Shoe difficulties (numbness)

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I have wide feet, high arches, a smallish heel, and I'm an underpronator. I felt like I was needing new runners so I shopped around. Almost EVERY time I buy new shoes I end up getting numbness, especially my big toe and the next two, sometimes a bit on the ball of my right foot in the area under those toes. I have changed the lacing as per articles I read online, to be parallel instead of crossing over eachother and this has seemed to make it significantly better but not entirely eliminated the problem. I'm not sure if I should return the shoes and try something else (I went to a running store so was fitted by a knowledgeable salesperson, and have only used the shoes inside) or if will just lessen-it's been a while since I bought my last runners so i can't remember if I had the problem when I first got them as well. Anyone else have this problem, and what have you done about it? Thanks.

richx83

Although not from running i also used to get pain in my feet with regular trainers. I switched to MBTs and that resolved a lot of my foot arch pain but they are not for everyone and not really for running in.

I am currently using sketchers shape up which are very similar at a much cheaper price.

Rich

lizjames1971

I have the same problem with new joggers- every time & I go to a running specialist store!!! It's a strange feeling but in my case it does go away!!

RhondaLeeRoss

Do you wear orthotics? You should maybe check into that.

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Rich, I have no idea what MBTs are? I guess it doesn't really matter if they aren't really intended for running.

Liz, hopefully my numbness will go away too! I guess I'll just keep the shoes indoors for the next little bit until I see if it does go away.

The numbness is not related to exercising or running, but directly related to the shoes-it got a lot better when I changed the lacing, and it totally goes away when I take the shoes of. I wore them for my 30 day shred tonight, and I can do that in my old shoes or in bare feet and not get the numbness.

No orthotics, and I'm not getting the numbness with my old shoes (although like I said I can't remember if I did at the beginning). I don't think I need orthotics. Hopefully not! I'm a full time student and could never afford them lol.

starwhisperer

are you jogging when they go numb? Mine go numb always on the elliptical. I finally ask my doc about it and he said it is actually really common because of the lack of flex happening in your foot.

hhcote

I've gotten numbness since my mid-20s (20 yrs of this) whenever I wear most sneakers. I finally went to a foot doctor and turned out I had nerve impingements in my feet that were cause by the curling of the shoe. I am going to a store called Roadrunner Sports to see if they can help. A friend said they put you on a treadmill to see how your feet are in shoes, testing everything to make sure there's the right fit. If that doesn't work, I'm getting custom ones made because I'm tired of not being able to exercise without my feet disappearing. :laugh:

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No, it does not neccesarily happen when I am jogging-like I said, in my old shoes that need replacing, I'm not getting any numbness at all. The numbness happened after I put on the new shoes, I sat in them for a bit and my feet started going numb so I fiddled with the laces which eased it but did not take it away. So far the only exercise I did in them was 30 Day Shred. Then after again I sat around in them for about 20min or so and fiddled with the laces more. I'll just do my indoor workouts in them for a couple of days and see how it goes, and maybe on Thursday when I'm on campus again I'll try a run on the treadmill and see how they feel running-if I have to have the laces pretty loose to not go numb when running, then they definitely are not going to work.

I read that the numbness is very common in people with high arched feet. My feet are difficult to fit, very frustrating. My arches have fallen a tiny bit though because my feet are bigger than they used to be. And I think part of the problem too might just be that I wear sandals every day all year because I hate wearing shoes LOL. They are a nice hiking sandal, with support, I just think my foot automatically is uncomfortable in something completely enclosed.

jcandidi1

If you are in sandels all day you should maybe check out vibram 5 fingers. They are for people who prefer being bare foot... while they do cover your feet and have arubber sole, they are much like toe socks... and this allows you feet and toes to move freely

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I thought about trying the 5 fingers, but a guy at one of the running shops in the spring told me that it would basically be like going for a run in my surf booties, and running in my surf booties doesn't feel very fabulous haha. I do need the arch support of the runners-my sandals have arch support to (they are Chacos hiking sandals-I often even wear them backpacking and hiked half of the West Coast Trail in them, and have hiked most of the Juan de Fuca trail in them as well-they are supportive and have more structure than a regular sandal). I think my feet are just not ready to run in something that is so close to being barefoot. However, once I am not so heavy I would like to try a "minimalist" shoe-I think my feet would be happier in them. They're just not ready for it yet!