Runner's Training Tips: Numb Feet

You may want to see a Sports Med. professional.

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/0161-shin-splints-treatment.htm

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"Compartment syndromes owe their name and origin to the fact that the leg muscles are not simply loose straps which run from bone to bone. In reality, the muscles are often grouped together into little sections of the leg which are enclosed by a tough wrapper of connective tissue. Such an arrangement of muscles tucked into a wrapper is called a 'compartment'.

During the act of running, excess fluid can build up within one of these compartments, putting pressure on muscle fibres, nerve cells, and blood vessels - and also causing a great deal of pain. Frequently, the pain will be so severe that a runner must curtail a workout or come to a standstill during a race. And the pain will usually be accompanied by the two telltale symptoms of a compartment syndrome - numbness and weakness.

Numbness occurs because the excess pressure within a compartment hampers the activity of sensory nerves carrying messages to the brain. As a result, the runner with compartment syndrome may lose feeling in the 'web' of the foot - between the first and second toes, or the insensitivity may extend up the foot toward the ankle. Weakness is experienced because motor nerves carrying impulses towards the muscles are also damaged by the high pressures within the compartment. If a compartment in the front of the leg is involved, a runner may have trouble dorsiflexing the ankle, and the foot may seem to flop loosely. In a posterior-compartment problem involving muscles in the back of the leg, there is often weakness when an individual tries to 'toe off'.

If you truly have a compartment syndrome, you will usually observe swelling in your lower leg which tends to subside when your leg is elevated. A doctor can tell for sure if you have this troubling problem by placing a catheter into one of your compartments and measuring pressure before, during, and after running (you will usually have to run long enough to produce pain during this test). "

Thank you for your help.

Sound like it may be something like compartment syndrome. I usually find when I am jogging that my calf muscles are tight and sometimes theres a dull ache, but I just put this down to hill trianing. I also find that the area around the achillies is quite tender.

Thank you again.

Regards,
David

Could be tarsal tunnel syndrome.  I would recommend you see a physiatrist (physical medicine and rehab physician), possibly with nerve testing (EMG/nerve conduction studies).

My wife's problem has been resolved.  It turned out to be her shoe was too tight in the toe box, and her socks were too thick.

I hope this helps someone else.

Like others mentioned, I get the same problem when I run and also when I do the elliptical trainer.  I have Raynaud's Syndrome which affects the circulation of my blood.  It affects my hands when they are cold, mainly in the wintertime but sometimes even when I go in the ocean.  The blood stops flowing to my fingertips and toes and they turn bright white.  I figured the numbness from running had something to do with that but never stopped to ask my doctor.  Its more of an annoyance than anything. 

Working in a specialty running store, I have seen all kinds of runners reporting numb feet.  The general concensus are runners taking up too much mileage too fast.  Remember to let your body adapt to a new training regime before adding any intensity or mileage.

Other common factors that influence feet numbness during exercise are:

-lack of forefoot cushioning (applicable for people doing aerobic routines as well)

-exercising on hard surfaces, sidewalks are the worst, try the pavement and go for dirt roads and grass as much as you can.  You will build strength in the smaller feet muscles for balance as well as deminishing impact on your feet.

-reduce your stride length when going downhill

-alternate the sides of the roads, they are built on a side slope for drainage purposes

-lacing your shoes appropriately, see what works best for you

-proper thikness of your socks

-my personal experience I turned to Saucony and New Balance shoes in the last year, they tend to build firm shoes.  Although the first thought that comes to mind is that firm shoes are harder on impact, in fact they are as cushioned as softer brands, like Asics and Brooks.  They are also great indicators of you shoe mileage too because when their time runs out, they become soft like marshmallows

 Hope this helped, good luck

I used to get a small amount of numbness in my feet when i started running with a very old pair of running shoes. However i have found that a visit to a specialist running shop who made me try on and run in 8 pairs of shoes to find the ones that suit me and my running style the best. Also they recomended some proper seemless running socks to go with them. Problem solved! and now i go and visit them every 6 months to get a new pair.

Good luck i hope it works out.

I had a similar issue and found it to be that I needed to stretch out my calf more before my runs. 

 I never had the problem before as I use to stretch religiously but when my wife started running with me, my tendency was to skip the stretching and just take off with her.  That's when I noticed that my right foot would go numb after about 2 1/2 to 3 miles into a run.  I went back to my routine of some serious stretching of my calves like I had in the past and suddenly the numbness has disappeared. 

Give it a try and see if it helps.  Like anything else...  It may take some troubleshooting before you find the real root cause of your numbness.

Had a similar problem many years ago first the foot would go numb and then a few miles later hurt like heck.  My guess was Morton's neuroma. At the time I was overweight.  Lost some weight and that probably helped a little.  Quite by accident the running shore store gave me a pair of wide width shoes.  I was too lazy to take them back.  One day I was out on a long run and realized that my foot wasn't numb.  My feet must swell after I've been out a while.  I've been buying 2 pairs of running shoes, regular width for shorter runs, wide width for when I head out for the weekend longer ones.  Haven't had the problem since.  Don't know if this will help you but you may want to try the easy route before the medical one.