Why do my toes go numb?

I used to have the same problem! I think it does have something to do with the side that we favor or our shoes. make sure you are getting good circulation.

are you tying your shoes too tight? I noticed that I was doing that and it started causing some serious numbing and pain.

I have circulation issues with my legs and my legs and feet will turn purple. I haev found that easing into excersise slowly to get my heartrate going slowly and it avoids the numbness and bad circulation. I also got better shoes.

I have the same issue my left toe goes numb after being on the elliptical for 5 minutes lol

Since switching to my vibram barefoot shoes I no longer have this problem!

i think most people have that problem especially with the elliptical since your foot is not coming completely off the pedal, it doesnt allow time for the blood to return to your foot.

I alternate 10-15min going forward then reverse and go backward for 5 min - i find this works without stopping my workout.

It's also because your feet don't get any break from the constant pressure that the foot paddles the elliptical machine puts on them. This can happen while on a bike too since your feet are always on the foot pads. On the treadmill or even just walking in general, your foot gets a break when you lift it to take a step forward. Think about when you sit for too long, what happens? Your butt goes numb. Same thing happens with your feet on an elliptical or bike. Try giving the ball of your feet a break by lightly picking them up while your on the machine, that should help. This used to happen to me too so I had to do some research and that's what I found. I hope this helps!

Used to happen all the time to me on the elliptical. It no longer occurs on the strid machine I am now working out on. - sort of like a ski machine. I think it is due to the fact that the motion flexes my foot instead of staying flat.

This happens to me. I have pinched nerves in the balls of both feet (neuroma). It can be caused by shoes that are too small or narrow. I have an orthopedic insole with extra padding just behind the ball of the foot. It spreads the metatarsals to relieve the pressure on the nerve. It takes a bit of getting used to, but relieves the numbness and burning I get in my toes/balls of feet when working out.

This used to happen to me while running a lot. I tried the shoe loosening thing and thought that was helping but it'd still happen even though my shoes were so loose they were practically falling off. I'd also say make sure your shoes are the right size for you. My running shoes are a good full size larger than any other shoes I wear (your feet will swell significantly when working out). Another thing that made a big difference is extensive stretching beforehand. I make sure I really stretch my my lower leg and ankles before I run. That seems to help in loosening the area and making sure I get adequate blood flow later on.

I used to have this issue too, although i'm not sure I'd call it "numb"...It was more of a pinching pain (even though my shoes didn't constrict my feet at all). So we might not be the same issue, but I've found different things that helped me so maybe they'd help with the numb problem? I went and bought a legit pair of tennis shoes. I have extremely flat feet and just a little baby arch, so the shoe sales person had me try on a pair of shoes with very high arches. It felt awkward at first, I didn't think I would ever get used to it, but my entire body feels a difference. I can jog without my knees screaming at me. I used to have issues with my hips and that issue has almost disappeared. I recommend going to a shoe store (I went to Boulder Running Company) and telling one of the sales reps your issue. 90% of the time, they will have a solution that will help. Their shoes are a bit pricey, but that's because they have a 30 day period where you can return the shoes if you don't like them, no questions asked.