How can I prevent my toes from falling asleep while I'm running?

Question

It's not an issue of my shoes being too tight, because I used to run in much tighter shoes and never had this problem before. Am I tying them wrong or something?

Would it matter that I'm using motion control shoes? (I have flexible flatfoot.)

Answer 1

This could be caused by a couple of things. If it's mainly your big toe that goes numb you may be overpronating. That is, allowing your foot to collapse inward as you plant your weight on it. Concentrate on rolling along the outside of your foot and see if that helps.

If not, your laces could be too tight. Relace your shoes and skip the holes over the bone on the top of your instep.

Answer 2

I have had this happen and yes, it's annoying. I used to stop and shake my legs around to get the blood moving. Or I would hang on something and swing my legs back and forth to "force" the blood down there.

I found it was just part of improving my fitness level, and after a few weeks the problem would subside. Also I went through a lot of shoes, arch supports and inserts, so perhaps changes in those areas would help (new shoes every 300 miles).

Answer 3

That use to happen to me. It is a circulation issue. A doctor/sports therapist can help. Mine went away after I lost weight, had a baby, got new shoes and learned to stretch better. That may not help at all, but I'm glad to be rid of the tingling. Like I said it is a circulation issue. Maybe you have a pinched nerve somewhere? Hope it gets better soon!

Answer 4

I'm a biker, not a runner, and when my toes started falling asleep while biking, I was advised to add arch supports to my biking shoes! Maybe your running shoes need a revision to your arch support.