Help my knuckles feel like they're old

[Amadeus]

I would like your help and experienced advise for my pain.

I havent been out for a ride for almost 5 weeks now waitin' out a minor knee injury and today I got in about 4hours of fun. One thing though, my throttle hand has some very uncomfortable knuckles. Specifically, my middle, ring, and pinky knuckles that are second in from the tips. They were in real pain today while hittin the trails to the point that they hurt to un-curl them from the throttle grip. Even tonight they are still throbbing and I am beside myself as to what is causing this. There was no indication before the ride that they were feeling less than great. Im young by most standards (28) so Im thinking that arthritis should be out of the question.....but then again Im not a PhD.

Have you guys experienced anything similar?
Have any advise or remodies to eliminate the problem?

FYI, my gloves and grips seem ok to me performance wise. Maybe get some numb hands now and then. But Im using Tag grips and Oniel gloves if you're wondering or have found better combo's.

Thanks guys!

 

[dirty~d~]

Arthritis is not age specific, but a majority of the cases are in older individuals.

Do you experience it in both hands or just the one?

Did it just happen all of a sudden or did it progress as you were riding?

Have you ever injured that area in the past?

Have you ever experienced it doing any other activities that require the hand to be in a similar position?

Some injuries show up doing one type of activity, but are caused by something non-related. It could be as simple as a pinched nerve in your neck or tendonitis, however, your best bet is to see a Sports Medicine doctor and have him give you a full evaluation (if you're that concerned about it.)

To help reduce the pain take a bowl of ice water and let your hand sit in it for 15-20 minutes. After that, try a little range of motion... first assisted (curl and uncurl your fingers with your other hand) then manually (make a fist and then release), then resisted (wrap your other hand around your injured hand while it's closed into a fist and try to open the injured hand and try closing your hand around a tennisball and squeezing) That will help give you an idea as to what might be the sorce of the pain.

For the record... online diagnosis is near impossible so I suggest the doctor. :cool:

 

[dirty~d~]

After reviewing some reference materials, another possibility has come to mind... Ulnar Neuropathy (handlebar palsy). It's usually caused by excess pressure on the hands, but it shows up in the ring finger and pinkie. The symptoms include numbness, weakness and loss of coordination. From what you've described I don't think it's the same syndrome, but could be related. Incase you want to read on it yourself...

Ulnar Neuropathy

 

[Amadeus]

First I want to say that I appreciate your response D.

To answer the q's in order:

1) No I am only experiencing the pain in the right hand
2) To be really honest I do recall feeling very light discomfort the day before the actual ride. The vibrations of the ride really aggravated the hand from the begin of the ride and plateaud at total pain for the rest of the day.
3) Ive never had problems with my knuckles in the past
4) The only other activies I can think of where Im using my hands are weight lifting and working the heavy punchin' bag (both which Ive done for years). Sometimes my hand muscles will ache when Im wrenching on an engine but I havent done that in months and its never my joints.

As far as the self examination heres what Ive found:
-assisted motion gives me slight irratation(enough to know that it's at least there)
-unassisted or making a fist is a bit more uncomfortable
-spreading my fingers or opening my fist under a load is no problem
- squeezing a ball hurts like a mo'fo


As of tonight (32hrs later) my three fingers are feeling a bit swollen. It almost feels like they have been jammed or sprained at this point which in my unprofessional view tells me that there is some healing going on.
Hmmm, interesting.

I think I will still hit up the 'Products' forum to see what everyone is using for vibration reducing grips. Im sure it will ease the pain if nothing else.

Thanks again!

 

[MDA]

Continue to monitor your condition to see if it persists. I am currenlty 30 years old and I have what is called Psoriatic Arthritis. It is basically the same as Rhematoid Arthritis.

My arthritis started in one finger overnight about 7 years ago. Within a year it spread to my feet and knees. I now see a specialist and we have it under a semblance of control. There are days I can't ride because I am too stiff/sore. I refuse to let it stop me from enjoying my passion for the dirt. I just have to be more aware of how I am feeling on a particular day and what my limits are.

I'm not saying that you have arthritis. I'm just saying that it is a possibility and that if it persists (or spreads), it warrants a trip to the family MD to get things checked out.

Best of luck. I hope its nothing serious.

-Mark-