numbness, bruised hand from pressing.

[Matt James]

Hey all,
just a weird question here. I pressed yesterday (172x3x3) and this morning I noticed some numbness on the outside of my right ring finger. A closer inspection showed some slight bruising on the back of my hand in line with the little finger. There's no visible bruising on the hypothenar eminence but it is a little tender.

I'm taking my grip as shown in the book and Nick's video on the subject. It's possible that it is shifting as I unrack but I'm not sure. I have occasionally felt a nerve jolt in that hand when unracking, but didn't yesterday. Anyway, I'm not overly worried about it but I'm wondering if there is a an obvious form issue that I should look for next time I press.

I tried to photograph it but the discoloration is pretty slight and doesn't really come across in the picture.

thanks.

hand.jpg

[Dust Devil]

Sounds like ulnar nerve entrapment, but I don't know whether that can cause any discoloration. According to Wikipedia, it can cause nerve swelling, so maybe.

[Yngvi]

Did you break that hand some time in the past?

[Matt James]

I've never broken my hand. I pressed on Friday (volume day, 145x5x5) and while I didn't really have any issues I did catch myself shifting my grip slightly somewhere past forehead level as I started to fatigue. I'll pay attention to that when I press heavy again because I suspect that could be the source of the problem.

[Will Morris]

It's most likely soft tissue swelling / edema that is causing the issue. Hand swelling is pretty common in heavy lifters.

[Matt James]

Thanks, Will. I'll treat it as such and not worry too much about it.

[Will Morris]

Matt, I mean, you are pretty damned strong dude, and I think you are just able to handle weights that your soft tissue just doesn't like right now.