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numb and aching toes
groder
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Morning
Im not sure if anyone has any advice, but I have found that if I run 5 miles or more my toes go numb and they are quite painful, someone suggested that it may be friction and to use vaseline.
Does anyone else suffer or has suffered from this?
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Or are your shoes too small? Feet swell after running for a while - hence the general advice to wear half a size bigger than your normals size.
I once had that when I tied my shoelaces too tight.
Shoes are fine, so am a bit baffled!!
As confident as you sound in your shoes, I would look again and again at this possibility. It is just so likely to be the cause in some way. What size are they compared to your normal day-to-day shoes? Have you tried different lacing techniques? Search youtube and there is advice on how to distribute the lacing and distribute the tightness of lacing. Are you using the 'extra' lace holes at the very top of your shoe? These can be used to stop your feet from (imperceptibly) sliding around in your shoe - which could be leading to your toes making slight contact with the front of your shoe - possibly quite slightly, but obviously thousands of times on each 5 mile run.
Failing that, there are syndromes that affect runners that cause parts of their feet/legs to go numb on longer runs. Often these diminish with time/experience. Use the search bar of this forum for the word numb or numbness and you'll find a few threads about it.
Good luck... it must be frustrating.
Is it all your toes or specific toes?
Thanks Nose Nowt, some excellent advice there.
Hi Sean Murphy 9 - it starts generally in the toe next to the big one and spreads to the rest...
My first thought was a Mortons Neuroma but that normally affects the 3 & 4 toe. Its the nerve between those toes that gets compressed and causes numbness and pain.
Hi Groder, I hope you find an answer as I've had the same problem for about 4 yrs but it has gradually got worse. It always starts in both feet after about 8 miles (slightly longer in the winter). I was training for another marathon but found if I took my trainers off and massaged my feet I could go a couple more miles before I had to stop again. This wasn't going to get me a PB so didn't even start which has been really depressing. On a brighter note I did an off road Half last week and had absolutely no problem - I think running through streams cooled them enough. Although my toes were aching that night in bed instead! I've tried different shoes, socks, sorbithane insoles, lacing and would love to get to the bottom of it.