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View Full Version : Have your boots or socks ever caused numbness in your toes ?



O-H-10 Lil Ohio
09-26-2014, 20:51
I recently hiked from Abol bridge to Jo Mary Road, after 4 days and once I got home I started feeling a numbness in my toes, however,The numbness is only in my left foot. Any thoughts and does the numbness go away?

kayak karl
09-26-2014, 21:31
were your boots sized properly? and were they sized with the type of socks your were wearing?

O-H-10 Lil Ohio
09-26-2014, 21:33
My boots had over 450 miles on them ,my socks were smart wool and artist darn tough. Had some what bad weather and socks did get wet.

jimmyjam
09-26-2014, 21:38
i have varying degrees of numbness in my left foot /toes after hiking too. i think mine is partly from my bunionictomy.

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kayak karl
09-26-2014, 21:39
maybe you pinched a nerve. have had it happen on roofs, but not hiking.

rocketsocks
09-26-2014, 21:46
I gots one toe that I think have may been frost bit at some point, (worked out side all my life) cause it's numb all the time.

O-H-10 Lil Ohio
09-26-2014, 21:53
I'll be seeing the doctor next week so I will but ask about the numbness in my toes, I agree I could pinch the nerve.

kayak karl
09-26-2014, 22:01
i have a Podiatrist that hikes. can't get better then that :)

July
09-27-2014, 00:04
i have a Podiatrist that hikes. can't get better then that :)

WoW!!!! Hook???

squeezebox
09-27-2014, 04:41
Make sure you do good toenail care to rule that out of the picture.

MuddyWaters
09-27-2014, 06:47
No.

I do get a "shock" like sensation in a couple of toes on one foot occasionally with every step, then it goes away. Its some nerve issue I imagine. I have tried on shoes in a store and had it immediately start. I don't buy those shoes. Its rare otherwise.

Bronk
09-27-2014, 09:10
By the time I had completed basic training the army I couldn't feel any of my toes. It took about 6 months for the feeling to completely come back.

swisscross
09-27-2014, 10:12
Took my children to Disney at the beginning of this summer.
Wore the cheapest trail runners I could find.
After day four my big toe on right foot was completely numb.
It has been about four months since and I now have about 90 percent of the feeling back.

Podiatrist thinks I bruised a nerve.

Heading out for a week long section hike in a few weeks. Sure hope it does not come back.
Will be wearing a more supportive shoe from now on.

O-H-10 Lil Ohio
09-27-2014, 10:56
Interesting, three toes are still numb, I hope it goes away.Thanks all for the input.

Gnomad
09-27-2014, 16:48
I am old and heavy and had not been hiking in 20ish years. I did 50 miles over 4 days. I hiked in sandals. I had 2 toes go numb. One came back after about a week. The second one is still numb in a spot, but is slowly coming back online after about 5 weeks. I assume I just pinched some nerves.

O-H-10 Lil Ohio
09-27-2014, 17:58
That's what I think happened, I am hopping it will go away.

Toolumpy
09-28-2014, 14:47
Had the same issue with added sharp pains in the ball of my foot and toe area. After 2 weeks of hiking ( Springer to Hot Springs in 13 days) it lasted for 5 months. After visits to foot specialist and pt doctors they thought I was nuts. Finally went away and I used different boots. I think I was tying them to tight. Haven't had the same problem again although hard hiking. Both boots were Merrells, no blisters is nice but not worth the pain so not so tight anymore.

AO2134
09-28-2014, 21:22
Do you mean numb you can't feel sensation or numb you can't bend the toe or both.

My big toe does not go numb; I have sensation in the toe. I just cannot bend it. Usually, I night 1 I have 40 % range of motion. By day 2, I have about 80-90% range of motion. And it goes like that for as long as I hike with each number going down slightly (night vs next morning) each successive day.

After two days of not hiking, I get full ROM back and virtually no pain.

Bluegrass
09-29-2014, 13:59
Obviously I am not a podiatrist, so take any advice with a huge helping of salt.

Your foot has a lot of nerves, arteries, muscles, bones, and other fun things stuck in a very small package.

I sold running shoes for a long time, and a frequent complaint was numbness in toes. Usually this came down to the laces on the shoes being tied too tight, or just putting pressure on the wrong spot. Changing the lacing on a shoe could a lot of times completely remove the issue - sometimes re-lacing the shoe so that the lace moved just a few millimeters was enough. The spot you want to take a look at is right where you normally tie a low-top shoe. Usually that is where there are several laces crossing in front of your ankle, and there is a nerve right below that area that can become inflamed.

The key is to not loosen the lacing (since that can cause blistering and other issues), but to simply rearrange the laces. A lot of times the best thing to do is to skip the second to last hole.

Obviously shoes that are too big can exacerbate the issue, since that will cause someone to lace the shoe more tightly. The solution in that case is to get better fitting shoes.

I had a similar issue on a long bike ride I did once (C&O Towpath), but this was in my hands, and is a common bicycling overuse injury. My ring and small finger on my left hand were numb (able to move, but not to feel) for a month or two after the ride. http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_3_2.htm

If you are having range of motion issues, I would definitely talk to a medical professional about that.

Affirmative
09-29-2014, 16:52
I had numb big toes from North Carolina through Virginia. Also a part of my outer thigh went numb for an equal amount of time. Full mobility and caused zero problems or pain but it was odd. Can't say I ever pin pointed it down to any specific cause but everything went away for me by New York I think


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quasarr
09-29-2014, 17:15
I have gotten numb toes during multi-day hikes. I was really freaked out about it, but like others have said this is not unheard of and usually goes away on its own. But it is a good idea to see the doctor just to be sure.

lemon b
09-29-2014, 20:08
My experience is that foot numbness increases with age. My Doctor agreed. Another factor is going to be body weight. Over the last 5 years mine has gone from a high of 230 to my current 165. 65 lbs. Plus cut my pack weight from the 40 range for 4 nights to 28. Feet wise the big difference from the weight cut is on the toes and toe nails. Not to mention the knees. Reason I got to 230 was because my office used to be right next to the Test Kitchen of some very good professional chefs and me always being asked to sample. The way I cut the weight was mainly by cutting out meat and pasta and going to fruit and beans. Also sticking to three meals a day. During this time period when hiking all my diet rules went out the window.

Love to see a picture of Baltimore Jack after he broke his leg up in Maine on that first hike and one of him today right next to each other.

lemon b
09-29-2014, 20:13
My experience is that foot numbness increases with age. My Doctor agreed. Another factor is going to be body weight. Over the last 5 years mine has gone from a high of 230 to my current 165. 65 lbs. Plus cut my pack weight from the 40 range for 4 nights to 28. Feet wise the big difference from the weight cut is on the toes and toe nails. Not to mention the knees. Reason I got to 230 was because my office used to be right next to the Test Kitchen of some very good professional chefs and me always being asked to sample. The way I cut the weight was mainly by cutting out meat and pasta and going to fruit and beans. Also sticking to three meals a day. During this time period when hiking all my diet rules went out the window.

Tractor
09-29-2014, 20:44
Most of my left foot went numb last year. It was a nerve just below and outside the knee of all places. Doc wanted to operate but it finally took care of itself. Said it was most common in long haul truckers.