My wife has just recently started taking an interest in riding (wahoo, I think). She's never been one that felt like she needed to exercise, as she's always maintained her figure. The problem is that whenever she exercises, her upper lip gets numb, almost looks as if it's ready to cramp.

I first thought it was lack of hydration, which is still my thought at this point, but have you guys/gals ever heard of this? She doesn't cramp anywhere else, so this kind of has me stumped. It happens anywhere from 10-30 minutes within her routine and lasts for some time.

She's going to ask her doctor, but until then I thought I'd throw this out to see what you all think.

Thanks in advance.

She's probably clenching her teeth or tightening her facial muscles for too long.

Most likely thing is the result of a constant grimace during exercising - as suggested by Andrea. Sounds like she feels uncomfortable on the bike. Perhaps trying too hard to keep up with others or feeling intimidated.

Another possibility is the headgear she's wearing, could be pressing on a nerve. Try readjusting the helmet straps or a different helmet, just to make sure.

My lips will get numb after riding in the bitter cold or descending on a chilly day. I assume that a low temperature during rides was not an issue.

(wahoo, I think).Indeed. Don't push the cycling thing too much. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

Yeah- The quickest way to make her stop riding would be to drop her and/or complain about her being slow (or get pissed if she's faster). Also, tell her to read the Team Estrogen message forum. It should give her some encouragement and info from other women of all ages & abilities.

Edit... Not that you are doing that... I just wanted to make sure :) I delt with an S.O. that was painfully slow and, as much as I wanted to tell him to get the lead out, I just sat a few feet off his back wheel & practiced one-foot pedaling.

Is it "whenever she exercises" or "whenever she rides a bike" ?

So if she's just doing aerobics, or running, or yoga, her face goes numb? If so, that sounds like MD territory.

I'm agreeing with CreakyKnees...could be a neuralgia of that branch of the trigeminal nerve that innervates the upper lip, could be a focal seizure, could be ischemic changes, etc etc. Or, maybe she is just grimacing too much. Deserves some pointed questions from somebody who knows about this stuff...Hyperventilation (acute respiratory alkalosis) can do this as well, but the numbness usually goes to the fingertips and nose as well as the lips.