Hand cramps anyone?

[Spartacus Maximus]

Every once in a while after intense practise I get strange recurring cramps in my hands. They are not very painful and never last more than a few minutes after I finish. My hands go numb and my fingers remain stuck either extended or half folded or any odd angles. Once the cramps pass, my hand is back to normal and I have no lasting discernible effects such as changes in dexterity or tactile sensitity. The worst thing about these cramps is that they happen when I'm supposed to change my hand form in technique transitions because my fingers are cramped up.

Has anyone else ever had these?

[bushido_man96]

Sounds odd. Its not some kind of carpel-tunnel syndrome, is it?

[Harkon72]

Cramps and Muscle spasms can be common in sport and martial arts. I get cramps in my feet at times while studying Aikido. Just as you sit in the last siza at the end of class, it hits you and there not much you can do. One remedy I was advised of was to take more minerals into the body. Some electrolyte powder can do this, you just add it to fruit juice, it's not that bad. Another suggestion for the same effect is to eat sea salt, as it contains minerals that are not always present in our diet. Good luck.

[Spartacus Maximus]

I am certain it is different from carpal tunnel syndrome because that has more to do with nerves and is much more painful than what I am getting. It happens most often when I try to relax my hands after having held them open as in a shuto or after keeping my fists closed tight when striking the makiwara or intense kata or drills.

Sometimes my hands and fingers do not return to normal for several minutes and I feel soreness or numbness for hours later. I make it a point to exercise my hands and fingers in all the range of motion. It feels like every muscle in my hands squeeze and stay stuck that way. When it happens it is as if my hands are out if my control and unresponsive to my attempts at moving them to reclose or extend the fingers.

I have had severe cramps in my thighs and calfs before but this is weird.

[RAM18]

Nearly all cramps during exercise are down to lack of hydration / electrolytes.

Most people drink during exercise but this is often too late. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated.

I used to get terrible calf cramps so a personal trainer friend suggested i try and drink more than 2 litres a day even more if i have a long training day. He also suggested that i avoid Tea/Coffee and anything high in salt after about 3pm as these take water out of your body!

Now i rarely get cramp and i have a lot more energy during training!!! i would recommend it although it is hard if your at work to remember to drink water constantly but you get used to it.

[Wastelander]

The advice you've gotten about hydration and electrolytes, so far, is solid--that will solve most cramping issues. A trick I learned from my sister-in-law, who is a competitive runner, is to actually eat a banana before a workout. It has all the electrolytes you need, along with some sugar to keep your blood glucose levels from dropping too far, and the Potassium also helps prevent muscle cramps.

Also, you might just be squeezing your hands too hard