Cold hands

[Anssi]

This is more directed to medical professionals or people who have gone into this a bit deeper.

When I ride at just above/below freezing temperatures, my hands get cold. However, when I warm them back up in the car or on the exhaust, they don't get cold again unless it's very cold.

Other riders suggest that I get my hands cold by making snowballs or just keeping my hands in the snow (this gets them cold plenty fast) and warm them up immediately and don't suffer from cold hands again. I believe this will prove correct.

The real question is, will I get rheumatism or other crap from doing that? Will I just need to get some ridiculously big and thick gloves?

 

[Papakeith]

It's pretty scarry that you mention this. Two days ago I was speaking with my wife about haveing the exact same thing happen to me. Hands get numb. Then, once warmed on pipe, they'll stay warm all day.

How about it, anyone got any answers?

 

[mgorman]

$29.95 electric grips. (if you have a headlight or e-start thumper.) Have hi-lo setting. Hi will toast the calluses off your palms.

M.S. Dumbo ear mud muckers will keep your hands warm down to almost zero.

Ranons (sp.) is a curculatoy defect that many peaple have that cause their hands or feet to turn pale white and go prematurely numb and cold. My wife has the same problem. I use the M.S. gards on the handlebars of our tandem so she can ride in the winter.

Some times the initial ride causes a white knuckle grip that relaxes when you stop.

 

[MatsK]

I tried the electric grips on my last bike and they worked wery well(too well after my voltage regulator broke, they melted the grips!) :confused:
In Finland you can buy them from Allright, think they're about 38 euro, when I had them and some good gloves, I didn't have any problems with cold hands even when it was -15 to -20 degrees celsius.

 

[MikeT]

Originally posted by mgorman
Ranons (sp.) is a curculatoy defect that many peaple have that cause their hands or feet to turn pale white and go prematurely numb and cold.

I've got a medium case of that. Once my hands start to "shut off" as I call it, might as well pack it in. For me, it'll take about 20+ minutes to get them back from what looks like dead hands. Completely white no blood in there, hard to move. :scream:

 

[skmcbride]

Constriction of the blood vessels in an area exposed to cold is the body's way to preserve heat loss by reducing blood flow, termed vasoconstriction. The extremities are particularly vulnerable due to their small volume, relatively large surface area, and little metabolic activity to produce heat in the area. This is the desirable effect achieved by icing a swollen body part e.g. sprained ankle. If the ice is left on to long, or the exposure to cold is to long or intense the body will undergo what is sometimes termed a "hunting" reflex or response. This response actually dilates or opens the vessels in the cold area. This response lasts about 5 minutes to provide some protection from cold by bringing blood, therefore heat, to the area. Prolonged, repeated exposure increases this response and offers some degree of acclimatization. This is the main reason we are told only to ice a body part for 20 minutes, as this response is undesirable when treating inflammation. We don't want to increase blood flow to that area. It is, however, the likely reason you are experiencing this "accommodation" to the subsequent exposure to the cold as you are feeding into this reflex by heating your hands and the body will adapt to subsequent exposure to cold by not overly constricting the local blood flow. The practice described by your friends may be effective but possibly on the extreme side. Although it is an extreme example, if exposure to cold is severe, i.e. hypothermia, warming your hands or feet is a big mistake as dilating these blood vessels will send that cold blood to the core of your body, thus reducing your overall body temp further which could be dangerous if not fatal. That is why people pulled from frozen lakes or mountain exposure are warmed only at the body core first and not the extremities. Not that it applies to the cold hands you are experiencing on your bike, the possibility for it not to work exists, leaving you with self-induced frozen hands. I would not think you would cause any arthritic conditions, but this is not to say that you would not exacerbate an existing condition or potentially create one especially in very cold conditions. If temperatures were in the 30's F, I would not try the "experiment". Obviously if you have been diagnosed with Raynauds, you would want to avoid this practice or any exposure to cold. Getting adequate gloves, keeping hands dry, brush guards for wind protection, staying hydrated, avoid access caffeine, and grip warmers sounds like a good place to start if you make a habit out of riding in cold temperatures. I highly recommend a pair on "Cool Max" material glove liners. Wear them inside your normal gloves. I use them skiing, running and riding as they "wick" away moisture from your hands providing better warmth. They are also very thin, not to interfere with activity.
Good Luck, Keith

 

[nephron]

Everything's ok. Don't worry about it. :)

Cold exposure results in local tissue ischemia. When your hands are rewarmed on exhaust or a heater, reperfusion occurs causing the local release of vasodilatory prostaglandins, bradykinin, activates INOS (nitric oxide synthase) releasing NO--cGMP, vasodilitation, etc. There's a whole cascade of these released which result in sustained "hyperemia" and sort of "tachyphylax" the vessels' capability to vasoconstrict to cold exposure. This process is normal. No biggie.

And no, you won't cause any damage doing what you're doing. It actually sounds like a good idea (with the exception of very very low risk of core temp loss). It's actually quite analogous to what happens when you drink alcohol in the cold weather--unopposed distal vasodilitation. Hence you "feel" warm. True core temp loss risk is minimal unless you're trying to climb Mount Everest.

Good luck, and thanks for the idea!:)