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I'm getting numbness in my right foot (not the left), mostly in the toes and ball of the foot. I also tend to get mid to low back tightness on the same side. My chiro told me that my pelvis is tilted. I suspect this is causing imbalance and nerve problems. Just wondering if anyone has experienced foot or toe numbness as a result of the saddle pressing on the wrong spots. I suspect it's not the saddle but my crooked body. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms from her saddle?
Hi JuiceFlight!
I just posted a very similar question today! How weird...
Your numbness sounds a bit more familiar. If it's in the ball of the foot and the toes as a combo it might be Morton's Neuroma. Not as sinister as it sounds, but can be related to having laces too tight or an ill-fitting (too tight) shoe. Might be worth looking into as it might be something simple and not the saddle.
If the pelvis is twisted and the back is feeling it, then it could be impinging on a nerve which travels to the foot, but not too sure about that. I am a Pilates instructor and mountain biker and a lot of these types of injuries, especially when one sided, are to do with imbalances in strength. I can highly recommend speaking to your friendly local Pilates instructor and getting some help. I had chronic one-sided back pain (also potentially pelvis related) and Pilates has been my saviour (hence my new career :D).
Could still be saddle related though so make sure your's is the right "fit" (both sit bones supported and not hanging over the edges, not too much pressure in any soft tissue area).
Hope this helps...
GumbyGirl
I'm 99% sure it has nothing to do with the shoes. I got a new bike a couple of months ago and initially used my old saddle with it. I'd always fought the numbness issue with. It was a women's selle italia with a cutout. I always assumed the numbness was due to shoes or frame fit. Now i have a bike that fits like a glove and the numbness is still present, so i decided to try a new saddle. At my LBS they did the sit bone size check - sit on some foam and measure. They deal in Specialized, so it's some sort of Specialized fit kit for the butt. Supposedly I fit a 143, but I'm skeptical at just exactly how precise that measurement was. Anyhow, I wanted to try the 130 just to see if it was a possibility, but they didn't have it in stock. I demo'ed the 143 and it was a nice fit as far as no chaffing the girlie parts, but I still get the numbness (although it takes a bit longer for it to set in than it did with my old, wider saddle). I would like to try something narrower. I'm going to try my mtb saddle for a short ride and see what happens. I have pretty narrow hips, so I'm wondering if maybe the 143 is more width than I need. My MTB saddle is 135. I don't think it'll be too comfortable for long rides, but at least I'll know if the extra width is causing the numbness. How many of you girls ride a guy's or narrow women's saddle? Did the bike shop initially try to sell you a wider saddle? Just curious....