Feet Fall Asleep -- To the Point of Pain

Cindy01Louisiana · March 2016

I saw a few old posts on this, but want to know if there is any fresh information.

Whether I am walking, doing a general workout (ropes, lunges, etc.), or doing the elliptical, my feet fall asleep. No, not just a little tingly and annoying. Dead to the world and painful. It is more the right foot than the left.

On a 3 mile walk on Saturday, I had to stop three times, sit down and lift my feet up to wake them up and stop the pain.

I am never dehydrated. I drink about two liters of water (or more if we also count tea) a day. It is not my shoes, they are very roomy.

An Internet search turned up poor circulation. So, on Monday I went to a vascular doctor. His initial exam showed nothing. I had a fancy extremities blood pressure test done. Nothing. Doc said "See how it goes and if it continues, see a neurologist."

So, that is my plan.

In the meantime, I am curious as to whether any of you have received a definitive diagnosis and was there a remedy that worked. I am not talking about altering my gait while working out (i.e. lift the foot, pedal backward, etc.).

Or, if you have had this condition, did it go away with more/continued exercise? I essentially want to know if there is any hope that someday I will not have to deal with this.

Thank you.

blues4miles · March 2016

What shoes are you wearing? When I run I wear shoes that are a whole size larger than my normal shoes. Your feet expand when you do activity, that seems like a good culprit for circulation. I know you say they are roomy but they might not be roomy enough. Any other foot pain anywhere else? I have to make sure my shoes are loosely tied across the top or I get tendonitis on the top of my foot, other foot things might point at something else.

My left foot would also sometimes fall asleep while running. I start stretching out my ankles and calves before hand and that combined with bigger shoes helped.

Also I know foot issues can sometimes be related to diabetes, have you been tested for that lately?

Cherimoose · March 2016

Google "exertional compartment syndrome" and see if that fits.

I think Raynaud’s syndrome could cause it too, but usually it affects the hands too.

Has it always happened, or is it a new thing?

Cindy01Louisiana · March 2016

blues4miles wrote: »

What shoes are you wearing? When I run I wear shoes that are a whole size larger than my normal shoes. Your feet expand when you do activity, that seems like a good culprit for circulation. I know you say they are roomy but they might not be roomy enough. Any other foot pain anywhere else? I have to make sure my shoes are loosely tied across the top or I get tendonitis on the top of my foot, other foot things might point at something else.

My left foot would also sometimes fall asleep while running. I start stretching out my ankles and calves before hand and that combined with bigger shoes helped.

Also I know foot issues can sometimes be related to diabetes, have you been tested for that lately?

I am wearing new Saucony running shoes that are a size 9 (usual is an 8 1/2).

The "sleeping" is from ball of foot to tips of toes, more on the outer three toes than the others. It is not on the heel.

I do have kidney issues, and get blood work every six months, so no diabetes.

I'm going to start stretching ankles and toes (tip-toe stretches) more so see if it eases up.

Thank you.

Cindy01Louisiana · March 2016

Cherimoose wrote: »

Google "exertional compartment syndrome" and see if that fits.

I think Raynaud’s syndrome could cause it too, but usually it affects the hands too.

Has it always happened, or is it a new thing?

I will look that up. Thank you.

I do not have it in the hands. In the summer, when I walk outside and it is hot and humid, my hands will swell, but not fall asleep.

"Has it always happened...." LOL. Well, I am nearly 50 and have not exercised regularly for nearly 20 years. It just started last summer when I started walking and then when I joined the gym in February -- elliptical, treadmill, bicycle or anything triggers it.

Thank you for your input.

ninerbuff · March 2016

It's likely your weight putting a lot of pressure on your feet. If one has a significant amount of weigh to lose (80lbs and over), it's not uncommon that feet hurt even just standing on them.
If that's the case, then consider doing other activities to lower your weight that don't directly put your weight over your feet. Biking, swimming, and rowing are a couple of options.
Feet go numb due to the pressure on the medial plantar nerve.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

enterdanger · March 2016

hey @Cindy01Louisiana I get the same thing on the elliptical, and the morning after walking or running I occasionally have numb toes the whole day. I went to an orthopedist and he sent me for a bone scan. I had stress fractures up and down both tibias.

Now I'm likely a mutant, but do you get shin splints at all? They are usually the precursor to a stress fracture. Mine don't hurt much but they itch like they are on fire.

My doctor said to rest and take a vitamin B complex. It seems to help. Unfortunately, the stress fractures are a recurring issue for me. I've had 4 sets in 2 years. They've ruled out compartment syndrome for me since most of my numbness happens after the run or walk. I feel great when doing it.

You might also want to get checked for plantar fasciitis. That is usually in the arch area of the foot and it will hurt and can make your feet fall asleep.

peaceout_aly · March 2016

Cindy01Louisiana wrote: »

I saw a few old posts on this, but want to know if there is any fresh information.

Whether I am walking, doing a general workout (ropes, lunges, etc.), or doing the elliptical, my feet fall asleep. No, not just a little tingly and annoying. Dead to the world and painful. It is more the right foot than the left.

On a 3 mile walk on Saturday, I had to stop three times, sit down and lift my feet up to wake them up and stop the pain.

I am never dehydrated. I drink about two liters of water (or more if we also count tea) a day. It is not my shoes, they are very roomy.

An Internet search turned up poor circulation. So, on Monday I went to a vascular doctor. His initial exam showed nothing. I had a fancy extremities blood pressure test done. Nothing. Doc said "See how it goes and if it continues, see a neurologist."

