Feet going numb on elliptical

Cyndi10612
Cyndi10612 Posts: 30 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone else have this problem? The elliptical has now become my cardio of choice since I can not run on the treadmill anymore (knee injuries) but my feet go numb! Super annoying. I don't pedal on toes and try to stay flat footed as much as possible. I usually do 45 mins to an hour 5x/ week. Could it be my shoes? Any advice?

Replies

  • jessicastanfill
    jessicastanfill Posts: 69 Member
    I have the same issue and it also happens while I'm cycling. I understand the problem to be caused from the positioning of my feet relative to my hips. I continuously adjust the location of my feet on the elliptical pedals to avoid this. Leaning back more can help as well. Obviously, not wearing tight shoes is important but I have not found this to be the cause of my numbness. With cycling, an inaccurate position of the handle bars relative to my seat is the contributing factor, but adjusting positions continuously also helps. I have never found either case to be long lasting.

  • Cylphin60
    Cylphin60 Posts: 863 Member
    Any discomfort around your back? I have busted up feet and knees and never felt any numbness.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    This could also be a shoes issue
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    Happened to me too for about 6 months every time I went over 20 minutes and then it stopped. Didnt do anything different but may have shuffled feet into a different position. Also stopped using the arm things because it caused rotator cuff issues. Changing hand grips probably changed posture but I am sure the two did not happen at the same time.

    Good luck!
  • racheljonel
    racheljonel Posts: 400 Member
    This happens to me too and I did some googling....turns out it happens to a lot of people and is not necessarily a circulatory problem or anything to be concerned about. Even though your legs are moving on an elliptical, your feet are stationary, which causes blood to pool and the numb feeling. Get off the machine about halfway through and stomp around a minute then get back on.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    This happens to me. I assumed it was because my shoes are just a tick too tight (but they're so adorable, and were on sale!!!) and it happens if I do around 40 minutes on the arc trainer. Duly noted on switching it up!
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    It happens to me. I just power through it lol
  • Veganniee
    Veganniee Posts: 460 Member
    I gave up the elliptical because of this. It didn't seem to matter what I did, within 10-15 mins my feet hurt/went numb.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    I had this when my shoes were tied too tightly.
  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
    Wait, you had a knee injury. Are you sure your feet going numb aren't related to that somehow? I have no experienced this problem though...
  • Cyndi10612
    Cyndi10612 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks everyone. I do shift my feet a lot to help with the numbness. I'm going to try a few different shoes and see if it makes a difference, if not I'll just suck it up!
  • Cyndi10612
    Cyndi10612 Posts: 30 Member
    Cylphin60 wrote: »
    Any discomfort around your back? I have busted up feet and knees and never felt any numbness.

    Nope. No issues with my back at all.
  • Savagedistraction
    Savagedistraction Posts: 312 Member
    Step mill. Elliptical is an unnatural movement that trains your body for nothing. Step mill or bike.
  • Cyndi10612
    Cyndi10612 Posts: 30 Member
    MaddMaestro wrote: »
    Wait, you had a knee injury. Are you sure your feet going numb aren't related to that somehow? I have no experienced this problem though...

    This is not related to my knee injuries. After researching it a bit and seeing everyone's comments on here, I've come to realize that this is a rather common occurrence for those using the elliptical.
  • SierraFatToSkinny
    SierraFatToSkinny Posts: 463 Member
    I have this happen to me too.
  • emd2570
    emd2570 Posts: 126 Member

    Same happens to me around 20 min in
    Cyndi10612 wrote: »
    Anyone else have this problem? The elliptical has now become my cardio of choice since I can not run on the treadmill anymore (knee injuries) but my feet go numb! Super annoying. I don't pedal on toes and try to stay flat footed as much as possible. I usually do 45 mins to an hour 5x/ week. Could it be my shoes? Any advice?

  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    edited January 2017
    Used to happen to me when I ran (a lifetime ago). Turns out women have different foot structure to men and tying your laces too tightly across the bridge of your foot can cause numbness in the toes. Try some alternative lacing options to miss out the lacing over the bridge. Google has lots of helpful diagrams.
  • MommyGigi86
    MommyGigi86 Posts: 3 Member
    Happens to me all of the time.. I just move my feet around a bit.. stretch and get back on and their fine..
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    super common "elliptical toe" try loosening your shoes i read an article the said get half a size up helps. since iv started loosening my shoes it hasnt been as bad still starts around the 19min mark though but not as bad
  • Tailwaggers
    Tailwaggers Posts: 7 Member
    Are you diabetic?
  • U2Bad1
    U2Bad1 Posts: 41 Member
    For what it is worth, this happened to me all the time. Once I lost weight, the numbness went away. I'm not sure if this applied to you or not.

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