Question about foot numbness

[bluegoose]

This year I have been getting numbness in my right foot near the 2nd and 3rd toes (left to a lesser degree) during and after longer rides.

A little history - last July was the first time I noticed the problem. During and after the Death Ride was when I first experienced it. This was about a 10 hour ride, and the numbness lasted for about a month after the ride. It had eventually resolved, but has returned over the past 1-2 months since I started riding the trainer in the garage. Now the numbness starts up after about 45 minutes on the trainer or 1 hour on the road. Resolves after about 5-10 minutes off the bike.

No problems prior to last July, and no real problem from september through November of last year.

No real change in equipment. Specialized shoes, Shimano SPD pedals and cleats. Bike fit seems okay per plumb line and tape measure.

Any thoughts? Are SPD's more common to have this type of problem compared to other pedals? Could my shoes be breaking down?

Any input is appreciated.

[Archaea]

My wife is experiencing this problem and we haven't found a solution yet.

We ride speedplay pedals, but have tried to buy new shoes (looser), and may have to try a different pedal arrangement. She also noticed by riding a longer bike that it helped.

Try having the cleat adjusted, moving it a bit back.

[MikeWaters]

I agree with trying to move back the cleat. Experiment with that.

Make sure your shoes aren't too tight. Loosen them up.

Anything else change, like seat height, new bike? Different socks?

Anything worn out? Are your cleats nice and tight on the shoe?

I have used LOOK and speedplay. I think I like LOOK better. Though I am currently using speedplayl. I don't know if SPD is any better or worse.

This is a matter of pressure on the affected area. So anythign that would play into more pressure in that area is a potential culprit.

Have you changed your cadence style?

[bluegoose]

I have gone with new socks for the winter months - a bit thicker wool type. Shoes are mesh uppers and feel fairly loose.

The cleats are still tight, but I have noticed increased float in the pedal recently. Perhaps the cleats and/or pedals are wearing out?

Cadence has changed a little bit to a slightly higher cadence over the past year. I have mixed in quite a bit of high resistance/low cadence work in the past couple of months.

I am considering switching over to a LOOK pedal, simply because I like the increased surface area/pressure distribution of this type as compared to the speedplay.

MW, Do you think some of the those factors listed could contribute (ie. loose cleats, new socks, etc.)?

[MikeWaters]

i think if you are experiencing more float, something has changed or broken down in the cleat/shoe/pedal nexus. That is the problem. Most likely worn out cleat.

supposedly speedplay has more actual surface area, but not sure that is really true. at least in the practical useful sense.

speedplay has a lot of float, at least the kind I have. Feels like you are on ice skates at first, something like that. But I've gotten used to it. Probably can't go wrong with either.

[bluegoose]

The surface area in LOOK vs Speedplay is a bit counterintuitive to me. I've heard the same thing about speedplay having more effective surface area, but it is such a small piece down there attached to the crank, its hard for me to picture how that is the case. Especially compared to the big old freaking Look pedals.

I think I will first try to switch out my SPDs for some LOOK pedals, as I have a buddy who offered to let me try his for awhile.

I hadn't really tied the two together (increased float and numbness, that is) until today as a possible contributor to my problem.

BTW, how long did it take you to get used to riding on the ice skates?

[MikeWaters]

took me a couple of weeks to get used to it.

[Archaea]

Do you have carbon fiber sole shoes? That supposedly distributes the pressure more evenly.

I like SpeedPlay as opposed to Look, though the new titanium Looks are cool.

What type of workouts do you do?

I know I need to tap into my Type 2b and Type 2a muscle fiber, but sometimes I just go on long slow rides.

Are you doing the Lance Armstrong ladders?

I really need power and suck right now, so any help would be appreciated. I'm signing up for Sea Otter, Cat 5s of course.

[creekster]

See, this thread is what I mean by me not being in your guys league; the death ride? Cat 5 racing? Not me. Not even close.

That being said, I love speedplays but my anecdotal evidecne from friends and acquaihntrances is that they are not better to solve foot numbness and in fact can excarebate it. I have never perswonally experienced the problem, but I know people that claim they have. Mike's medical nackground can tell me if this is incorrect, but my understanding is that the numbness comes from pressure on nerves. Speedplays tend to cause hot spot problems with a couple of my friends wich they claim leads to numbness. Even a very minor change in 0pressure to nerves can cause a huge problem (I once used new gloves for a century and ended up with numbness in my left hand for three weeks), so try changing up little things to see if it improves, like moving the cleat back, thicker socks, move the saddle forward or back a ittle, etc.

My problem comes in sore knees when riding w/o suifficient float and I have never had that soreness since I switched to speedplay. PLenty of float. It takes a week or two to get used tot he the walking on ice feeling. Now when I use other pedals systems (spd on mky mtn bike) I feel locked in.

Sorry about the typos, but I am in a big hurry. I just couldn't miss the chance to pontificate about speedplays, as the opportunity arises sor arely in my regular life.

[SteelBlue]

I have the same problem and also use SPD's. I used to think that the numbness was due to the cold air during early rides and never attributed it to my pedals, shoes or positioning. But now that I have a trainer in the garage and there is no cold wind to freeze my feet, it's clear that something else is the problem.

[bluegoose]

Thanks for the input. I think most of my problem will be solved with new cleats and pedals. I think my shoes are also pretty crappy. I'll give it a try, hopefully soon before my toes fall off.

Regarding the etiology of numbness, my understanding is that there are 2 primary causes for it. First is by direct pressure to the interdigital nerves on the bottom of the foot. Second possible cause would be an overpronating mid and fore foot. During the push phase of the pedal stroke, if the forefoot overpronates, you get excessive approximation and shearing forces at the heads of the metatarsals. This can cause extra pressure on the interdigital nerves as they pass between the metatarsals into the toes. This can be aided by either a scaphoid pad at the medial arch or a full-contact custom foot orthotic to control the amount of pronation.

Other possible cause could be bulging intervertebral disk or sciatic nerve impingement on the L5 or S1 nerves. Much less common, imo.

For me, I have a pretty neutral foot type, and typically don't experience overpronating symptoms. So I think my problems are mostly related to force/pressure distribution.

So I guess creeksters not the only one in the pontificating mood.

[Archaea]

Hey guys I just signed up for the Sea Otter April 6 through 9 event. Hope to see you there bluegoose.

I signed up for the circuit race and the road race, but I'll be dropped in both, no fear.