Dips - pain in hand

[AndyD]

So last night I headed back to the gym after a bit of time out. Decided it was about time that I replaced weighted push ups with dips. However, I found that I was limited not by my strength but by a pain in my left hand. It was quite a strange sensation, like a shooting pain starting in my palm and spreading to my fingers, almost like I was squeezing a nerve. The pain disappears as soon as I get off the bars. I've had this sensation before when doing dips but now it's a regular part of my routine I guess I should sort this out. Is it a matter of just fighting through and attempting to desensitize myself to the pain? Anyone else ever felt anything similar. Thanks.

[guru]

That is a weird thing & it could be the result of a nerve pinching as you say. Do you get a similar thing when doing push ups? Can you try using foam pads where your palm base rests on the dip bars?

[AndyD]

I don't get this pain on any other exercise. Just dips, and it is in the left hand only. Will try foam pads to reduce the pressure on my palm and see if there's any improvement. Really hope it works as I'd hate to see dips disappear from my routine.

[Sam277]

Pair of cheap cycling gel gloves might help. Not like you need the grip on dips anyway.

[lint]

I experience something similar. Try changing your hand position. What works for me it to get my fingers facing more forward than to the side. So the dip bars cross over the meaty part of my thumb instead of closer to the fingers. Seems to help relieve pressure