As a runner, your feet become accustomed to all types of sensations, ranging from pleasant to bothersome. The springy bounce of new shoes, the aggravating rub of a blister, the uneven terrain underfoot on a trail run – it’s all part of the experience, for better or worse. Over time, you learn to control what you can and enjoy (or at least tolerate) the rest.
So, what do you do when you feel, well, don’t feel your feet at all?
While numbness in the toes and feet isn’t necessarily the sign of a serious issue, it’s not something that you should ignore. To better understand what’s potentially causing numb feet and what to do about it, we spoke with Grayson Wickham, personal trainer, Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of Movement Vault, Health & Injuries Track Shack. Here’s what they had to say.
What happens in the body to cause numbness?
Numbness is typically a cardiovascular or a peripheral nerve issue, explains Wickham. ‘It could be that you have decreased blood flow to your lower extremities, specifically your feet,’ he says. Some external force may be restricting blood flow, or the vascular system isn’t working correctly to deliver blood and nutrients to the feet.
Running may worsen symptoms, as physical activity increases the body’s demand for oxygenated blood. However, runners with blood flow issues may also feel numbness during everyday activities or when they’re at rest.
In the case of a nerve issue, a tight muscle, stiff joint or injury to the lower back – due to its proximity to the spinal cord – can compress or irritate the nerves responsible for delivering sensory and motor information back to the brain. This disruption to the nervous system may be exacerbated by increased muscle contraction or the impact of running. This chain of events can lead to numb feet on the run.
What causes your feet to go numb while you run?
The root cause of foot numbness, whether it’s related to your vascular or nervous system, could be traced back to several common causes.
Ill-fitting shoes
Health & Injuries running shoes that are up to a full size larger than their everyday, non-running shoes. ‘You need to have plenty of room for your toes and forefoot,’ she says. ‘Remember, your foot spreads out upon impact.’ Shoes that are too small, too narrow, laced up too tightly or even too supportive can compress nerves or restrict blood flow, she adds.
‘Some people wear stability shoes, or even motion control shoes, which are very rigid and don’t allow your foot to move very much,’ continues Wickham. ‘If your shoe is too rigid and tight, or if it doesn’t allow good motion at your foot and ankle, that can eventually cause numbness.’
Tight muscles or joints
Runners World US tight muscle, especially in the feet, legs or glutes, can eventually lead to feelings of numbness. He uses the foot, which contains 29 muscles – 19 intrinsic to the foot and 10 that cross the ankle joint and connect to the foot – as an example.
‘You’ve got nerves that run down into the foot and their job is to innervate those muscles,’ says Wickham. ‘If you have tightness in any foot muscle that compresses the nerve, that nerve’s not going to work as efficiently or, in some cases, work at all. That could lead to numbness in the feet.’
Additionally, poor mobility, which the the byproduct of tight muscles and joints, can throw off your running gait and worsen the problem. ‘Say someone has an excessive heel strike when they’re running – that’s basically going to increase the impact through your feet,’ says Wickham.
A lower back injury
‘The nerves that branch off your spinal cord either send electrical input to a muscle to get it to fire and contract, or the nerves come back to the spinal cord to send sensory information,’ he says. So, if a nerve is compressed at the lower back due to something like a bulging or herniated disc, which should be evaluated and treated by a medical professional, that will compromise the whole system.
An underlying health condition
In some cases, numbness in the extremities, including the feet, can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition disrupting the circulatory system, like diabetes or peripheral arterial disease, for example.
‘Your feet are furthest from your heart and your heart’s pumping the whole system,’ says Wickham. ‘As such, if someone does have a medical condition affecting their blood vessels and their circulatory system, the most likely place that someone’s going to feel the effects is in their feet.’
What should you do if your feet go numb during a run?
Numbness in the foot is not the kind of discomfort that you should push through. If your feet go numb while you’re running, stop. Numbness, says Wickham, is the body’s ‘check engine light’ – something’s wrong and needs your attention. Plus, a lack of sensation is bound to negatively affect your gait, which could lead to injury.
If you lose feeling in your foot mid-run, pause your workout and try to do some quick troubleshooting.
Loosen your shoelaces a little
‘Maybe you just tied your shoelaces way too tight for that run,’ says Wickham.
Stretch your calf muscle
Why you get foot cramp when running calf stretch, but make sure that you contract the calf muscle once you’ve reached the end range of your stretch and hold the contraction for at least 10 seconds. (If it helps, imagine that you’re pressing down on the accelerator pedal.) Then, contract the muscles in the front of the ankle (as if you were lifting your foot from the accelerator pedal) for 20 seconds. Do this three times, then switch sides.
Stretch your big toe
Slip off your running shoes and place your big toe against a wall or a box so that it’s extending upward. ‘Once you’re in a maximal stretch, you’re going to feel the stretch on the bottom and inside of the foot,’ says Wickham. ‘Then, flex and curl the big toe into whatever it’s up against and hold for a 20-second contraction. Then, relax and do the opposite by contracting the muscles on the top side of the big toe by trying to pull the toe away from whatever it’s resting on. Hold that for 10 seconds.’ Do this four times, then switch sides.
If, once you do some stretching and lace-loosening, the numbness doesn’t subside, call it a day. But don’t get too discouraged – just because you can’t fix your issue immediately, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a solution.
How do you prevent your feet from going numb while running?
If you regularly experience numbness in your feet, or anywhere else, when you run, it’s a good idea to see a medical professional for a complete evaluation. In the meantime, there are a couple of things you can do on your own that may potentially alleviate your symptoms.
Buy new running shoes
Before making any purchases, Paul recommends that you ‘obtain a proper shoe fit by a running shop professional, a physiotherapist or other sports medical expert’. If possible, visit a specialist running shop that offers treadmill gait analysis services and sells a wide variety of shoe options. ‘Consider trying out a totally different shoe, too,’ adds Paul. ‘Some brands come in different widths, which may be helpful to you. In addition to neutral running shoes, you can also try models that are designed to correct rolling in (overpronation) or rolling outward (supination). See if the numbness still occurs when you try different types.’
It’s also worth trying different lacing patterns. ‘Experiment with alternate ways to lace your shoes, like every other eyehole, and make sure that they are not tied too tightly,’ notes Paul.
Stretch and work on mobility
To help prevent numbness, as well as various other pains and injuries, Wickham strongly recommends sticking to a regular mobility practice that includes active stretching and self-myofascial release. It should address the whole body – not just the lower extremities – and even just a few minutes of mobility work a day can be helpful. ‘A weak link in the kinetic chain will lead to compensation in another part of the body’, he says, which can cause overuse injuries. ‘Work on everything – your shoulders, back, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves and so on – and you’re going to be covering all bases.’
Don’t forget your feet, though. ‘Even if somebody is dedicating time to stretching and mobility, they’re most likely not putting a lot of work into their feet,’ he says. Make sure that you stretch out your toes and ankles and use a mobility ball to ‘decrease the tension in your plantar fascia and those small intrinsic muscles in the bottom of your feet’.
