Q: “I have a question I was hoping you can help answer. I have been getting numbness and tingling in my hands, most recently after doing the 25 hours of Thunderhill it was really bad. Have you seen this before? Anything I can do?”
A: I’ve experienced various levels of this type of thing myself, although most of the time for me it’s been in my legs and feet. And I know of other drivers who have had some numbness in their hands and arms (and legs and feet).
As far as I know, every time it’s due to a pinched nerve – or at a minimum, reduced blood flow to that part of the body. For example, when I’ve had it in my legs/feet, the seat was pushing up too much into the back of my upper leg, reducing blood flow to the lower part of my leg. I’m only guessing, but I suspect that the numbness and tingling you’re experiencing is due to something similar.
Gripping the steering wheel could also contribute to it, so you should look at and experiment with holding the wheel with a lighter touch. But I’d suggest sitting in your car with all your gear on, belts done up tight, and move as if you’re driving (if the car is up on stands, you’ll be able to turn the steering wheel fully, and that could be the place that’s causing some pinching), and just pay super-attention to every little spot that is uncomfortable. It could be the HANS device digging into your shoulder, belts pulling in the wrong direction, seat not supporting your body (so you have to use muscles to support yourself), or something like that. You may have to imagine what your body is feeling when dealing with g-forces, because it may not show up when sitting still; you may have to sit there for a long period of time to try to reproduce the problem. But it would be worth figuring it out, right?!
VERY common amongst motorcyclists. Mostly the pinching of nerves in the neck or shoulder or wrists which is exacerbated by the vibrations present. Many times while watching in car cameras you can see drivers moving their hands around in circles or stretching.
over gripping the wheel and improper wrist-angle due to trying to fit ONE seat/steering column to every driver on the team, can lead to pinched/tweaked carpal tunnel nerves. It doesn’t take a lot of angle over a 2 hour stint for this to happen since you are steering A LOT in 2 hours (it’s not your avg road trip down the I-5) every time you bring lock into the wheel you are putting strain on that bad angle. Move your hands to different places if you can. sit up in the seat a little, try to find a better angle for your wrists. =] GL!
Also very common for road (bi)cyclists over longer distances (>25-30 miles). Staying in one spot too long and weak core muscles (front & Rear) contribute too leaning on the handlebars instead of supporting yourself. I’ll change grip positions frequently on the bike and in a car, I would think slightly changing grip would do help.
I’ve been dealing with grip issues stemming from neck and back problems, I’ve found that keeping my index finger tip against my thumb tip with equal pressure (think how a yogi holds their hands while in meditation) while cradling the wheel in the crook of the hands seems to help align my hands, arms, shoulders, and right on down to the hips and send the forces more evenly through my body, giving better feel and extending my (short) stamina. Perhaps a similar method could help here.
I think this is greatly exacerbated by pressure and vibration along the nerve that runs across the palm, which is why biking gloves have that padding there – might be worth trying a padded glove or even the padded handlebar tape on your wheel.