Numb ball of foot and Toes

[Runlite01]

I have been running barefoot for quite some time now.
I have done 1 marathon earlier this year and quite a few 1/2 marathons.
I am training for another full marathon in December. I am on week 9 of training.
last weekend my long run was 14 miles.
I seem to have developed numbness in my left ball of foot and toes (off and on).
sometimes it almost feels swollen.
I ran 4 miles Tuesday and running seems ok.
I don't really have any pain but it kinda freaks me out a little.
Any thoughts?

 

[Backfixer]

Most likely, the calves are very tight causing you to hit hard on the ball of your feet, developing callous or adhesion formation which is how we usually develop a mortons neuroma. You can use a foam roller to loosen the calves and the gluts to see if that relieves. As I have encouraged others to do before, you can send a video from your phone of you running on a treadmill which I can evaluate and offer some more pointed observations. A good sports chiropractor may also be someone you might want to call to get their opinion.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I never go against what a doctor here at the BRS may advise. I do, however, add an alternate viewpoint, rarely. In this case, I must speak up. Sorry, Dr. William, but I know a thing or two about MN. I developed MN while I was a shod runner, and that's what led me to running barefoot, starting the RW Barefoot Runner Forum, the BRS, and MN Talk. MN Talk is a forum discussion board that deals with only MN where we talk about our experiences and the treatment options available to us. See my signature, please. I have lived with it for a few years now and gone through nearly every treatment and surgery out there, so I have learned a lot.

Studies show the number one cause of Morton's Neuroma is the types of shoes we wear. Any study on MN you bring up will talk about shoes. Shoes with a heel and/or narrow toe box are known to cause MN. Heels force us to place our weight over the balls of our feet, and narrow toe boxes compress our metatarsals together, thereby squeezing the nerves.

Another possible cause of MN may be tight calves, which you speak of and which I have learned of recently. From what I have read, at this time, it's a view point. Do you have a study you can point me to, as I am always open and willing to learn and expand my knowledge of my condition. My question is, from what I have read about tight calves contributing to MN is, do tight calves "aggravate it" or actually "cause" a neuroma to develop?

Yes, perhaps Runlite01 has tight calves that could be contributing in some way to a neuroma, and he should consider your advice...I just wanted to clear up what you said here: Most likely, the calves are very tight causing you to hit hard on the ball of your feet, developing callous or adhesion formation which is how we usually develop a mortons neuroma. The way we normally develop a Morton's Neuroma is by wearing the types of shoes that compress the nerves between our metatarsals.

 

[Backfixer]

Actually, my viewpoint is discussed in detail in my book Cheating Mother Nature, which looks at the condition from a mechanical point of view. Sorry about your frustration with the problem. Over my 23 years working with runners, typically, core issues that develop from body styles that are asymmetrical will shorten your stride, tighten the calves, the tissues in the back of the knees and render the gluts dysfunctional. Whether shod or not, it seems the problems from asymmetry plague both types of runners, even though the symptoms in a barefoot or minimalist runner are somewhat different because of the type of foot strike.

I have not seen a study specifically on tight calves and mortons syndrome, however, I have seen many of these cases improve markedly by not being foot centric in my analysis and treatment and by opening up the core muscles, improving their firing patterns, loosening the calves and working out either by hand or with tools such as graston for example the plantar fascia and the fascial insertions at the ball of the foot. While I do not win with every case, the larger majority improve because the way the person strikes the ground after gait retraining is less stressful and the body experiences less forefoot impact when the calves and the core better absorbs shock, as it tends to do with a more stable and less torqued core structure.

 

[Runlite01]

Thanks so much William and Barefoot TJ.
It all seem very complicated. I do not have a treadmill. I do not know what a graston is.
I have been trying the foam roller and ice.
I am in the Dallas area and I am a little leery to try to find a good sports chiropractor.

 

[mokaman]

I can add a little about what works for me with this kind of problem. I get some of that 2nd toe foot numbness on long runs over about 12 - 15 miles or so sometimes... changing up the running surface seems to help for this but not only just during the run your having trouble with but as a routine thing to do normally. May not help but may be worth a try anyways.

 

[Dr Emily Splichal]

Hello Reunite1 -

Just to add another comment - are they specific toes that feel numb? Or is it the ball of the foot? Is it all digits?

This information helps to distinguish if it is in fact a neuroma - or you are putting pressure on a specific branch of the medial or lateral plantar nerve.

I do agree on the myofascially releasing the calves - but make sure you do not forget to myofascially release the bottom of the foot as well! There are 4 layers of soft tissue in the plantar foot which give many opportunities for adhesions to form and put pressure on these plantar nerve branches.

Thanks!

 

[mentalpulse]

I'm also having this problem. My calves feel very tight and my feet go numb and I have to stop for 30 second or so until they regain feeling. Is there anything aside from foam rolling, golf ball rolling, and stretching that you would recommend?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I'm also having this problem. My calves feel very tight and my feet go numb and I have to stop for 30 second or so until they regain feeling. Is there anything aside from foam rolling, golf ball rolling, and stretching that you would recommend?

MP, you might want to create a new thread in the Ask the Docs, since this one is rather old, and the docs might not see it.

 

[mentalpulse]

Thanks TJ, I'm new and joined because I found this thread online and it seemed to be the only one very similar to my case!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Thanks TJ, I'm new and joined because I found this thread online and it seemed to be the only one very similar to my case!

I hope you stay around. We have a very kicked back and friendly community here.

 

[mentalpulse]

Do you guys have Facebook discussion groups? That's where I do all my forum posting these days.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

We do...but Facebook sucks...compared to us. Where are you located? Or I can look up your IP. We have chapter clubs all around the world, and most of them have Facebook pages too. We also have our main Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BarefootRunnersSociety. Find us!