Crampbuster, but over time it got loose as if it had stretched somehow, and just started rotating around the grip over the course of a few minutes and would not stay in the same place. I wonder if Grip Puppies would help? I have been wanting to try those anyway.

Perhaps installing the Crampbuster over the Grip Puppies would help keep the Crampbuster in place....
 
Grip puppies are good for fattening up the grip and giving some softness too. The extra thickness may allow your hand to be more relaxed on the throttle. Worth a try.
 
tt48 said:
I have experienced some numbness in my throttle hand, accompanied by some minor pain in my elbow,
Click to expand...

Many years ago (30+ ago), I had an issue with numbness in the extremities ... turned out to be a crushed disc (L5/S1), cause i picked up a printer incorrectly ... pretty sure it's not your issue...

However, I suspect you're too "tense". Relax.
i
I've found this to be very helpful, plus the bar risers.

20200725_171504-01.jpeg
 
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Caterpillar o-ring, part number 8N4991. You can order it off Amazon. Just get up to speed, roll the o-ring between the throttle and the grip and it holds well enough. If something needs to change quickly you can still control the throttle. I've never had an issue.

There are YouTube videos if you want to see what I mean.
 
There are several threads here on the subject. Different people have found different methods of some to total relief. Some have got none.

I used a velcro version of Throttle Rocker/Cramp Buster and it never stayed where it should. Cramp Busters come in two diameters - one for metric bikes and one for bikes with larger diameter bars such as H-Ds.

To relieve the numbing (right hand mostly) I use:

BMW grips ribbed with a mild palm swell
Grab-On grip covers over the BMW grips
Oversize bar end weights
Narrow Cramp Buster on the STBD grip
Wide Cramp Buster on the PORT grip
Go Cruise throttle lock
Gen 3.2 Helibar riser - don't know if it affects numbness but it relieved wrist/shoulder pain

With the Go Cruise or any throttle lock I can let give my hand a break before it needs it and it no longer acts up.

There are also gloves designed to relieve pressure on the ulnar nerve in your hands which may help. I haven't tried them.

It's been suggested that we're gripping the throttle too tightly causing numbness. I don't know that's the case. With the CB there's no real need to grrrip it at all.

It's also been suggested that because the throttle tube is a slightly loose unit there's a vibration between it and the bar. It's hard to say what if anything will work for you. Good luck.
 
You might wish to check out if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. My right hand would fall asleep with no warning at all. Sometimes just when leaning against a door jamb. It didn't really seem like there was any rhyme or reason on when it happened. But I could almost always count on my hand being asleep when in the middle of rush hour traffic, moving along at about 60 mph and packed in tight...and knowing I can't feel my hand on the throttle or front brake.

A 30 minute surgery, and I've had no problems since.

Chris
 
Daboo said:
You might wish to check out if you have carpal tunnel syndrome.
A 30 minute surgery, and I've had no problems since.
Chris
Click to expand...
What do they do in that surgery ?

( my left arm & especially hand goes numb in bed every night , unless I lay on my back & have arm angled about 30° out from my body with my palm up ) ( Both sides' hands get numb on handlebars )
 
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They make a small incision near the wrist where it joins the hand. Maybe about a half inch long. Then they go in and cut a ligament. What happens is that when the ligament is cut, the pressure on the nerve is gone and you get feeling to your hand again. I think it took them 23 minutes, or something. It's what pays for the doctor's yacht. :D It's simple enough that I was able to watch the entire operation.

I'll never forget the nerve testing. I went to a neurologist first to determine if that was the cause. They hook some electrodes up to your fingers and apply voltage. I was getting a little irritated at the doctor at first. I asked him why he had to make the voltage so high. It hurt! His reply kinda shocked me. (No pun intended.) He said that was how much voltage or current it took to get my nerves to react. Hmmm...

I was fortunate in that I could make a case for workmen's comp and have my employer pay for it.

There's another nerve that controls the outside of the hand, if I remember right. And where the pinching that causes the numbness is not always in the hand, but sometimes up the arm in another location. Obviously, I'm not a doctor. But the point is that you are not unique in this and they have seen what you're experiencing many many times. They know what to do.

Chris
 
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TourNut said:
What do they do in that surgery ?

( my left arm & especially hand goes numb in bed every night , unless I lay on my back & have arm angled about 30° out from my body with my palm up ) ( Both sides' hands get numb on handlebars )
Click to expand...

The transverse carpal ligament is cut to reduce pressure on the nerve running through it.
 
Shawn K said:
The transverse carpal ligament is cut to reduce pressure on the nerve running through it.
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Umm , don't you need that ligament to properly control your hand ? Why don't they put something in between to keep the ligament away / from giving the nerve trauma ? - Not just butcher it up quick so they don't miss their lunch date at the club ...
 
You'll get better advice at this point from doing a search on carpal tunnel and finding a souce like WebMD...or your doctor.

From what I can tell, the muscles in your hand compensate very well. I just came in from filling a yard waste container with bushes, some of them close to an inch in diameter. And I did it with hand pruning tools like this one.

1595806807240.png

Bottom line...if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you'll be happy with the surgery. But let a doc tell you what you have, not me.

Chris
 
TourNut said:
Umm , don't you need that ligament to properly control your hand ? Why don't they put something in between to keep the ligament away / from giving the nerve trauma ? - Not just butcher it up quick so they don't miss their lunch date at the club ...
Click to expand...

I'm not a doctor. I just know what the procedure entails.
 
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