Tingling in hands and feet, "lobster claws" and fatigue. Is it TETANY??

[Hapiedy]

#2690

I’ve been having the same problem in my hot yoga classes for over 3 years now (which has greatly hindered how often hit the hot yoga mat). Basically, by the end of class my hands clamp up like ‘lobster claws’ and it is often very painful. It’s like a cramp or muscle spasm in my hands (and sometimes feet) and there is a strange tingling sensation. It gets to the point where I can’t even open my fingers wide enough to hold my water bottle. Worse, with it always comes EXTREME fatigue to the point where I can’t even walk home or think straight.

After years of research, I found a blog that says that- “Hot/Bikram Yoga or heat exhaustion is often listed as one of the causes of Tetany’s Syndrome…. One of the first things someone suffering with Tetany’s experiences besides a little dizziness or nausea is a tingling or numbing of the hands and fingers which may also include the feet and even the tongue as all of the nerve cells have become stimulated. They may also experience cramping or ‘curling in’ of the limbs which can be scary for them.”

See the blog here for more detailed information: http://naomiclarkyoga.com/2013/12/tetanys-syndrome/

This is exactly what happens to me and I’m so EXCITED to finally have someone acknowledge that these things happen. I’ve asked SO many yoga teachers in the 10 years I’ve been doing hot yoga and no one ever has any good advice besides drink more electrolytes. Have any of you experienced any of the symptoms I mentioned above? Anyone out there know anything more about tetany? This is the first solid lead I’ve gotten in years re: why I can’t get through a hot yoga class, and I am eager to learn more. Why isn’t this more widely discussed or known about in the yoga world?

Any stories of similar symptoms or knowledge about tetany would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks ya’ll!

E

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11231

Hello again!

I just responded to your other similar post. A couple of quick questions for you: Do you think we could choose one of these threads to continue the conversation? Otherwise we’ll be duplicating stuff! My thought is that we could have a link in one of them to take us to the thread of your choice. Would that be OK?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Hapiedy]

#11234

Gabrielle,

I am so thrilled to hear from you! How cool is it that you and Naomi are friends?!

Thank you for being so thoughtful with this process. Let’s continue the thread here since I feel like it’s more aptly named. Yes, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. As you can probably tell, I’m really hoping that one day I can get to the bottom of this. I’m hoping it might be helpful for others who may be having similar symptoms, too.

Ask away. I’ll be here 🙂

Eva

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11242

Hi Eva

Thanks for that! I have a lot of questions. I think I shall ask them in chunks.

Before I do, here is what you said about your issue, in the event that a reader here has not seen the other thread:

[em]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!

unable to move arms, muscle spasms, extreme fatigue, limbs “falling asleep.”

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.
[/em]
Eva has found a reference to something that could be Tetany. See the quote at the top of this thread.

Now for round 1 of those questions:

1>> How many times per week were you practising when you first had the problem in your hands?

2>> How many times per week do you practise now?

3>> Did you get the problem EVERY time you did yoga?

4>> How long did it hang around and make you feel uncomfortable after each class?

5>> Did it stop you going back as frequently as you would have liked?

6>> Do you still get the lobster hands problem?

7>> You say the issue is exacerbated by Locust (when your arms are under your body) and those words imply it appears before Locust. What poses has this problem presented at? Could be different poses.

8>> What do you think is meant by the term over-breathing?

9>> Why do you think you are over-breathing?

Dat dare is da first chunk

See you soon. Feel free to copy and paste my words and pop your answers in. Use some paragraph spaces so we can tell one idea from another and it will be easier to make sense of and read. Be as detailed as you can and or want to be. If there’s not enough detail for me, I will simply ask for clarification, so don’t be stressed! It’s a process. Jumping to conclusions is something we all do sometimes – and it’s sometimes the right conclusion. But let’s make sure we break this down and see where it leads us.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Hapiedy]

#11243

First I just want to thank you deeply for taking the time to be so thoughtful with my yoga troubles. I am so touched and appreciative! To give you more context, I’ve have 2 primary care doctors over the past few years each time my annual physical results turn out fine, as as a result, neither of them were really able to give me much information. You are indeed right that this is a process and since I’ve been having this issues for a few years now, I think I’m learning to be more patient and open about the possibilities of what’s to come.

Now, on to your questions!

1>> How many times per week were you practising when you first had the problem in your hands?

I had been practicing hot yoga for about 7-8 years before the first time the hand problem occurred, and had done 2 successful thirty day challenges with no problem. When it started, I think I was probably practicing maybe.. 2/3 times a week. From what I can tell, it happened out of the blue one day (as opposed to happening gradually over time). The first time it happened was one of the worst occurrences- I had to take a taxi home because I was so tried and drained and my hand muscles hurt all the way through the muscles of my forearms.

2>> How many times per week do you practise now?
Now I rarely practice. I’d say… it’s more on and off. Maybe I’ll go to 4 classes in one month, and then I won’t go for 2 months at a time, and then I’ll do a few more classes the following moth. It’s very sporadic.

