Hand Cramps...!

[emiller]

I have been getting severe throttle hand cramps while riding lately. May fingers ache during the moto and are very hard to move/bend when I first get off the bike. Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

[MXtras]

Try to relax. As hard as it might sound, it's not hard to do while riding - it just requires some thought.

You can completely relax your grip in the air. I mean completely. You can also find many places on any track where you can relax or stretch your fingers out - even for a second or two. This helps keep the blood moving. It also helps to completely exhale and inhale deeply as often as possible to keep your blood full of oxygen - I make a point to take a very deep breath as soon as I reach for the front brake lever. Sounds funny, but it helps - some folks 'forget' to breath when riding.

Personally - I have found that taking Tylenol an hour or so before the motos helps. I also drink lots of Gatorades. Your mileage may vary.

Scott

[crfjedi393]

MXtras gives solid advice. Breathing is key. I've never had any trouble with hand cramps in motocross but had a severe case of it in one cross country race last winter. In a long race like that you can back down just a tad without paying too high a price. I almost panicked when I couldn't open my hand to reach the break but I began to concentrate on taking deep breaths and relaxing my throttle hand as much as possible. Not much air time in cross country. Within about 10-15 minutes I had ridden through it.
It was the toughest, most demanding race I have ever ridden. I suspect I just forgot to breath properly. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have happened.

[emiller]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll try them tomorrow.

[Ekholm]

All good suggestions, also make sure you are getting plenty of potasium in your diet and HYDRATE.... It is so easy to get dehydrated in our sport, plenty of liquids, water, gatorade, nothing w/caffiene.
My .02

[DRGSin393]

One more addition. The bulk of your "hanging on" should be done with your legs, not your hands. Press those knees nice and tight.

[MXtras]

Originally Posted by Ekholm

...also make sure you are getting plenty of potasium in your diet ...

Excellent addition! Potassium deficiency can lead to increased cramping. Eat lots of bananas for a day or two before and the day of your riding/racing.

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Pasta can help with strength endurance, by the way.

Scott

[weld_13]

In xc I will release my hand over the jumps and at the scoring trailer and you can strech two of your fingers onto your front brake at a time in certain sections.

After my first race I didn't do it and my fingers felt like I broke them, they were throbbing like crazy and I couldn't move any of them at all

[tblacc]

Originally Posted by DRGSin393

One more addition. The bulk of your "hanging on" should be done with your legs, not your hands. Press those knees nice and tight.

Not to undermind your skills as a rider,but like he said, use your lower body to hold on to the bike, and If you stay in a attack position, you'll find the bike trying to hold on to you!!!!!

[kschilk]

Originally Posted by weld_13

....my fingers felt like I broke them, they were throbbing like crazy and I couldn't move any of them at all

Not that it applied in weld_13's case but a common cause of those symptoms, can be loose motor mounts. Some bikes, there's not much you can do...they just naturally shake like a Harley. Vibration interrupts the circulation in your hands and engine vibration easily resonates through the frame and handlebars. Sometimes a more heavily padded glove can alleviate the symptoms. With my '82 CR480, the vibration was so bad that I acutally had to rubber-mount the bars. The idea came out of pure desperation but it worked quite well.