ok, this is a weird one (for me at least) and i was wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.

a few weeks ago i noticed that it hurt my left pinky when i made a fist. i thought i had just strained my finget training or something, so i didn't give it much thought. but, when it didn't subside and got worse, i started to wonder what i had done to myself, and am still wondering.

what really bothers me is that if i feel the knuckle on my left hand that connects to my pinky from the underside (my palm) i feel a large painful bump in the space between it and my next finger over (don't know what it's called).

if you look at your left palm and pinch that knuckle between your right thumb and index finger you will know the area i am talking about. i have no pain in my right hand and no bump there- and coincedentally i two finger the front brake. there is a noticeable "pop" when i make a fist with my left hand. it hurts pretty bad at first, but if i clench/unclench it for a while it goes away. definitely feels like tendonitis...

i do not remember injuring myself; i figure if i did it bad enough to hurt like this i would remember it. in fact, the only thing i can think of that changed when it comes to that hand is that i started riding again.

i am wondering if the repeat motion of pulling the clutch in has irritated a tendon somehow... the clutch is not hard to pull in at all, i can do it with two fingers if i want. and i know i don't lack grip strength.

i am just wondering if anyone has heard of any injuries like these from using the clutch. i am thinking of switching up to pazzo shorty's to see if that helps any.

i don't death grip the bars... i can wiggle my elbows at all times and try to keep my forearms as flat as possible.

i get this after long rides and putting my weight on the bars too much.

the dreaded clutch hand syndrome. huh?
that sucks.

any changes, new bike? something change, i only get this on hard riding, holding on for my dear life. something had to change

the dreaded clutch hand syndrome. huh?
that sucks.


are you for real on this? it's cool if you're just taking the piss, i know it may seem a bit odd. i'm just trying to figure out if it is some known or common thing.

any changes, new bike? something change, i only get this on hard riding, holding on for my dear life. something had to change

no changes. if anything my riding position/style has improved. i'm not death gripping the bars at all. like i said, my elbows are loose the whole time.

I'm no doctor, but it certainly sounds like tendonitis, which can be brought on by frequent, repetitive movements (like actuating the clutch). Could also be a pre-existing injury that just got irritated enough to show itself. Regardless of what it is... I'd think rest (if possible) wouldn't hurt, and would likely help. Past that - if it doesn't go away on its own soon - might not hurt to see a doc or phys therapist.

If it becomes a chronic problem (probably unlikely) you might lessen the stress by making sure your clutch cable is lubed well, routed properly, and possibly by investing in an adjustable clutch perch (like the ones from CRG) that allow you to alter the pressure required at the lever.

I'm no doctor, but it certainly sounds like tendonitis, which can be brought on by frequent, repetitive movements (like actuating the clutch). Could also be a pre-existing injury that just got irritated enough to show itself. Regardless of what it is... I'd think rest (if possible) wouldn't hurt, and would likely help. Past that - if it doesn't go away on its own soon - might not hurt to see a doc or phys therapist.

If it becomes a chronic problem (probably unlikely) you might lessen the stress by making sure your clutch cable is lubed well, routed properly, and possibly by investing in an adjustable clutch perch (like the ones from CRG) that allow you to alter the pressure required at the lever.

thanks for the response. i'm pretty sure it is a tendon problem too; i'm just trying to figure out the source of it and how to get rid of it.

rest definitely makes it feel better, but believe it or not, after training last night it felt the best. i was expecting it to get much worse after that. go figure.

i'll check the clutch cable and make sure everything is in order. like i said before, it's not difficult to pull it in at all. i;m also going to get some shortys as soon as i have the cash, to see if going down to two fingers helps.

I am a doctor...your hand is experiencing what we in the medical feild refer to as Fibromyalgia Phalanges. This can be very harmful if not treated soon. It can cause total loss of movement in the hand resulting in aputation needing to take place.

I know that when I started riding real seriously, a few years ago, my left hand would cramp up on me all the time. Hurt like hell. The more I rode though the less often it happened, also during a visit to my dr. (he rides too) I mentioned to him about how my hand would tighten up and I'd have that fucking knot between my thumb and index finger. He told me that I needed more potassium and that I should try and get 5 or 6000 mg. a day but at the very least 3500 mg. I make sure and get at absolute min. 4500/mg/day and I haven't had a cramp in my entire body for the past year.
Source-----------------------------------Serving Amount-----------------------------Milligrams Potassium
Cantaloupe-----------------------1/2 (5 inches in diameter)-------------------------------------975 mg.
Orange juice, fresh-------------------1 cup----------------------------------------------------------975 mg.
Almonds---------------------------------4 oz.----------------------------------------------------------786 mg.
Milk, whole, 3.5% fat------------------1 cup---------------------------------------------------------675 mg.
Salmon-----------------------------------4 oz.----------------------------------------------------------470 mg
Chicken----------------------------------4 oz.----------------------------------------------------------410 mg.
Halibut-----------------------------------4 oz.----------------------------------------------------------387 mg.
Turkey----------------------------------4 oz.-----------------------------------------------------------359 mg.

(spinach, apples, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, mushrooms, pecans, oranges, raisins, pineapple, and rice are also good snackable sources)

I

switching up to pazzo shortys has helped alot. i was able to ride all weekend, almost 300 miles, with no pain during the ride or afterwards.

thanks for all the responses.

I get a pain in my left hand on long trips (around 400-500+ miles) when I close my fist. Towards the end of the trip it can get so bad that I have trouble pulling the clutch in. Stop and go and riding slow in traffic makes it worse because I'm leaning on the bars a lot more. Next time I see my doc I plan on mentioning it.

I had pain in my hand and elbo ....from high rpm,s then ...i took one of those jell shoe inserts and cut it to fit the top half of the bar ..then wraped it in med.tape ..you could double i t if you need more.....now iam jellin..

bb;s in the clip ons