3>> Did you get the problem EVERY time you did yoga?
Since this started happening, it’s happened 95% of the time I take a hot yoga class. So basically at this point, every time I go, I anticipate it will happen, and have to factor that in to my day (i.e. I’ll make sure to only go to class if I know I don’t have any plans after class since I know I will be super tired).

4>> How long did it hang around and make you feel uncomfortable after each class?
The “lobster claw” and tingling in my hands lasts anywhere from 5-20 minutes, depending on the level of severity that day. However, the overwhelming fatigue and burning sensation in my eyes, and overall dizziness/drowsiness will last me the rest of the day until I go to sleep! Sleep is usually the only guaranteed thing that will make it go away.

Here’s one thing I think I should mention that may be important:
I’ve always associated the hand cramping/pins and needles with the extreme fatigue/drowsiness. These things happens together during yoga class. But in the past year, the extreme fatigue has been happening with any kind of physical activity i do (gym, running, biking). The cramping only happens when I take hot yoga classes OR sometimes when I go into a sauna! It’s possible they are related, but it’s possible they are separate issues. But one thing for sure is that being in a hot room makes my hands cramp up.

5>> Did it stop you going back as frequently as you would have liked?
Yes, as mentioned above, I only go to hot yoga classes sporadically now. Given my weird symptoms, I probably shouldnt even be going, but sometimes I just miss it so much and I want to be on the mat in a hot class! However, I still try to stay physically active 3-4 times a day, but I have to limit how long I can work out because I get tired very easily.

6>> Do you still get the lobster hands problem?
Yes, only when I do hot yoga or am in a hot room (steam room, sauna).

7>> You say the issue is exacerbated by Locust (when your arms are under your body) and those words imply it appears before Locust. What poses has this problem presented at? Could be different poses.
It varies. It’s happened as early as the first pose (half moon) to the middle of the sequence. However, if I’m in a class and it hasn’t happened yet, locust pose will almost always trigger it/set it off.

8>> What do you think is meant by the term over-breathing?
I think maybe taking in too much air from my nose? I always breath in through my nose and out of my nose when I am doing yoga. Given that, the only thing I can GUESS it means is that I am breathing too hard/too deeply from my nose. Particularly when I am in poses that are challenging for me, like triangle, i tend to focus on my breath a lot as it’s what keeps me focused and grounded, which helps me stay in the pose. Maybe it means my breaths are too shallow and rapid? I tend to breath faster when my heart rate is up in a challenging pose (and in hot yoga, a lot of the poses are challenging!)

9>> Why do you think you are over-breathing?
This is a really good question. This past winter, I went to Asia to visit some family and had to go see a doctor related to a weird allergy I had. This doctor was a well-known traditional oriental medicine doctor (who also practices acupuncture, acupressure and all sorts of other venues of chinese medicine). I mentioned to him off hand that my eyes get red and I get very tired when I work out. He asked me a series of questions, and guessed that one of my symptoms was hand cramping without me even having to tell him! He said this was a classic case of hyperventilation.

Now, I don’t actually think I hyperventilate. Now, I don’t actually FEEL like I am over-breathing. I feel like I’m breathe normally! But once the doctor told me about hyperventilation and the symptoms that come with it, I began to think maybe he’s on to something. After researching hyperventilation, that’s how I learned about tetany!

PHEW! Okay, I think this is A LOT of information. Please let me know next time if you need me to be more or less detailed. I am looking forward to your next round of questions! I hope these answers suffice!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11262

Hi Eva

I will get to answering this in the next couple of days! There’s a lot of detail. Thank you for that.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11271

Hi Eva

Here’s round 2 of the questions. Let’s see if this takes us to a different conclusion to tetany. There are still some rocks to look under. 😉

10 >> Do you have a low salt diet? Do you have a diet where you don’t particularly monitor salt?

11 >> Do you take an electrolyte supplement? When? Which one?

12 >> How much water do you drink? Per day? During class? Is it plain water?

13 >> What temperature is your studio at? How do you know?

14 >> Is the studio in a humid location? Or dry? Do you know the percentage of humidity?

15 >> How many people per class generally?

16 >> Do many people have to stop and rest during class? Or is it just you that you perceive as having difficulties?

17 >> It’s both hands isn’t it? Never just one? What about any other extremities? Do you ever get any cramping in your feet or your legs? Any other sensations in the body that occur independently of, or along with the issue with the hands?

Eva, the detail is very, very helpful. Carry on with that.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11272

Ummm. Realised you do get it in the feet. But if you have more detail that would be great! :cheese:

While I think of it, I can’t recall you telling me if you have had blood tests. If you have been tested for Vitamin D levels. If you take any supplementation of any kind (not just electrolytes). Whether you have any other chronic conditions. And whether you have had any tumultuous event in your life in the last several years preceding the initial event that kicked off this regular occurrence.