So, that is my plan.

In the meantime, I am curious as to whether any of you have received a definitive diagnosis and was there a remedy that worked. I am not talking about altering my gait while working out (i.e. lift the foot, pedal backward, etc.).

Or, if you have had this condition, did it go away with more/continued exercise? I essentially want to know if there is any hope that someday I will not have to deal with this.

Thank you.

I have this issue in my right foot on a regular basis. My feet/toes fall asleep and tingle to the point where I am cringing in pain. Eventually my toes and top portion of my foot will crunch up and look "crippled" and there's nothing I can do to stop it. For me - this is because I have had reconstructive surgery, plates, screws, and implant and there is a pinched nerve on top of general nerve damage. I would look into that with a podiatrist, but definitely see the neurologist first. I get a similar tingling feeling in my fingers on a regular basis which is something that I HAVE seen a neurologist for and it is caused by Lupus (previously diagnosed, not insinuating that you have it). So there could be many causes. You are taking a step in the right direction though by already scheduling appointments.

puffbrat · March 2016

I was getting this. It was absolutely worst on the elliptical but also happened if I tried to run either on the treadmill or outside on the sidewalk. It turned about to be one of the symptoms of plantar fasciitis for me.

I saw a podiatrist and got some tips. New shoes with better support, inserts for my shoes, and calf stretches all helped me tremendously. I still have the plantar fasciitis a couple years later, but it is much more manageable and I now only get the painful numbness that forces me to stop if I have been slacking off on doing my stretches. Riding a bike also helps a lot do to the way the exercise moves and stretches my calves. I will probably go back to the doctor this year and talk to him about doing physical therapy to see if we can completely eliminate it.

Other people have successfully eliminated their plantar fasciitis with stretching, massages, and physical therapy.

Whether or not that is what you have, this is not something to ignore in my opinion because you don't want to hurt yourself.

zyxst · March 2016

My toes and fingers will go numb, cold, and white, but never to the point of pain (annoyance yes). I have Raynaud’s disease (not caused by other diseases) from having poor circulation. Until I moved to Canada, I only had effects in my hands, especially while doing things like sewing, crocheting, cycling (holding the handle bars). Now I have it in hands and toes, but the colder weather and lack of humidity contribute to it. My GP "prescribed" wearing specially fluffed socks and gloves.

amusedmonkey · March 2016

I get this. For me it's inescapable because I'm quite heavy. Every shoes I tried are bound to cause numbness in one part of my foot or another, even though they are a full size bigger than my regular shoes. At 20 minutes of walking/running I start going numb like clockwork. I did see a doctor, and it turned out to be nothing except that I'm heavy with collapsable arches, so there is always some nerve getting extra pressure with repeated movements.

wiggleyum · March 2016

This happened with my feet too, just like yours, in the toes. And it happened on all types of equipment at the gym, from ellipticals to treadmills to bikes. The problem was that my toes would touch the insides of my shoes when I was exercising, but not when I was just walking around. So the shoes actually felt fine when I tried them at the store to purchase them. They seemed roomy enough, but my feet actually moved around inside them when I exercised. The more they pushed against the insides of the shoes, the "sleepier" the toes would get. I got properly fit at a running shoe store, including proper lacing (which you mentioned.) I had actually gone home with a pair that seemed right, but after a few workouts they weren't so right after all. Running stores will let you return/exchange them for something else, and that's what I did. Hope you find a solution soon!

blues4miles · March 2016

Cindy01Louisiana wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

What shoes are you wearing? When I run I wear shoes that are a whole size larger than my normal shoes. Your feet expand when you do activity, that seems like a good culprit for circulation. I know you say they are roomy but they might not be roomy enough. Any other foot pain anywhere else? I have to make sure my shoes are loosely tied across the top or I get tendonitis on the top of my foot, other foot things might point at something else.

My left foot would also sometimes fall asleep while running. I start stretching out my ankles and calves before hand and that combined with bigger shoes helped.

Also I know foot issues can sometimes be related to diabetes, have you been tested for that lately?

I am wearing new Saucony running shoes that are a size 9 (usual is an 8 1/2).

The "sleeping" is from ball of foot to tips of toes, more on the outer three toes than the others. It is not on the heel.

I do have kidney issues, and get blood work every six months, so no diabetes.

I'm going to start stretching ankles and toes (tip-toe stretches) more so see if it eases up.

Thank you.

Maybe next time you buy new shoes try a 9 1/2. I know that probably seems gigantic, but I am same size as you. I wear 8.5 normally but 9.5 in my running shoes and they don't feel "too big" by any means. Also maybe get some superfeet inserts (they have different ones based on the height of your arch, so just get one that matches what best you know on your own foot).

Keep at it, I hope the stretching helps.

Are you doing weight training? Doing some squats, lunges, and calf raises (in addition to whatever other weight training you might want to do) 3x a week or so might help. You could start unweighted if you haven't done any weight work recently. Also look up I think they call it "reverse lunge". For me personally my lunge form is terrible and I end up hurting my knees if someone isn't watching me. The kind where you step back instead of step forward seems to be a lot easier for me to do right. Just some ideas while you wait it out.

anglyn1 · March 2016

Is it possible you have slipped discs or back issues at all? Being that you said it's the outside 3 toes and the ball that can correspond to maybe a disc around L4 or L5. Otherwise look into diabetes, B12 deficiency, sciatic nerve issues, etc. Hopefully the neurologist can help you pinpoint it!

Feet Fall Asleep -- To the Point of Pain

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