Toes Go Numb on Elliptical 😫

_Kelly_Kelz

Hi all -

This is super weird but, does anyone else’s toes go numb while doing the Elliptical? Every time I do it, my big toe and the next one over do! lol maybe it means my shoes are too tight? They don’t feel like the are. Any idea anyone? I to 99 problems and my toes can’t be 1! 😜🤗

_Kelly_Kelz

*got 😒🤣

cwolfman13

I think it's fairly common. The elliptical is an unnatural movement and stride that causes various issues for many people.

ninerbuff

Unlike running or walking where you lift your feet off relieving constant pressure, your feet DON'T leave the pedals and consistently put pressure on the nerves of your soles. It's like standing in one place too long without moving and your feet going numb. If you lift your toes up occassionally, or even your whole foot, it will relieve the pressure.

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cmriverside

Yeah, it's common. When it happens, try lifting your foot off the pedals every other stride. Also make sure your shoes aren't tight.


I like that Precor AMT Trainer a lot better than ellipticals and I don't have the numb foot issues on it.

sijomial

Yes, fairly common issue.

Either:

• Lift your feet occasionally.
• Loosen your laces / unlace the top holes on your trainers.
• Reverse direction for a period of time.

_Kelly_Kelz

Awesome! I’m glad I asked! Thanks guys! 😁

MikePfirrman

Also, try a different elliptical. I'm not a huge fan of ellipticals, but some have a more natural width to them than others. My wife, who is petite, used to really struggle with one make of elliptical in the gym. It would hurt her foot and knees. The other one was much more natural to her width and she had no issues on that one.

If your gym has more than one model (some have the arms, some have stationary arms, for instance), try the other models and see if that helps.

heybales

I'll add that since they allow different methods to apply your weight and motion to get movement - you could be pushing forward too much instead of the down and back part of the motion.
Shoving toes into front of shoes can be problematic.

robertw486

It seems to be a fairly common problem, but I think a lot of it has to do with ramp angles and resistance.

If the resistance is too low you never really unweight your foot that is moving forward. I found that lower resistance and slower pace usually make my feet more sore.

For that reason if I'm going to go slower I usually just crank up the resistance so it more or less simulates a harder walk, similar to walking slightly uphill.

I've also found that shoes with a harder or narrower sole are generally more comfortable as they allow my foot to move a little bit on the pad.

ExistingFish

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Also, try a different elliptical. I'm not a huge fan of ellipticals, but some have a more natural width to them than others. My wife, who is petite, used to really struggle with one make of elliptical in the gym. It would hurt her foot and knees. The other one was much more natural to her width and she had no issues on that one.

If your gym has more than one model (some have the arms, some have stationary arms, for instance), try the other models and see if that helps.

I am short and I can't stand "compact" or adjustable stride ellipticals adjusted to a short stride. I am really picky about ellipticals.

My toes go numb at the gym but I have Raynaud's.

_Kelly_Kelz

I am short (5’2”) and I know I lean forward while I do it for this reason. Maybe an adjustment will help, along with other suggestions above. Thanks again everyone! 🤗

astod4

You might try doing foot yoga to strengthen your foot intrinsic muscles. You could probably search online for exercises to do. You might also consider changing your shoes if those other suggestions you’ve received don’t work.

missjck2

This used to happen to me when I first started using the elliptical years ago. Wiggling my toes during the workout helped a LOT, you should have enough room in your sneakers to do so. Guess I had to train my toes because it doesn't happen anymore and I can do an hour on the elliptical with no issue.