Feet Going Numb while Running

[Disinfertention]

The last two times I have run 3.5+ miles at a moderate or better pace my feet have gone numb. It stars with my right foot and a few minutes later the other one will start in. Right one is more severe. Left only gets to pins and needles feeling while I go. The numbness encompasses the whole foot up to my lower ankle. I would think I was tying my shoes too tight, or the shoes themselves, ect but I've had these shoes with the same insoles for about 60 to 90 days. I can't think of any recent injury or action that would be triggering something like that.

I did a search on WebMD for a quick reference point and I wasn't liking what I was reading. I'm trying to avoid going to the TMC because they don't treat the problem. Any time I've wasted hours of my life over there trying to get some answers I just get asked if I want a profile and for how long... So I'm hoping someone out there might have had this happen to them.

Thanks for the help...

[Bravo57]

Quit complaining Ranger, My feet hurt the entire time I try to run.


Seriously, sounds like a circualtion problem. Did you ever break or get a 3rd degree sprain in your ankles?

[Disinfertention]

Quit complaining Ranger, My feet hurt the entire time I try to run.


Seriously, sounds like a circualtion problem. Did you ever break or get a 3rd degree sprain in your ankles?

I never said it made me quit running. I finished my damn run Now after it's over I'm wonderin'.

Never broken, don't know about sprains. If I can walk on it I don't go see Doc.

[panthersix]

Sounds like nerve damage to me or maybe just inflamation of the tendons surrounding the nerves to your tootsies. I'm going thru that with my hands right now with carpel tunnel syndrome. I wake up sometimes at night or in the morning and my hands are completely numb. The VA gave me 800 mg IBU to take three times a day and braces to wear on my wrists at night. If after 6 weeks the numbness isn't any better, then they'll go in and cut the carpel tunnel open a bit to relieve the pressure on the nerves.

Change your boots, running shoes, sandals or whatever and ice/take ibuprofen and see if that helps.

[Bcosniper]

Are your running shoes laced too tight? I know that tight shoes can cause lots of problems especially after your feet begin to swell after a few miles.

[Earthpig]

Mine went numb during the last 6 months I was in Batt, and they continue to do so from the 2 mile point on. Originally, I just bought a different pair of running shoes. That helped some.

I always wondered if my back injury had anything to do with it. The reason I say that is because my entire legs went numb on road marches after my injury.

RLTW
EP

[Rangertab1]

Rucksack rot to the vertabrae. Sounds like your spinal cord, due to chronic compression, is going thru changes. Some of us are genetically weak in that area. Because your symptoms, for the most part, are uniformly in both feet, you prolly got a disk startin to bulge (squishing out from between your vertabrae). Pretty normal, but weird shit happens to your lower extremities. Learn some decompression exercises and never get overweight. You should be able to make it for a couple more decades, if you start babyin it now.

Inflammation sets in and starts affecting the nerve and vascular passages to your legs. Situps won't help matters either. Overall, moderate levels of Ibuprofin. If you got real issues with the disc, TMC ain't gonna help. If your under 30, welcome to the 40's club.

[panthersix]

I'm going thru that with my hands right now with carpel tunnel syndrome.

Going blind is also a side effect of punching the clown!

I thought I'd be ok rotating the duty roster, but.....

[PocketKings]

Are your running shoes laced too tight? I know that tight shoes can cause lots of problems especially after your feet begin to swell after a few miles.

I'd say that's the most likely thing. Otherwise, you could be looking at swelling in your SI joint or lower lumber region leading to pinched nerves.

[RichB]

The last two times I have run 3.5+ miles at a moderate or better pace my feet have gone numb. It stars with my right foot and a few minutes later the other one will start in. Right one is more severe. Left only gets to pins and needles feeling while I go. The numbness encompasses the whole foot up to my lower ankle. I would think I was tying my shoes too tight, or the shoes themselves, ect but I've had these shoes with the same insoles for about 60 to 90 days. I can't think of any recent injury or action that would be triggering something like that.

I did a search on WebMD for a quick reference point and I wasn't liking what I was reading. I'm trying to avoid going to the TMC because they don't treat the problem. Any time I've wasted hours of my life over there trying to get some answers I just get asked if I want a profile and for how long... So I'm hoping someone out there might have had this happen to them.

Thanks for the help...

Disinfertention,

Hopefully, I am not out of line here by offering advice but I do operate a running store, and have been in the running shoe industry for the past 8 years. You might want to google Morton's Neuroma and look up the symptoms for that condition. I suspect that your shoes are not wide enough for your foot. When you start running after a few miles your foot gets greater blood supply and swells beyond it's normal size--If you do not have ample room in the toe box your metarsals are going to start putting pressure on the nerves in your foot. Thus, resulting in pain, tingling sensation, numbness, and feeling like there might even be a pebble in your shoe?

Quickest fix, is to go to a running store and ask them if they feel you need to be in a wide width shoe? Additionally, you need to know whether or not you need to be in a neutral shoe or a stability shoe. If you end up in the wrong category of shoe it too will result in problems.

Best of luck
RichB
Look forward to the day I can call myself a US Army Ranger

[Disinfertention]

I appreciate the response Rich.

My whole time in I've been using the wrong type of shoes with limited problems. When I finally had someone tell me the kind of shoe I needed is when I've had my small problems. Again, I've had these shoes for at least 2 months now and are just seeing the problem come up.

I'll look into the things you suggested. I don't think it's Morton's Neuroma because there is no pain. It just slowly goes numb after 20 minutes or so of running. It's only happened twice so I haven't isolated timing or anything like that yet.

My shoes may be too narrow. The pair I had prior to this were E's and these are normal width. My feet still feel comfortable though. No discomfort while running. The only thing I have gotten with these shoes is occasional arch pain. Never too serious, just slight.

Anyway, I didn't go to the TMC today because I just can't justify it yet... Plus someone I work with gets the same issue and did go. They didn't do anything for him because something like this is apparently difficult to diagnose.

[BadMuther]

Dis,

In "get selected for special forces" they recommend running in shoes a few sizes bigger then what you normally wear due to feet swelling.

They recommend to try shoes on and keep going bigger til they feel like clown feet then go back a size.

Hope that helps.

[panthersix]

Besides there's that old myth about "big feet = big wiener" so you may want to go for it!