Jogging is a great fitness booster and a time efficient way to burn a lot of calories. These benefits, however, come at a considerable physical cost, as jogging places a great deal of stress on the hips, knees, ankles and feet. In addition to soreness and pain, numbness is a common finding, particularly in the feet. How to go about alleviating this annoyance depends on the cause.
Shoe Issues
Foot numbness while jogging may result from a number of problems with what you're wearing on your feet. Lacing your shoes too tightly can lead to numbness on the top of the feet; changing the way you lace them may provide immediate relief. Shoe inserts such as orthotics and overly thick socks or insoles all reduce the amount of space inside your shoes and can lead to numbness throughout the foot. If you need to keep wearing inserts, try moving up a half size.
Morton's Neuroma
A Morton's neuroma is a thickening of the tissue surrounding the nerve that courses between the third and fourth metatarsal bones of the foot. This nerve can become acutely chronically irritated in runners who overpronate or have unusually shaped toes, such as claw or hammer toes. Pain and numbness is felt both between the toes the ball of the foot. Running on hard surfaces and wearing overly tight shoes can worsen a Morton's neuroma. The treatment can include ultrasound, metatarsal cushioning pads, orthotics or surgery.
Interrupted Blood Supply
In most instances of foot numbness in joggers, the problem results from damage to or compression of a nerve. However, an interruption in the blood supply to the feet, which can originate in the foot itself but more often occurs higher in the leg, can lead to numbness as well. Common causes include atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries; high blood pressure; cigarette smoking; poor diet; jogging in the cold; and diabetes. The treatment typically involves lifestyle modification, medications or both to address the underlying medical issue.
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
Tarsal tunnel syndrome of the ankle is similar to the better known carpal tunnel syndrome of the wrist. This condition results numbness in the heel owing to compression of the posterior tibial nerve, a branch of the sciatic nerve. The most common causes are abnormal formations such as cysts bone spurs, shoes that are too tight, and biomechanical quirks such as overpronation. Treating tarsal tunnel syndrome involves some combination of orthotics, stopping jogging temporarily, a cortisone injection and in advanced cases surgery.
Member Comments