The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Lobster hands and fingers! Please help!
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Lobster hands and fingers! Please help!
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Recently, every time I do hot yoga, my fingers start closing up and into each other against my will! I cant move my fingers as they all just sort of pull into each other, forming something that looks like a lobster claw. I asked my teacher about it and indeed, she said I was getting “lobster” hands. Its always especially exacerbated by Lucust Pose, I assume because I am cutting off circulation to my hands and arms.
In any case, its getting to the point where sometimes its actually quite painful in a numb sort of way (if that makes sense) and as you can imagine, if I cant open up my hands, I cant do many of the poses!
My teacher said I was simply dehydrated and needed to get more electrolytes. So before class Ive been making sure I drink AT LEAST 2-3 liters of water AND vita coco, but still, its not helping!! Im kind of freaking out a little.
Does anyone have any advice? THANK YOU!!
Hi Eva
Oh, you must be very concerned. As I would be too.
Your teacher probably has this right. Unfortunately I don’t think a little coconut water is going to do it for you.
I would strongly suggest getting some unprocessed sea salt into you straight away. Go and check out recent posts. Pop the word “himalayan” into the search box up the top and start reading. Then go out and buy some sea salt and take it on your food and or in your water (i recommend it with a dash of lemon juice! Yum).
You should see results very quickly. You seem electrolyte deprived. Perhaps you may want to get a base reading of your condition with a doctor. The word is 1/2 to 1 tsp of salt a day when you’re needing to reoptimise levels, and about 1/2 for everyday use.
If that resonates with you, then… hop to it. It won’t hurt to see a doc or get a blood test for big picture view.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Notice that my original post was written in April of 2012!! After YEARS of research, I think I MAY have finally discovered the cause of my “lobster claw” syndrome, ie. unable to move arms, muscle spasms, extreme fatigue, limbs “falling asleep.” I found it on this yoga blog, where the teacher describes it as a symptom called TETANY. She writes: “Bikram Yoga or heat exhaustion is often listed as one of the causes of Tetany’s Syndrome.”
I have asked SO many hot yoga instructors about this in studios all across America, and no one has ever been able to address this problem directly and could only guess what the problem was. Most teachers say its dehydration and based on different people’s advice, I’ve tried coconut water and electrolyte packets, pedialyte, and trace mineral drops to add to my water. None of this has helped.
After researching Tetany, I’ve realized this is EXACTLY what happens to me.
”Low levels of carbon dioxide, most commonly caused by hyperventilation (over breathing), can cause tetany by altering the albumin binding of calcium such that the ionised (physiologically influencing) fraction of calcium is reduced. So if someone over breathes it possible that they can reduce the amount of calcium available causing their feet and hands to spasm.If the spasms have been bought on through hyperventilation the casualty must be reassured and encourage to slow their breathing rate down in order to correct the carbon dioxide imbalance that has built up through over breathing.”
What I want to know is why is this not more widely known or discussed in the yoga world? I feel slightly started and uncomfortable that none of the yoga teachers I have ever talked to seem to know what Tetany is. Any thoughts on this? Have you ever heard of Tetany before?
In case your curious, this yoga teacher posts about Tetany here: (see her post here: http://naomiclarkyoga.com/2013/12/tetanys-syndrome/).
Thank you!
Hello Eva
You’re back! :cheese:
You are very happy and I am very happy for you. Naomi and I are friends! While you may be on the right track, I think you owe it to yourself to do a little investigating. What you are reading is clearly very resonant for you. I definitely have some questions. And I want to make sure that you never create the same conditions again.
There are some things I need to ask you or know about certain aspects of your practice. When folks come to the forum I really like to have some toing and froing with them to confirm and clarify. We didn’t get that chance the last time and I would like that now. It will not only help you (hopefully 😉 ) and me, but certainly anybody else out there who finds this forum post!
So, would you be willing to answer some questions for me? What do you say?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi everyone
If you’re interested in following the progress of this thread about lobster hands and fingers, then we’re continuing it in a similar thread, right here, so that we don’t have to duplicate answers!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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