You did mention that you have had some medical care. I was just wondering if you have tests that are fairly recent. Some medical practitioners look at test results and use the pharma-divised norms as their barometer. Sometimes (and this is just something that some have indicated) those yardsticks which are guides (nothing is foolproof as there are tolerances and individual responses) can be different to the levels that keep people optimally healthy. I am not a medico so anything I can offer here would have to be researched and discussed (here, there and everywhere).

It may also help to know where you live in this world!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Hapiedy]

#11295

Hi Gabrielle,

WHOA. Soo sorry for my delayed reply. I had no idea you had already responded!!! Usually I get a little note in my inbox, but I must have missed it.

Anywhere, here are my responses to round 2 of your Q’s:

10 >> Do you have a low salt diet? Do you have a diet where you don’t particularly monitor salt?

I do not have a low salt diet. I think I have regular salt intake for someone who eats pretty darn healthy (lots of whole fruits and veggies, limited processed foods, limited meat and dairy intake etc)

11 >> Do you take an electrolyte supplement? When? Which one?

For about 6-12 months I tried Pedialyte. But I also tried Liqumins ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops, Low Sodium for awhile and it didnt make any different

12 >> How much water do you drink? Per day? During class? Is it plain water?

I drink plain water from my NY tap as well as from the filtered water machine in my office. I have a 32 oz Nalgene water bottle that I take with me everywhere. I would say at minimum I drink at LEAST 120oz of water a day. If I’m working out, probably around 200 oz day?

During class I don’t usually drink THAT much water. I take small sips usually. I tend to drink more water before and after class.

13 >> What temperature is your studio at? How do you know?

I don’t know. I’ve gone to at least 3 -4 different studios since this started happening, so it’s probably been different at all the studios.

14 >> Is the studio in a humid location? Or dry? Do you know the percentage of humidity?

I also don’t know the % of humidity. I live in New York city and it gets quite humid in NY during the summer, but it’s dry in the winter. My symptoms occur year round, despite the weather.

15 >> How many people per class generally?

Also hard to say, since I’ve been so so many different classes. As you know, some classes can have 6 people, and some can have 40, depending on the time of day, location and room size etc etc.

16 >> Do many people have to stop and rest during class? Or is it just you that you perceive as having difficulties?

I can’t recall. I dont think there’s a general trend. Because I’ve had this problem for so long now, it’s hard to pin point, especially since I go to different studios around the city etc.

17 >> It’s both hands isn’t it? Never just one? What about any other extremities? Do you ever get any cramping in your feet or your legs? Any other sensations in the body that occur independently of, or along with the issue with the hands?

“Ummm. Realised you do get it in the feet.”

I do get it in my feet sometimes, but it’s in my hands 100% of the time. As I’ve mentioned before, the other VERY acute sensation that happens every time my hands cramp up is a burning/stinging feeling in my eyes (not to be confused with itchy. My eyes don’t itch) and they get very red. It very uncomfortable and makes me feel very TIRED. And then of course, there is the foggyness and dizziness, which adds to this over sensation of being depleted and unfocused and FATIGUED.

“I can’t recall you telling me if you have had blood tests. If you have been tested for Vitamin D levels. If you take any supplementation of any kind (not just electrolytes). Whether you have any other chronic conditions. And whether you have had any tumultuous event in your life in the last several years preceding the initial event that kicked off this regular occurrence.”

Yes, I’ve had blood tests. At least once a year for my physical. Doctors always tell me everything looks great. One doctor even used the word “enviable” to describe being in good health.

I take a few supplements: A daily vitamin, vitamin D in the winter because there’s not enough sun in NY during the winter months, fish oil, and maca. For awhile I tried rhodiola, but that didn’t increase my energy level very much.

Chronic conditions: I don’t think I have anything major. I have lower back pain every once in awhile and I have IBS, in which certain foods make me very gassy and bloated, but it’s not very severe by any means.

Tumultuous events: The last 2 tumultuous life events were 1. being robber in my NY apartment and 2. a bad breakup with an ex boyfriend. But both happened at least a year to 18 months before the symptoms kicked in.

Phew okay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I will make sure to check back regularly for a response this time!!

With gratitude,

Eva

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11298

Hi Eva

Just wondering something: Reading about Tetany’s syndrome resonated with you because of your experience. So what success have you had simply breathing normally during class, (and breathing through the nose), hydrating well, dosing up on electrolytes? Because it’s clear you are an intelligent woman and you have thought about this very carefully. It wouldn’t take much change in your habits to do the above because half of the list can be taken care of outside the studio and then it’s up to you and your breathing. What success have you had?

Have you tried sipping water with salt (and lemon juice) or your electrolyte supplement DURING class?

Have you ever practised yoga without the high heat (maybe low to mid 30s celsius)? What happened? If you haven’t it’s really worth a try. If you can’t do that at home, then perhaps your studio will put on an appropriately heated class to try to exclude heat as the trigger. Probably the first step would be to go through the entire 90 minutes at home with low or no heat as a control.

I just thought I would add these ideas before I retire for the night!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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