Causes of Numb Foot

Do you suffer from a numb foot during or after running?

Numb toes and numb foot are a surprisingly common running ailment. Like a lot of running injuries, numb foot can have a variety of causes ranging from the trivial to the serious.

Numb feet or numb toes may be caused by serious diseases including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, kidney diseases, Lyme disease and leprosy.

The message here is don't assume numb feet are caused solely by running. If you have any doubts seek medical attention and diagnosis sooner rather than later!

Numb Foot and Running

Have I recently started running?

Hmmm.... Three words of advice: Take It Easy! While your body is extrodinarily adapitable and capable we all have different adaptation rates. Numb foot ailments could be related to doing too much, too soon. Cut back on your training schedule and see what happens...

Have I increased my mileage?

Sometimes we'll have a problematic running style like plopping along on our feet - happily slapping them down stride by stride during each run. This won't cause problems for a short run, but it sure is an invitation to injury on longer runs!

We tire as we run, and if we're not hearing what our body's are telling us we are going to get into trouble. Think while you run, and avoid running into injury. No training program is worth serious injury. Be a little Zen, and familiarize yourself with the basics of chi running and good running form. It's real simple. Over training is going backwards, and resting when you need to is actually going forward towards your running goals.

Numb foot can be precipitated by both shoes that are too old and shoes that are too new. Old shoes lack support and fail to support the feet. Happy slapper feet are often found in old shoes! The cure on the other hand may be just as bad as the disease of our new shoes are too tight and constricted around the toe area.

Shoes are like pets, right? Your are really going to like some shoes a lot more than others - and your running partner may have exactly the opposite in shoe taste! Many times I've had to suffer criticisms of my favorite Spira Shoes from otherwise intelligent and caring people! That's just the way it is, and I'm sure my running partners are just hoping that some day I'll see things their way!

Specifically, pay attention to the shoe's toe box. There should be room for toes at the front of the shoe and also from side to side. Numbness in feet and Morton's neuroma are all related to squishy toe boxes, especially as it relates to the width of the toe box.

Advanced lacing

Try loosening the laces around the front toe area a little. Numb feet can also be caused by too tight lacing midway up your shoe. Runners suffering from numb foot have found relief just by changing the way they lace their shoes.

Some runners even lace their shoes backwards so they can adjust the toe box tightness easily during a run. This sounds kind of silly (not to mention the way it looks), but if your feet really swell during a run this may be the solution!

Conclusion

Remember that master's running demands your active intelligence applied to your running goals!

That's it for numb foot! And don't forget...

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