Numb Feet! And Eliptical...

[emily_0192010 168]

I normally just do my cardio on the treadmill, but i'm working on mixing it up. When I use the elliptical I notice that my feet go numb! Like, all of my toes are tingly and then numb. They go back to normal once I stop... it's very odd. Has anyone else experienced this or understand what's happening?

Thanks!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Yes, I've tried several ellipticals that do this to my feet. The Precor is the first one I've owned that doesn't make my feet go numb. It's gotta be the angle of the feet somehow, cause I tried leaning back, leaning forward, different shoes, everything, could never make it stop till I bought a Precor. One thing my PT brother in law suggested was putting some kind of firm foam or something under the front half of your foot, to raise up your toes and get your foot more horizontal....but by the time he told me about that it was too late. Anything that raises up the balls of your feet an inch, but don't go any more than that...maybe go a little less to see how it feels. Otherwise you could injure your Achilles tendon.

[emily_0192010 168]

Yes, I've tried several ellipticals that do this to my feet. The Precor is the first one I've owned that doesn't make my feet go numb. It's gotta be the angle of the feet somehow, cause I tried leaning back, leaning forward, different shoes, everything, could never make it stop till I bought a Precor. One thing my PT brother in law suggested was putting some kind of firm foam or something under the front half of your foot, to raise up your toes and get your foot more horizontal....but by the time he told me about that it was too late. Anything that raises up the balls of your feet an inch, but don't go any more than that...maybe go a little less to see how it feels. Otherwise you could injure your Achilles tendon.

Thanks for the advice, the only thing is that I workout at the gym... so I can't switch brands or anything. Where would I get that foam thing? I don't know if I'll try it yet, I'm already very unbalanced on it so I don't know if I want to do anything to make it worse.

[AliveAgain 283]

You will notice a lot of new "mystery" stuff like this as you get back into and increase your activity. I've been in and out of physical therapy since February due to old injuries, balance issues, and increased/repetitive use. I can't use the elliptical b/c of my knees. Odd, I know, since it's supposed to be good for that. But for me, it makes my knees pop and seize like nothing else. I get foot numbness with treadmills, bikes, and sometimes while hiking. My PT gets it when she's on the elliptical, too -- same reasons Butterthebean mentioned.

Make sure you have good shoes, go to a fitness store if you can and have them properly size you and suggest the type of shoe you need. I'm in a neutral shoe with SuperFeet orthodics because my ankles/heels need more support than the average shoe gives. Just going from an 8 to a 9 made a huge difference!

If anything hurts or goes numb, stop what you're doing for a bit and try it again in a few days. I'd work on balance and stabilization exercises to help use the right muscles for proper stride. You can Google a lot of it and find videos, ask a trainer at the gym, or see a PT.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Any kind of firm rubber you can find, maybe cut up some old doormat and sandwich 2 or 3 pieces together with glue. Cut them out roughly the shape of the front half of your shoe only wider. If you can cut them to fit into the foot platforms on the elliptical you use, even better. it's gonna take a little trial and error.

Also, a quick google search yielded 1 possible cause (too tight shoes)and 2 other solutions (roll your feet from heel to toe as you would while walking or running, and stop and pedal backwards once in a while). Its been a while since I had this problem but I remember trying many different shoes. Pedaling backwards made my feet feel better, until the minute I started going forward again. Rolling the foot may help cause for me tring to take the weight off my toes and put it on my heels gave me temporary relief, but it didn't solve the big problem which was that the angle of the foot platform put too much weight on my toes. Maybe I was leaning too far forward but I had to reach the hand levers.

From what I've read this is very common with elliptical machines.

[beautifuldiva 22]

I normally just do my cardio on the treadmill' date=' but i'm working on mixing it up. When I use the elliptical I notice that my feet go numb! Like, all of my toes are tingly and then numb. They go back to normal once I stop... it's very odd. Has anyone else experienced this or understand what's happening?

Thanks![/quote']

This happens to me everytime i get on the elliptical bike at the gym. I just stop every few minutes and shake my legs out. I dont think that there is much way around it

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I don't know what gym you ladies work out at, but the 24 hour fitness gyms in my area have nothing but the Precor machines, and they have never given me this numbness. Lifefitness and other brands always do this to me. It may just be the design of certain machines.

[GivingItMyAll 168]

Happens to me all.the.time. I usually just wiggle my toes inside my shoes as I am on the elliptical. I have noticed that the tingling toes start later the more I use the machine. It used to happen within the first 5 minutes. Now I can go 15 minutes without tingling. I've tried all sorts of different shoes. It also happens when I'm on the bike, but not the treadmill.

[bubblesbgood 29]

i asked my foot doctor why this was happening to me he said when you start on the machine your feet are ok they they expand from the bloodflow and the exercise to try loosening your laces a bit as that is what is cutting off the circulation

[emily_0192010 168]

I don't know what gym you ladies work out at, but the 24 hour fitness gyms in my area have nothing but the Precor machines, and they have never given me this numbness. Lifefitness and other brands always do this to me. It may just be the design of certain machines.

They are lifefitness brand I already alternate backwards and forwards... I heard once that this helps prevent shin splints (not sure if it is true though). Thanks for the advice!

[emily_0192010 168]

i asked my foot doctor why this was happening to me he said when you start on the machine your feet are ok they they expand from the bloodflow and the exercise to try loosening your laces a bit as that is what is cutting off the circulation

Good idea! It will probably look funny, but I remember reading somewhere that serious runners will often lace their shoes backwards (so you tie at the toe) so that they can do this. Maybe i'll give it a try! Or at the very least loosen them. Would you loosen them allover or just by the toes (that's the part that goes numb for me). I would worry about loosening them too much because I wouldn't want to lose support.

[Lissa 2,631]

I just laced my shoes looser because I put some serious pads in my shoes ($20 at Sports Authority) due to shin splints when walking. I do have some numbness on the elliptical, but thought it was because I was keeping my feet in one spot. I just started adding in 2 minutes backwards for every 10 minutes forward on there, and haven't had the problem again. I'll pay attention tomorrow morning and see if I still go numb. I just get on the elliptical and do it now. Oh, and every time I do the backwards rotation, I up the resistance one level when I start forward again.

I have no clue what I'm doing or if it's the "right" way. I'm just doing what works for me on it.

[carolinagirlz 20]

google Morton's Neuroma. I had it in both my feet. Symptoms started out just like your's then got worse. Had surgery to remove the nerve last year. Now there is no more pain or tingling. I have to be sure I wear proper fitting footwear. HTH.