Longshot: Toe numbness (Resolved)

[Wildin]

Anyone ever lost feeling in their toes for an extended period of time?

I've lost feeling on one half of my 2nd toe (right next to my big toe) it's the left side of the toe. The right and center feel fine. No swelling, no bruising, no discoloration. Just absolutely no feeling.

I'm pretty sure it's a pinched nerve. On Wednesday I was aggy and tied my right shoe too tight then ran for an hour and a half. There wasn't any pain...but I knew it was too tight. Next day tried to run and there was a shooting pain up that half of the toe...thought "Maybe I'm getting a blister." Ran a mile, stopped, wrapped my toe to protect it, thought either my big toe was rubbing or pinching against it, left plenty of space in my toebox as well as on the top of my foot on my midfoot and forefoot where the tarsals meet (and various nerves). There was shooting pain and then no feeling. Only ran 5k then.

Since then I've been doing deep stretching and massage, and not running. Only thing I haven't done is Epsom salt bath, which ima do in the morning.

I have all the mobility, but I can't feel anything. My feet are healthy, no bunions, corns or blisters. I've never had an ingrown toenail. I did have my left big toenail get smashed and come off twice decades ago (got cleated in football) but this is the other foot.

I'm going to try heat and ice tomorrow too.

The whole thing is stupid, I routinely run 10ks and I literally have 2 sanctioned 10ks this weekend (April 9th and 10th) and I don't know if I'll be able to do them. Not having feeling is the worst because if something were to happen, I wouldn't even know. I'd rather have excruciating pain than nothing at all.

I am able to isolate that shooting pain. Of all the stretching and massaging the only thing that causes that shooting pain up the numb side of my toe is when I do calf raises on the ball of my foot. No matter where or how hard I knead that area with my hands am I able to activate that.

There's a foot and ankle specialist right near me, I'm planning on setting something up come Monday but I'm not optimistic that anything can be done by Saturday when I have to run.

I have a roller, a percussion massager and a spiky roller ball. All which feel great (in conjunction with stretching, about 1hr each session)

Any brehs got any suggestions or experience?

 

[Michael's Black Son]

Be mindful of cutting off blood supply/circulation to your toes/feet. I put in 40 MPW so of course foot/leg issues are bound to happen.

There have been times I’ve worn wraps/bandages a little too tight in runs to dull some aches and after a run I just want to cut the wrap off. Your feet swell on those runs so you want to make sure you’re not choking things off with those laces — and get numb.

But if you got pains then take it easy even tho mentally it will be hard to not run for a week or so. But the time off helps. But have you tried using a TENS machine? They are fairly cheap on Amazon and do a decent job stimulating the legs. Since you are using a percussion massage + leg/foot exercises then you’re headed in the right direction.

Go to the specialist just to be on the safe side and rule out a few things. Are you running in a shoe that’s a little tight and you need to half size up? Running in narrow shoes (like many Nike models)? Little adjustment will go a long way, like switching up the footwear.

And what does a typical week of training look like?

 

[Wildin]

Go to the specialist just to be on the safe side and rule out a few things. Are you running in a shoe that’s a little tight and you need to half size up? Running in narrow shoes (like many Nike models)? Little adjustment will go a long way, like switching up the footwear.

And what does a typical week of training look like?

I forgot my lady has a Tens unit, I'll try that after these other treatments. I'm not expecting an instant result but I need it to get better.

I have running shoes, a pair of Brooks, Sauconys and Hoka.

I tried to have one for outdoor use on flat paved trail, one for treadmill use, and one for use outdoors on woodland trail (grass, dirt, gravel).

That worked for a minute but eventually one activity overshadowed, now I basically wear whatever running shoe I want or have with me.

I've been taking it easy the entire weekend. I can still do squats (on a bosu ball), pushups, dips, and ride my indoor bike, none of that puts pressure or impact on my foot. But just going up the stairs or walking from the shower to the toilet barefoot I can feel either the numbness or the shooting pain.

 

[Billy Ocean]

Ayo @TallMan_J...

 

[Wildin]

@Michael's Black Son

I used the tens machine on my foot. Still no feeling in the toe. That shooting pain when I stand on the ball of my foot is subsiding. It's probably at a 2/10. It's not painful, just enough stimulation to let me know something's up or somethings wrong.

I think by Wednesday it's going to be completely gone. Ima stay off it til Wednesday. Then Wednesday I'm going to try to run.
I don't think I'm going to get feeling back in the toe. But I'm optimistic that shooting nerve pain will heal and go away and I'll be able to run like normal.

I'm still going to get this checked out, I'm not trying to ignore it then it spread and have to get my toes or foot amputated.

