Wrist and hand pain.

[djnotts]

What was an occasional wrist/hand pain, associated with a ganglion cyst, for many years has become constant. Drops certainly aggravate the condition, almost yo the point of danger. Would a more sit-up-and-beg stance help by reducing weight on hands relative to torso? Aero and speed of secondary importance to ability to ride at all! Thanks.

[Jdsk]

NHS advice:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ganglion/

Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganglion_cyst

When did you last get medical advice? And do you understand the options for management?

Jonathan

[djnotts]

Thanks. Yes, recently re-read the medical stuff. One of the possible causes is injury and I do recall that problem started some 60 years ago following a fall and wrist injury! Spent many hours at hospital consultations in my early teens! Off and on unable to bend my wrist at all, though not that bad recently. I have enough other health issues without any more medical intervention!
Just want to take weight off wrist and hand(s).
Jones H bar or similar seems a good place to start?

[Jdsk]

You're the expert on what aggravates the pain.

I'd certainly try different positions.

Jonathan

[djnotts]

One "tip" says put arms/hands flat against thighs then swing arms up. Hands turn inwards and certainly seem to "match" the grip position of bars with a radical back sweep, with wrist unbent and hand straight. (Difficult to describe in words!)
On one Brian bar looks a cheap experiment.

[Cyril Haearn]

Just use higher bars that permit different hand positions

[foxyrider]

when you say riding drop bars agravates it, where on the bars are you reffering to? Your wrist can be in lots of different positions and load bearing will vary between them so its important to know exactly what position is the bogey before flying off on advice ego trips.

[djnotts]

when you say riding drop bars agravates it, where on the bars are you reffering to? Your wrist can be in lots of different positions and load bearing will vary between them so its important to know exactly what position is the bogey before flying off on advice ego trips.

Any position from where I can operate STI brake and shifter levers! Hand vertical rather than flat!

[Lodge]

Sounds painful. Perhaps consider transitioning to the dark side: recumbent bike or trike? No pressure on the hands whatsoever.

[djnotts]

Have vaguely considered, but always found 'bents hard on hills and they are getting difficult enough! A 1x set up might help as it's my left wrist!

[Lodge]

Agreed, 'bents are harder to climb with. That's why I swapped from bike to trike so I could gear down and not fall off when going slowly. Although I could climb almost anything I got so bored spending 95% of my time crawling* that I gave up and added electricity (i.e. the very dark side).

*I live near the Peak District = hilly.

[djnotts]

Trikes would be a bit cumbersome on some of the tow paths and cycle routes I frequent. I am deferring electric as long as my lungs allow, the more I do, the longer I can do!

[531colin]

......….Just want to take weight off wrist and hand(s).
Jones H bar or similar seems a good place to start?

when you say riding drop bars agravates it, where on the bars are you reffering to? Your wrist can be in lots of different positions and load bearing will vary between them so its important to know exactly what position is the bogey ...

Any position from where I can operate STI brake and shifter levers! Hand vertical rather than flat!

If "taking weight off the hands and wrist" really is all you need to do, then just move the saddle back, so that you can do this....
Balanced position by 531colin, on Flickr
Jones H bars have a considerable following; However they will give you a very different reach from what you get with drops, because drops put your hands a long way in front of the stem boss, and Jones' bars put your hands a long way behind it. ....which is fine if thats what you want, and you can operate the controls from a Jones bar.
On the other hand, you could keep the drops, ditch the left STI and use a bar end gear lever and a cross top brake lever (if thats what you want and you can operate those controls)
I had to give up drops because my thumbs became progressively more arthritic, so that I couldn't hang from my thumbs and brake from the hoods.. However, I still like the reach I got "on the hoods", so for me the solution was bullbars; here are my Mk 2 bullbars on the "Jones bar" thread...https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104410&hilit=Jones&start=105
Any weight is taken on the heel of my hand, whether I'm braking, changing gear, or just riding, and I have a few hand positions giving me different reach. I have lost the drops position, obviously, but I can bend my elbows and get down a bit.
I have never owned STI levers, I went from downtube to bar end levers, to brackets to mount the levers next to the hoods https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57027&hilit=skinflints&start=90 to bullbars https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=113772&hilit=bullbars
When I could brake from the hoods, I used drops for roughstuff; now that I can't brake from the hoods I'm comfortable on roads or tracks using bullbars with much the same riding position.

[djnotts]

Comprehensive - thank you! My current thoughts are the PX Geoff or Mike. Barcons were better than stis, but the standard drop bar brake levers remained the problem. For now switched that bike back to risers and mounted the shift ers on JTek special adaptors.

[531colin]

Comprehensive - thank you! My current thoughts are the PX Geoff or Mike. Barcons were better than stis, but the standard drop bar brake levers remained the problem. For now switched that bike back to risers and mounted the shift ers on JTek special adaptors.

You could use one or a pair of cross top levers instead of or as well as the regular drop levers?
I don't get on well with flat bars of any sort; historically I could never get enough reach except with a long MTB frame, long stem, and long bar ends. These days I can only ride flat bars with the heel of my hand resting on the bar; if I grip the bar normally my arthritic thumbs get really upset.
Best of luck with it all, keep going you will get there!