Many articles have been written about the problem of knees when riding a bicycle on the Internet. How to properly adjust the bike for yourself, about frequent drinking of water, and preferably isotonics, about warming the knees … But I couldn't find articles about hand problems.

I bought a new mountain bike, set up a saddle according to all the rules and rode for about 2 months. After another trip, I felt that my right hand, somewhere in my wrist, was pampering. At first I did not pay attention to it, then with the next trips the pain intensified, so that I could not get on the bike at all. Well, I think I need to wait a little bit for the pain to let go, then I can ride again. Just went on vacation for a month. When I arrived, I took a ride on the paddle and realized again that the pain had returned, the muscles of my arm began to hurt (according to the sensations), the ring finger began to pull. Basically, once I got on the bike, it was impossible to go far. Deciding to give my hand a big break again, I even gave up cycling, there was a lot of work, not up to the bike.

But despite the rest, the hand began to bother and pull me in everyday situations. I went to the doctor.

I had an X-ray, a crack check, a blood test, an ultrasound of the arm, an MRI. On the MRI, I was told to lie inside the centrifuge in a superman pose (one outstretched arm). The traumatologist looked at the pictures and tests, bent his hand and diagnosed tendovaginitis. About! I did not even imagine that such a thing could be in my hand, I thought that only women's diseases could be named with such a word. It turns out that this is an inflammation of the inner lining of the fibrous vagina of the tendon of the muscle, in the diagram these membranes of the tendons are indicated by the word Vagina, so that it turns out in the anatomy it is not only a well-known female organ. After asking what it was, they said from the bicycle.

In a sporty fit (when the saddle is at or above the handlebars), there is more pressure on the hands than on city bikes, where the landing is more vertical, and this can cause swelling of the fingers or even inflammation of the ligaments. Of course, this is not in all people, because the landing depends not only on the legs, but also on the length of the arms, and the inflammation itself manifests itself in untrained people and possibly in connection with some other diseases (for example, in conjunction with complications from the flu).

How to treat such inflammations of the tendon membranes?

The doctor said that the pain can go away by itself – in 7-10 months, but to speed up the process it is necessary to treat.
I was scheduled for a seven-day course of physical therapy. Magnetotherapy and iontophoresis. In addition, it is necessary to rub Artrosilen or Voltaren spray into the hand for 2 weeks and make dressings with a solution of Dimexide. In addition, it was mandatory to buy an orthosis, this is instead of a bandage on the arm. Orthosis should not be bought the cheapest, since cheap ones will either rub or irritate the skin because of which it will itch, as when wearing plaster. Considering that health is more expensive, I bought a good orthosis Bauerfeind ManuTrain made in Germany. I did not spend money on all the studies and procedures due to the fact that I had a pre-purchased VHI insurance policy. I spent the money only on orthosis and sprays.

After 2 weeks, it became easier, and after 3 weeks in a free state, the pain went away. I was forbidden to ride a bicycle for this period. And they said that for any loads, including cycling, you need to wear an orthosis.
Next, the doctors told me that I needed to take a more vertical position on the bike, i.e. lower the saddle and raise the handlebars, to which I said that then problems with the knees could begin due to improper landing, to which the doctor told me to choose, either legs that are still all right, or hands with which there are already problems!

I had to buy an adjustable Zoom takeaway, allowing you to raise the steering wheel up to 90 degrees. The only disadvantage of these takeaways is that they are quite heavy compared to sports. I also bought ergonomic grips Ergon GP3, which, in addition to allowing you to hold your hands more comfortably, due to a flatter grip, are also arm shock absorbers. And of course the horns built into these grips allow you to change the position of the hands for rest. By the way, these short horns are quite enough for resting hands, although there are models with longer horns. The horns are placed more horizontally than vertically.

I don't skate in the winter, and in December, when I almost forgot about the pain in my hands, I dragged a heavy mattress and forgot to put on an orthosis. The pain came back and didn't stop. I had to go to the doctor again, I was prescribed another course of physiotherapy and sprays. It turns out that there is no other way to treat, and the inflammation can either stop by itself, or can remain for a very long time if you do not completely remove the load from the hand.

I was able to get on the bike only a year later, after I had the first pain. I ride exclusively in the orthosis, I do not lift weights, and still a slight pain in the arm remains.

In addition to my situation with the hand, the swelling of the fingers is also common, with improper landing or due to osteochondrosis (oddly enough, mostly the problem of swollen fingers is in the neck). Ergon Grips in most cases remove this problem. You also need to correctly adjust the position of the brake knobs and speed switches. They should switch without changing the position of the brush

In general, if after buying a sports bike you began to be disturbed by your knees or hands – do not leave it on your own, it is better to immediately consult a doctor to find out why you have pain and immediately take urgent measures.