feet falling asleep

veganbettie

help?

My feet fall asleep while running, around mile 2 or 3 they will fall sleep and stay asleep unless I stop, they will eventually stop after running on them like that for about 2 miles but it's making me nuts....it doesn't happen every run, but it's enough to make me miserable. It seems to happen when my calves get tight? And sometimes if I run on my toes it will make them stop, but not always.

I used to think it was my shoes, and went and got fitted at a running store, even mentioned it to the lady and still not much improvement...my laces aren't tight, I feel decent other than this....

advice?

kristinegift

Honestly, I have no idea. If it isn't your shoes or something else being too tight (shorts/leggings maybe?), then it could be a circulation issue. Sounds like an issue that would be better addressed by a doctor than an internet forum

FromHereOnOut

You may have to loosen the laces mid-run, especially if you are retaining a lot of fluid.

veganbettie

kinda of thought that Id try here first kristinegift....considering I'm not dying or in excruciating pain....you know see if anyone else experienced it....turns out its decently common.

GiddyupTim

Happens to me sometimes. I am sure it is the laces cutting off some circulation. As fromhereon... said: try loosening your laces when this happens. Wait for the feeling to return. And then try running again.

brandiuntz

I get it on occasion. I have to keep my laces, especially near the top of my foot (closest to ankle) very loose. Seems to be a circulation issue once my feet swell during a run.

You could try different lacing techniques for your running shoes.

taeliesyn

Yeah I get it too when my laces are too tight, not that they actually feel too tight until my foot goes numb.
It's definitely the top of my foot near the ankle area that is the issue. I'm tempted to play with lacing techniques to lower the pressure through there.

veganbettie

Thanks all, ill try some different techniques, i keep loosening them, but what do i know....I love my shoes but now i'm thinking i should have gone at least a half size up.

Roxiegirl2008

Did you get fitted for the shoes? I know sometimes when I first get a pair and they are not broken in that will happen during a run especially if I wear my cushioned socks. It typically goes away. I would get it checked out.

ZenInTexas

I would try different shoes, even though you were fitted for the ones you currently have, they might just not be right for you. And lace them differently.

Cooriander

Happened to me a while back but it went away. It was not the shoes in my case, still use the same type of shoes. Not sure what it was, but it was annoying, and I was worried.

veganbettie

i was fitted yes. It happened with my non fitted shoes as well...

It did happen a while back and then went away, so i kind of thought that maybe when i increased mileage it was just something i had to get used to and fight through? Just adjust?

That's sort of what i'm thinking at this point. Something i'll just need to get through. It is weird that it does seem to happen once my calves get tight. As soon as that happens i know i'll have to pee and i know my feet will go to sleep.

brandiuntz

My running shoes are a half-size larger than my normal shoes. My feet are happiest with plenty of room in the toe box and loose laces.

When I've had them go numb, the numbness usually goes away a mile or so later, but I can't stand the sensation. If it was happening regularly, I'd be trying different shoes.

ftrobbie

Personally I would look at different lacing patterns, sounds like swelling and circulation cutoff. You can alleviate some if not all of that by lacing differently

https://www.on-running.com/en-gb/news/tags/the-6-best-ways-to-lace-your-running-shoes

http://katierunsthis.com/2011/10/04/running-shoe-lacing-techniques/

Above are 2 resources that give you alternatives, or just search lacing running shoes and try out one. I use a traditional lacing pattern on my road shoes and the loop lacing on my trail shoes.

blgerig

This used to happen to me - turns out my running shoes need to be a full size bigger than my regular shoes. Haven't had a problem with this since I bumped up my shoes size a few years ago!

RCnFinntastic

I vote for new lacing techniques too... I had issues a few years back - was told there's a nerve or something that goes along the top of your foot (I'm sure there are many who know better than I do if this is true or not). But if you re-lace your shoes skipping a few of the holes then rejoining in the last holes it helped me with the numbness.

see http://readytechrun.com/2013/05/shoe-lace-techniques/ move the gap further up the foot if the numbness starts higher up.

I also have running shoes that are a full size bigger than other shoes.

glevinso

This happens to me sometimes when my shoes are going bad. Exactly as you describe - 2 or 3 miles in (but usually the feeling comes back past 6-7 miles).

Just because you went to a store to get fitted doesn't mean they got it right the first time. That is something to consider.

I don't have any other specific advice, other than it is something that hasn't happened to me in quite a while. Maybe you just need to deal with it for a bit and eventually it goes away?

veganbettie

glevinso wrote: »

This happens to me sometimes when my shoes are going bad. Exactly as you describe - 2 or 3 miles in (but usually the feeling comes back past 6-7 miles).

Just because you went to a store to get fitted doesn't mean they got it right the first time. That is something to consider.

I don't have any other specific advice, other than it is something that hasn't happened to me in quite a while. Maybe you just need to deal with it for a bit and eventually it goes away?

It actually definitely seems like it goes away when i run consistently. Or at least takes longer to happen, or doesn't happen every run.

So bizarre.

LittlePinkShotgun

I had this problem for a long time (12 months on and off) before I received a miracle cure/treatment...
It turns out, in my case, that the fascia along the top of my foot and ankle was tight and fibrous resulting in too much pressure on nerves and blood flow... I had a physio therapist massage (deeply ouch!) it and over night the problem was gone. BOOM!

Let me see if I can find a video to show it...

LittlePinkShotgun

Okay I didn't find a video but this image shows the location of the massage.

The center image with the red oblong is where the nerve compression was happening and by deeply massaging the tissue starting there and moving up over the ankle toward the shin, the problem went away.

Not sure if this will help you at all.. but hey, you never know!

In any case, a little physiotherapy goes a long way

I found that image on this website:

northcoastfootcare.com/pages/Foot-Problems-in-Runners.html