 

[Michael's Black Son]

@Michael's Black Son

I used the tens machine on my foot. Still no feeling in the toe. That shooting pain when I stand on the ball of my foot is subsiding. It's probably at a 2/10. It's not painful, just enough stimulation to let me know something's up or somethings wrong.

I think by Wednesday it's going to be completely gone. Ima stay off it til Wednesday. Then Wednesday I'm going to try to run.
I don't think I'm going to get feeling back in the toe. But I'm optimistic that shooting nerve pain will heal and go away and I'll be able to run like normal.

I'm still going to get this checked out, I'm not trying to ignore it then it spread and have to get my toes or foot amputated.

yeah breh, use everything at your disposal — TENS, precision massage, stretches, foam roll the lower leg regions and stimulate some blood flow. Then see what the specialist says. Fingers crossed you just need time off.

the time sucks because it’s racing season but better safe than sorry. Plenty of races to focus on later in the year

 

[Wildin]

yeah breh, use everything at your disposal — TENS, precision massage, stretches, foam roll the lower leg regions and stimulate some blood flow. Then see what the specialist says. Fingers crossed you just need time off.

the time sucks because it’s racing season but better safe than sorry. Plenty of races to focus on later in the year

I really have no choice but to continue to do everything in my power. I had to pay for these damn races I'm in Saturday and Sunday. So.....there's no not doing them.

 

[Wildin]

@Michael's Black Son

So the podiatrist thinks it's just an irritated nerve. He made me a custom prosthetic, basically arch support and I have to come back in a week. The good news is with the arch support I don't feel the pressure on my foot when I walk or run. And if the irritation from the nerve subsides there's a great chance the feeling will come back. If this all fails they will try a steroid shot.

 

[Wildin]

Goin to the chiropractor on Thursday. Supposedly they can check and realign the bones in my foot.

I'm very optimistic about that, when I called the receptionist asked what's wrong I said "I have a pinched nerve in my foot." And the lady said "Oh, we can definitely help with that! My husband is a runner, I don't know if you run but my husband thought he broke his foot or fractured a bone in it, they realigned it and he was able to leave here and go running!"

I was like .

 

[Wildin]

I can't run with the doctors prosthetic.

I can still walk with minimal pain. I noticed I was unconsciously walking with my foot clinched up. Tried to run and it was instant .

Even went to the Dr scholls kiosk. Got some custom insoles....same dilemma.

The chiropractor is my last hope. Hopefully he can pop my foot or give me a steroid shot. Otherwise I won't be able to run this weekend. I'm fukked.

 

[The ADD]

I can't run with the doctors prosthetic.

I can still walk with minimal pain. I noticed I was unconsciously walking with my foot clinched up. Tried to run and it was instant .

Even went to the Dr scholls kiosk. Got some custom insoles....same dilemma.

The chiropractor is my last hope. Hopefully he can pop my foot or give me a steroid shot. Otherwise I won't be able to run this weekend. I'm fukked.

Longevity is way more important

 

[Wildin]

Longevity is way more important

Yeah but I have mad plans scheduled and paid for. On Saturday I'm supposed to have a race at 8am then an excursion (climbing, rapelling, free falling, obstacle course and zipline) and another race Sunday morning.

 

[The ADD]

Yeah but I have mad plans scheduled and paid for. On Saturday I'm supposed to have a race at 8am then an excursion (climbing, rapelling, free falling, obstacle course and zipline) and another race Sunday morning.

Yeah it sucks but it's a bump in the road. hopefully it will heal and 6 months from now you won't even think about it.

Trying to be positive

 

[Wildin]

Yeah it sucks but it's a bump in the road. hopefully it will heal and 6 months from now you won't even think about it.

Trying to be positive

You're right. It just sucks. I worked out every day in march no excuses, every single day. And I had to fall back. I've been working out just not running.

 

[Wildin]

I went to the chiropractor, she did everything to my foot, was like "I don't think there's anything wrong with it unless you have a stress fracture. I could be wrong but I think the issue is in your lower back because your nerves in your lower back go all the way to your toes...."

She cracked my back and I felt instant relief.






I had my shoe off all day at work because I've been unconsciously clinching my toes/foot because of the pain...my whole damn foot was hurting inside my shoe, so I just had it off. Pain was probably a 3 or 4...once she popped my back it easily dropped to a 1. I was able to walk barefoot, foot in shoe with no prosthetic, no insole.

There's still a feeling like it's a little sore but that should take a day or a couple of days to go away.

We will see, if all is good I'm going to run tomorrow.

I'm pissed I went to a foot and ankle specialist and he didnt even think or consider it but it is what it is.