Toe Numbness

[lukewiens]

Has anyone experienced toe numbness during and after riding/racing/training??

My left big toe has a little numb sensation, starts at the ball of the foot going up...weird!!

Anyway, curious of your thoughts. Most of everything I have read talks about shoe/bike fit, cleat placement, shoe tightness.

I am riding new shoes, although I have had them for almost 2 months and this is the first occasion. I adjusted the cleats back a little today and put in blue superfeet insoles. It seems to spread the load around much better although the numbness is still there....maybe it will take a little time to fade?

[ka0t1c07]

i only get that when i snowboard. I always think its because of the cold or stepping on the toe too much and not moving it.

[BrewMaster]

I had that but then I moved my cleat farther back (towards my heel) and it got better.

[sdyeti]

A lot of foot numbness actually has nothing to do with your feet but rather nerves pinching near your a$$..

Saddle a wee bit too high?

[denmother]

It can also be foot related. I have the same problem (when biking and snowboarding) but I forget the name of the ailment. I suggest going to a good Podiatrist!

[sdyeti]

Yes you are right. Just pointing out to look beyond the obvious foot problem and maybe look elsewhere...

I also get foot numbness when I go to spin class...the clipless pedals there have absolutely NO float.

Originally Posted by denmother

It can also be foot related. I have the same problem (when biking and snowboarding) but I forget the name of the ailment. I suggest going to a good Podiatrist!

[chadster]

[quote=lukewiens;322602]Has anyone experienced toe numbness during and after riding/racing/training??
/quote]

This just started happening to me about 2 weeks ago but only on my left foot. Never had a problem with it before and have had my current shoe/peddle/seat combinations for a while now. From what I've read so far, maybe I should check cleat placement? Weird it would start all of the sudden with no changes (other than maybe I'm riding farther lately). Will be curious to see other responses and experiences. Thanks!

[Pho'dUp]

Sounds like a neuroma. It's a benign tumor that grows around the nerve starting from the balls of your feet ot your toes. I have it too Luke. Cyclists and women (or men) who wear high heel shoes a lot get it. Things you can try...

Moving your cleat position back towards to the heel of your shoes.

See a podiatrist. Get orthotics made with a metatarsal pad that will help distribute the pressure around the balls of your feet.

Your podiatrist may also try ethanol or isopropanol injections into the foot to try to kill the nerve. Or surgery.

I tried the injections didn't work. But I use the orthotics and moved my cleats back and I'm all good now. All the high heels I want now. J/k! On a serious note it did take a little while to work through the problem once that thing was in full flare up and painful.

[Winger]

I had big toe numbness when I got new shoes. I think it lasted a couple of months.

I think it is gone now, unless I'm just used to it.

That's scary. I just felt the side of my big toe and it doesn't have a lot of feeling. I guess I got used to it.

[poy]

have you ever tried www.webMD.com ? There is this picture of a human body then you click on the part that concerns you-- this being your foot-- then it will start asking you questions on symptoms which will the lead you to possible diagnosis! I use this a lot for anything a patient feels... Note that some of them are dead on its scary and some are kinda questionable! Its worth a shot tho

[lukewiens]

i think pho'd hit the nail on the head with mortons neuroma

[richie_rich]

After long rides sometimes in the middle of the night I will wake up with a completely numb toe...kinda feels like frostbite but nothing would wake it up. Definitely an odd feeling for sure, lucky for me it went away.

[Wrecker]

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

Cyclists and women (or men) who wear high heel shoes a lot get it. Things you can try....

There's a great joke in there somewhere.....

[mottmcfly]

I get this whenever I clip in and wear my Sidi shoes. I realized that when I tightened them up at the beginning of a ride I didnt take into account that my foot was going to get a little bigger once the blood started flowing. I made adjustments as the ride progressed and problem solved.

hope that helps

Mott

[lukewiens]

i never really diagnosed this correctly until pho'd mentioned neuroma....then i remembered back to my triathlon days and all the pain i would endure in that nerve location sometimes during training and after the really long races. a lot of time the pain masked the numbness so i couldn't tell.

my solution....and it seems to be helping....is to take the pressure off of the location (that nerve) as much as possible. this means checking your current shoes that you wear to work, around the house, etc. i had overworn shoes with minimal cushioning (replaced). also, i am back to using the orthotics (superfeet) in ALL of my shoes. this helps spread the load evenly across the foot so as not to put all of the pressure on the ball and heal. i have a feeling that pho'd and i have under developed arches (been diagnosed) or flat feet. this makes it so foots natural suspension so to speak doesn't function properly....hence my plethera of past running injuries.

squating seems to aggravate the problem so i am trying to avoid that while working on stuff here and there. cleat placement is another factor. moving the cleat back seems to help as well by not putting so much load on the ball of the foot.

i have a feeling that foot/toe numbness is a pretty common problem, however i think it can stem from a myriad of reasons. the trouble is a proper diagnosis.

[Greengiant]

With some new cycling shoes, there's a point that presses on the top of my left foot that seems to pinch a nerve to my toes leading to toe numbness, whether I'm seated or standing. Seems to go away as the shoes get more worn in.

Try loosening the shoe a bit on the foot with the numb toes, maybe you're pinching a nerve too. Just my .02

[92se-r]

i get it on my right big toe only on my bike with clipless pedals(eggbeaters). on my platforms, i dont get it. ill try moving my cleat towards my heel.

[jakethecake]

You can always cut it off and then it wont go numb again.

[Wicked Smot]

The big toe would be pretty atypical for a Morton's Neuroma.

A podiatrist visit would be a waste of money for something like this that ONLY happens when you cycle and is not so much pain. You are definitely compressing a nerve at the contact point with your pedal and/or shoe. Solution = adjust cleat position or get shoes with a bigger toe box. Orthotics are all good but probably won't make much difference when you are on the bike since there is such a focal contact point with the pedal.

[dubjay]

I started getting some numbness recently too, but in the 4th toe. Could that be Neuroma as well?