Joint pain can be a side effect of biking, and includes your wrists as well as your hips and knees. The curve and shape of your handlebars can cause your wrists to bear the brunt of your weight and feel every bump in the road as you ride. If you have wrist pain during cycling and cannot relieve the discomfort, speak to your doctor about your treatment options.
Step 1
Ride with good posture to relieve wrist pain. Sit up as straight as you can to still reach the handlebars to avoid putting significant amounts of weight on your wrists. You might need to adjust the height of your seat and handlebars to accommodate your new riding posture.
Step 2
Pad both your hands and the handlebars to cut back on the amount of pressure you put on your wrists, the palms of your hands and the nerves that may be irritated as a result. Padded, fingerless biking gloves can help; install foam padding on your handlebars according to your comfort level.
Step 3
Adjust your biking workout to allow for more rest in between bike trips or in the middle of a long workout. Even if padding and posture help, your wrists need time to heal. While you bike, change the positioning of your hands occasionally and flex your fingers to prevent nerve compression that leads to pain, tingling and numbness.
Step 4
Take anti-inflammatory medications before you head out on the road. Over-the-counter medications are effective for most people and can reduce the pain and inflammation of handlebar palsy, a wrist condition in which the nerves are compressed during cycling.
Things You'll Need
- Padded gloves
- Handlebar padding
- Medications
