Leg Cramping (May 2005)

ORIGINAL QUESTION:

From Butchi Smith, AYTT 98

I am now teaching at Sun City in South Carolina so I'm teaching senior citizens 55 and up. I have a man in his 60's who has taken yoga for several years and says he has always had tight hamstrings. However he appears quite flexible and his complaint is not hamstrings. When in Supta Padangusthasna (reclining hamstring stretch and again when lowering the straight leg out to the side, he says he gets extreme cramping in his quads. His hamstrings don't bother him except behind his knees. What would be causing the cramping? Does anyone have any ideas or solutions? I have never run up against this complaint before.

ANSWERS:

From Mark Beach, AYTT 2000

Aloha Butchie,

I too teach many seniors for about 4 1/2 years now. The topic of cramping comes up now and again and I have found from my personal interest in the subject that dehydration is a major cause of cramping and gets worse as we age. Potassium deficiency is another area to look at. (Add some bananas to the daily diet).

Ask your student if he is drinking coffee, sodas, or eating chocolate, all of which contain caffeine and contribute to dehydration. Even if he is trying to drink enough pure water the caffeine in his system will impair rehydration. To further complicate the scenario dehydration appears to increase the toxicity of caffeine.

I had trouble with cramping for years and when I gave up coffee and caffeinated drinks the problem stopped with very little recurrence. Hope this is of help.

From Shanti

I have personally not come across this yet but I have had students who told me they cramp in their feet and calves. They say they think they are lacking potassium so they try to eat a banana before class!? Not sure of their knowledge behind this but it works for them!

shanti–