Toes going numb.....



jmcglos

New Member
Jun 23, 2004
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I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice here - recently on my rides, my toes on my left foot start going numb - even after just 5 miles of riding. It starts in the third and fourth toes and by the end of a long ride, all 5 toes are numb. Do you think it's the positioning of my cleats on my pedals? Is there a pressure point that's going through a nerve that may be causing this numbness? I tried adjusting my shoes and cleats, but it didn't help. I may have to work on it some more. My right foot is fine - never goes numb. Anyone else have this problem before?
Thanks!!
 
Did you ever find a solution? I have the same problem. I've just lived with it for the last 3 years but I'm sick of it now. My feet usually get a 'hot spot' at the contact point and my toes usually go numb and start to cramp and it hurts to push down on the pedals. This usually happens after 2+ hours of racing with good hill climbs. I think I might need to get a larger pair of shoes, maybe a stiffer sole.
 
My left pinky toe had that problem. Yesterday I bought some Dr. Scholls arch support things and noticed a big difference. It was only numb for a very short period and once I get them position correctly, I doubt I will have any numbness!
 
Arch supports did help me for a while, but I think it is very important to make sure you have enough room in the end of your shoe for your toes to get good enough circulation. Mine still tend to go numb and cramp after several hours.
 
CLINTSCPU said:
Did you ever find a solution? I have the same problem. I've just lived with it for the last 3 years but I'm sick of it now. My feet usually get a 'hot spot' at the contact point and my toes usually go numb and start to cramp and it hurts to push down on the pedals. This usually happens after 2+ hours of racing with good hill climbs. I think I might need to get a larger pair of shoes, maybe a stiffer sole.
I had the same problem. Online searches led me to believe that the problem was due to constriction of the blood vessels in the forefoot. Solved it by fastening the shoe (Diadora Gecko) loosely at the toes, tightly at the back of the foot. Worked like a charm.
 
Start moving the toes more and maybe ur using only ur heel to crank keep ur foot flat so u use your whole foot?just some thoughts
 
For some reason, lately, the numbness hasn't occurred most of the time when I ride. When I start to feel it, I wiggle my toes. I think that maybe it was new shoes that needed to be broken in a little (around the toe box maybe?). I did a century ride last weekend and no numbness at all.
 
It may be cleats/shoes, I've definitely had this caused by tight shoes as others have mentioned.

One other thing I have found is that this sometimes happens to me when my technique goes bad (eg when I'm really tired) - and essentially I am constantly putting downward pressure on my pedals, even on the upstroke. When you get the numbness, try concentrating on lifting your foot on the upstroke, so that the pressure on the sole of your foot is relieved once per revolution. If this is the cause, it should take a couple of minutes and then your foot should feel fine.

Another thing - and this may sound really stupid - but is it possible that your saddle is pressing on a nerve? I've found from other sports (mostly climbing & kayaking) that there are a few pressure points around your rear end, that when pressure is applied, can lead to foot numbness. I've often found this leads to numbness from the outside toes first, wheras circulation (eg tight shoes) often leads to numbness from the inside toes first. Just a thought.
 
I had a similar thing a few months ago. It is called Mortons neuroma, or something like that. It was with the same shoes and pedals I'd been on for some time, so don't know why it happened. Talked with a podiatrist friend about it, and he suggested different types of arch supports. They have helped with it, but I don't like the feel of anything in my shoe. Though at least I'm feeling something, rather than numb.

Still playing with cleat and seat positioning and have a had a few twinges of the numb deal, but not nearly as bad as when it first happened.

btw, I've tried loosening my shoes, tightening, etc and it made no difference. Getting old can be such a hassle at times :eek:

Mark
 
I have ahd the same problem, and think I know the answer or at least it helped for me. First off your shoes can't be too tight cause your feet are going to swell a little when you ride. Second and most importantly you should look at your cleat placement. I used to have my cleats more towards my toes, not even thinking this would be a problem. One of my riding buddies, suggested moving the cleats back more toward my heals to eliminate the NUmbness. It worked great! I would say try this first, if you still have problems I would recommend looking into some different shoe brands. Everyone has diff. feet so diff. brands are going to be more comfy than others. Good Luck!
 
Had the same problem when I switched to carbon sole shoes. The stiff sole caused a bad numb spot in both feet, especially the big toe on the left. My LBS turned me on to SuperFeet. They are arch supports. The numbness is all but gone now.

One really important thing to make sure to get your cleats lined up under the balls of your feet. If your cleats are too far up you'll see big-time numbness.
 
chrispopovic said:
Had the same problem when I switched to carbon sole shoes. The stiff sole caused a bad numb spot in both feet, especially the big toe on the left. My LBS turned me on to SuperFeet. They are arch supports. The numbness is all but gone now.

One really important thing to make sure to get your cleats lined up under the balls of your feet. If your cleats are too far up you'll see big-time numbness.
Where can you get these "SuperFeet"?