Athlete Gets Numb Between Big and Second Biggest Toe When Running
@Jim Moore Has tried orthotics, bigger shoes, voodoo and praying to the Goddess of Great Running to no avail.
He has settled on it being a nerve issue, curious to know if any of you have dealt with this... and if so, how?
Thanks team! 👍
~ Coach P
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I had a bad case of Morton's neuroma a few years ago, which materialized as "hot foot", not numb foot. Mostly while cycling.
Undoubtedly, in my mind, numb toes can be attributed to the same root cause, swollen and/or impinged nerve between the toes, but I'm no doctor nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
To fix my hot foot, I went through multiple stages, including orthotics, steroid shots, new shoes, electro-shock'ing to kill the nerves, then ultimately surgery...bilateral neuroma excision. A few weeks in some space shoes, doing no exercise, even getting to take showers in rubber banded plastic socks to keep my feet dry, and I was good to go.
Ever since then, no problems except for some weird looking scars on my feet, which is a non-issue.
@Paul Hough Similar to your issues?
I got something like this when biking DAILY x 70 miles a long time ago...solution was to move my cleat position so that the ball of my big toe no longer was the weight bearing spot - moved my foot forward on the pedal.
has he try toe spacer ? i had toe issues and PT told me to do so and i am wearing it while sleeping since a year and all good since.
@Jim Moore I've got a neuroma in my left foot that I've battled on and off for years and like Scott above I tried many options to fix. My pain initially started to present itself on longer runs and bike rides (after 90 min). It then got to the point where I couldn't walk barefoot, anywhere, ever, without sharp pain.
Cortisone shots were a short term fix that did work, but the problem would always creep back up. As my doctor said, cortisone and tissue don't play well together long term so there were only so many shots he was going to give me. He suggested I also start using SuperFeet insoles (Orange) and these helped some.
I then tried a metatarsal pad in my shoe (https://www.hapad.com/), which were very cheap and easy. It took a few times to get the pad in just the right space to reduce the pressure and *boom* instant relief. I used these in all of my shoes for years and was very happy... until I wasn't. The pain started to come back.
I went to a local running gait analysis shop and the instructor had me use a special insert (I'll post tomorrow with pic and brand) to re-adjust how my toes were pressing into the ground. I wore that for a few weeks, combined with yoga toe spacers that Francis mentioned and ice and the problem went away. I no longer need the metatarsal pads in running, biking, and casual shoes , but I do use the Orange Superfeet in running shoes. I'll use the yoga toes at night when I remember.
The journey was a few years, but I wanted to do everything I could to avoid going under the knife for the surgery Scott had. I know some runners who have gotten that and some have had great results, others have not and now have a constant pain in their foot.
Feel free to reach out with any ?s.
Thank you everyone. I’ll dive a bit deeper and give some of your suggestions a try. I actually got some relief yesterday by simply wearing my full length CEP compression sox. Who knew. I thought the extra compression on the entire foot would only aggravate the nerve more. But it was a good 5 miler.
Best to you all,
Jim
@Al Truscott @Francis Picard @Scott Alexander - my hot foot isn't quite the same thing as the numbness although it is in the same general vicinity. And my sports doc ruled out a neuroma. I sometimes get a very hot foot on a long ride in high heat, but that's a different problem that I can usually fix with magnesium supplementation. For numbness, I would start with the basics - 1) get a shoe with a wider toe box, 2) don't tie them as tight, 3) don't wear socks with compression across the forefoot and 4) use those toe spacers. I have nice pink ones I bought online that I think were intended for a woman to paint her nails. I can't stand them for much more than 30 mins but that helps separate the toes and metatarsals.
Back to my issue. The doc specifically recommended calf stretching and a lot of it. The goal is to increase the your ability to dorsa flex your foot (pointing the toes toward the knees). Tight calves have you pointing the toes down slightly while running, thus increasing the amount of forefoot striking, which causes - he believes - the foot on fire feeling as I'm slapping those nerves repeatedly.
Thanks Paul. I’ll definitely look into the stretching exercises. I’ve tried the other suggestions you mentioned but you might be onto something with getting these calves more flexible.
I appreciate the responses,
Jim
@Jim Moore As I mentioned yesterday, below is a photo of the insole brand I wore for a few weeks. There is a protocol listed in the paperwork that highlights the changes/ feelings you will have up through your calves, knees, etc. as you wear these.
I went with the thin, 3.5mm thickness. After a few weeks in these insoles (in both running and casual shoes), my neuroma issues and pain disappeared.
Thanks Jeff. I haven’t seen that brand before. I’ll pull up them and read about them. I’ve tried others with minimal success. I appreciate it.
+1 Toe spacer.
Hi Janyne. I actually have used a soft silicone toe spacer and it has seemed to help. It just gets a bit irritating and I still do get some numbness. What type do you use? Maybe mine aren’t the right kind.
Thanks,
Jim
I use the silicon ones from Walmart. I have had to give them a break during IM training. Otherwise, I wear (problem foot only) them when I have shoes on. I use them mostly for bunion. Overall, I find them helpful.
Full disclosure, I do not race triathlon with them due to transition issues.
Anyway, inexpensive and worth trying. IMHO.
👍🏻 Got mine on Amazon. Thanks again. Train strong.
@Janyne Kizer ... pic please!
I’ve had a similar issue. Rather than numbness, I’ve had soreness in the area you describe, mostly where the second toe connects to the ball of the foot. My second toe is slightly longer than my big toe. As it was explained to me, this condition can lead to improper rotation/loading of the forefoot. Essentially, not enough weight gets transferred to the big to quickly enough, so the second toe/rest of foot gets too much impact. The doc that told me this said the answer was to build up the insole of my shoe under my big toe and the head of the first metatarsal so that it would catch my weight earlier.
He modified the off-the-shelf (superpower) insole that I use as a test, and it helped a lot. I have not found an off-the-shelf insert that feels right/helps, so I have been using tape and cork to modify my insoles to create this “built up” landing area for my big toe and have not had the issue since.
$4.42 for the pair.
my toe spacer is pink cuz they are 3 girls here aha
👍🏻👍🏻