Foot numbness when jogging/running

breahremington
breahremington Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering if there was anyone out there who has experienced numbness/a "falling asleep" feeling in their foot/feet when running, and what you have done that has helped. Lately when I jog (which I do pretty slowly) or sometimes when walking on incline, my right foot will start falling asleep and feeling numb after around 20ish minutes. I usually push just a little farther at that point, but get too worried about lasting damage and/or making an *kitten* of myself and falling off of the treadmill to push myself more than a few minutes after the numbing starts. I know that google is my friend and I looked at a few sites that gave possible explanations and ideas to try, and will of course keep all of these in mind. I have also recently gotten new shoes at a reputable fitness store where they took measurements, watched me walk/jog, and gave me several options personalized for me, so I'm doubtful it's my shoe. Just thought if anyone else out there had the same experience and has found something that has helped, I may get some more ideas! Thanks!

Replies

  • carla113
    carla113 Posts: 27 Member
    I've had this issue before. Usually, my shoes are tied too tight. I had to break myself of this habit...
  • ME0172
    ME0172 Posts: 200
    I used to have this happen to me. I went up a half size in my running shoes and tie them loosely (I can put them on and off without untying them). This helped me.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    While it is most likely one of the above reasons and just your shoes.. I would also suggest visiting a doctor to have your B-12 checked. A deficiency can cause numbness in your foot/feet and, if left untreated, it can spread and become even more serious.
  • suncluster
    suncluster Posts: 539 Member
    Run loose with loose laces.
  • breahremington
    breahremington Posts: 42
    I'll definitely try that! I already keep them relatively loose, but they could certainly be looser without danger of falling off or slipping around too much.
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    It can be shoes, it can be the way you tie your shoes (yes, there are different ways to tie shoes) and it could be tight tendons in the feet, which is my problem, Stretching and massaging is what I have to do, it's primarily my left foot.

    Rigger
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    It's happened to me a few times, I'm not sure if I ever figured it out. I'm guessing my shoes were tied too tight, but I have also adjusted my stride to become less of a heel striker.
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    I also get that if it's cold out. If you are the sort of person that has cold hands, then it's likely that your feet will be prone to that feeling when cold.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Agreed with the too tight. Most people go half a size up for running shoes. And making sure to tie them loosely helped mine to stop falling asleep.
  • breahremington
    breahremington Posts: 42
    While it is most likely one of the above reasons and just your shoes.. I would also suggest visiting a doctor to have your B-12 checked. A deficiency can cause numbness in your foot/feet and, if left untreated, it can spread and become even more serious.

    If it continues I do plan to check with my doctor, too. Something I didn't originally say is that I'm not insured at the moment, so if POSSIBLE I'm trying to avoid an appointment. I should be insured in the near future though, at which point if it's still an issue I'll check it out.
  • lizaisbad
    lizaisbad Posts: 2 Member
    I was having some of the same types of problems running. I just went to Fleet Feet, and they looked at my stride and the way my foot hits the ground. Based on that, we selected an appropriate shoe. Turns out, I was wearing a WHOLE SIZE too small. I'm still breaking the shoes in, but they seem to be much, much better.
  • breahremington
    breahremington Posts: 42
    Thanks for your replies everyone! Next running day I'll lace my shoes much more loosely and see how it goes.
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  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Also check out your socks.. this happened to me a couple of runs ago and I was wearing thick, winter-like socks in running shoes. When I wore other socks (without changing lacing on shoes), the numbness never returned. May be something to look into :)
  • KristiRTT
    KristiRTT Posts: 346 Member
    I dont like the feeling of my shoes being able to fall off, so I loosen the laces all the way up, and then use the "lace lock" around my small ankles so the shoes feel secure! It helped out a lot and now I can run even in negative temperatures without my feet falling alseep!
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    While it is most likely one of the above reasons and just your shoes.. I would also suggest visiting a doctor to have your B-12 checked. A deficiency can cause numbness in your foot/feet and, if left untreated, it can spread and become even more serious.

    If it continues I do plan to check with my doctor, too. Something I didn't originally say is that I'm not insured at the moment, so if POSSIBLE I'm trying to avoid an appointment. I should be insured in the near future though, at which point if it's still an issue I'll check it out.

    Totally understood (I have no insurance, either) If you find that the shoe changes don't correct the problem or it begins happening more often and when you are not running, you could start taking B-12 sub-lingual without a doctor visit. (Sub-lingual because a deficiency usually indicates malabsorption so a regular vitamin will not work.) It is available OTC. You would also want to take Folic Acid if you add B-12 to keep everything balanced out.
  • RagDolll690
    RagDolll690 Posts: 6
    I did not know this about B-12 I'll check into it I bet it's my problem.
  • breahremington
    breahremington Posts: 42
    Thanks for the info all!

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