Toes falling asleep?

[ChainsOflove]

I have this too, toes going dead on my right foot mostly. ALmost all my shoes are men's 40's and I am thinking now the prob is that they are actually too big/wide and my toes are crunched forward.

Its my right foot, which makes sense as its the lead foot.

[ChainsOflove]

Once they stayed numb for so long it freaked me out, like for 4 hours after I stopped riding!.

[greenmtngrrl]

Okay, coming late to the game...

I have a similar problem with the toes on my left foot starting to fall asleep after 20-30 minutes of riding. I've been riding clipless for a few years and never had the problem until recently when I tried new pedals (switched from Shimano SPDs to Candies) and new shoes. At first I blamed the new shoes and switched the cleats to the old shoes. Nope, still have the problem. Made adjustments to cleats, still have the problem. My next step is to put SPD cleats back on my new shoes and my old shoes and go back to my old pedals and see if I have the problem. If I do, I'm not sure what my next step will be...

I really wanted the Candies to work because I find them so much easier to get into and out of. Lucky for me I was able to use an extra pair of the boyfriend's Candies and hadn't purchased my own yet.

[KnottedYet]

I put some metatarsal pads on my insoles (Spectrum Stabilizers, a lot like Superfeet). Some German brand, gray leather covers, $6 for the pair. Anyway, they really helped with my numbness. I also like to stretch out the leather on the pinky toe side of the left shoe (the one that goes numb) on all my shoes.

That's what works for me. Your results may vary.

[Nanci]

I don't know if this makes you feel better, but after my 600k, it took my toes a couple days to wake up from their nap. They seemed to suffer no permanent damage.

Nanci

[Lise]

I finally went to my doc and got a referral to a sports podiatrist. Haven't made that appt yet. My doc said, "maybe Morton's neuroma" too. Who knows. It's the middle two toes on my left foot. I'll let you know what I find out.

[plantluvver]

I've just always picked out my own shoes. ( I am not into special biking shoes yet, not even toe clips.) But I have constantly tired feet and I've had problems with plantar fasciaitis in the past. I've recently had some knee pain that I think is due to walking pigeon toed with one foot.

I notice I tend to walk differently when I get tired, and also can suffer hip pain if I am not mindful and overdo stuff at times.

Can someone really tell me if I can improve my gait? I always thought you only get treated for injuries.

[summer]

Before you shell out for new shoes, get some medical advice. I had this problem, and thought I also had shin splints, but it turned out to be 'chrionic anterior compartment syndrome' and I need very carefully designed inserts for all my shoes (as well as a myriad of other treatments). If you try the one leg cycling thing, and find your shins hurt or the muscle down the front aches, this might be a reason...quite common in pronators apparently. Pain in your shins when you're standing on the pedals (climbing) is another sign. Another possibility is restricted blood flow in your femural artery when you're on the bike. A doctor can find this quickly by listening to the blood flow in your hip joint when you're in a cycling like position. Worth checking out!

[KSH]

I have SIDI's too... and my foot/toes always go to sleep. It's really bad on the leg that I hardly ever unclip.

The other day my entire foot when numb... I finally had to clip and shake it out... while still pedaling with the other leg.

And.. you know, I hate my Sidi shoes. I hope I can buy some new shoes someday!

[KnottedYet]

Plant - any PT will help you with your gait. Exercises to correct muscle imbalances at the hip, posture exercises for the foot, etc. They'll probably recommend a type of insole and type of shoe to help, too.

My favorite stuff to work with is women's lower extremity kinetic chain trouble and posture. Call around until you find a PT who likes working with your stuff. If they tell you the hip pain, knee pain, and pf aren't all related to each other you might consider finding a different one. And it doesn't have to be a woman PT, men understand the mechanics of women's legs, too.

Picking a PT is like picking an LBS...

[ChainsOflove]

I don't know if this makes you feel better, but after my 600k, it took my toes a couple days to wake up from their nap. They seemed to suffer no permanent damage.

Nanci

NANCI!!! YOU SCARE ME!!! Just kiddin', you rule!!