foot goes dead during exercise

[Firefoot]

In order to mix up my workouts a bit, I have started to use the cross ramp at the gym.

However, it seems to have a very odd effect. After around 20 mins, the toes in my left foot start to go numb, after 25 mins they feel like one solid block and I can't wiggle them individually. This goes away as soon as I get off the machine. I get the same thing if I cycle for 40 minutes or more.

I have tried different trainers, standing on the machine differently etc but it always happens.

I'm guessing it is just crap circulation in the one foot, but was wondering if anyone else ever gets this?

[bales]

Compartment syndrome?

Have you done a lot of leg weights recently and have only recently started exercising for longer periods of time?

[Firefoot]

I don't really do any leg weights, it's all cardio with some upper body weights. I have been going to the gym for around 4 months, 5 or 6 days per week, always doing at least an hour of cardio.

The only changes are
1. I have been working harder since starting to have personal fitmess sessions. I now do interval training at much higher levels than previously.
2. I started using the cross ramp to mix up my sessions.

[Danielson73]

I had this exact same problem.
Spoke to my osteopath about it and she advised I should do a particular stretch before exercising:-

Sit on the floor, legs together out straight. Cross your right leg over your left and then bend/raise your right knee up towards your chest keeping your right foot on the ground (still crossed effectivley). Put your left hand on your right knee and pull to the left. Turn your head/torso to the right. You should now be able to feel muscles in your right buttocks stetching. hold this for 10 secs. Repeat for other leg.

Hope that makes sense.

Worked for me.

[ewenm]

That stretch is often used for relief of Illio-Tibial Band problems (apologies for the spelling!).

[captainzep]

Perennial problem for some runners. Including me.

Various theories and fixes in running forums vary from shoe lacing, to socks, wriggling toes as you run, to compartment syndrome to 'no cure'.

Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't, normally happens if I'm running beyond 40-50 mins. depending on circumstances I'd get rid of numbness by upping he pace to create greater blood pressure/flow to get some blood back into the numb bits. Because I'm quite a heavy runner I wondered if I was regularly squeezing the blood out of my foot like a toothpaste tube with each footfall, hence the numbness.

Its actually quite a problem if you're running on an uneven surface, particularly in low light. Your form goes and you can't 'feel' the ground through your feet. Easy to do an ankle.

Interesting point that ewenm made around IT Band. Had a nasty case of this and I had to lengthen it using stretches and strengthen arse muscles. Perhaps a link to numbness?

[bales]

I went from a whole season of sprinting with no problemns whatsoever, then I started some gentle longer runs as a run up to winter training and used to get the same type of thing. My feet would start off sore and then after 15-20 mins of even low intensity my feet felt like big slabs of meat I was landing on!

All I did to get over it was just to build the intensity and distance up slowly, if it started to hurt I stopped and walked for a while until it stopped, then carried on. There is no point running through it, just try and build it up gently.

Obviously yours might be caused by something different but I never really found out what caused mine as it just went. I assumed it was a bit of compartment syndrome as my legs/feet werent used to continous use for longer than a couple of mins at a time, coupled with doing a lot of lower leg strength work over the summer. So the muscles had never had chance to get fully up to size with the bloodflow hence the tightness in all the lower leg muscles, especially my calves.