Johns Numb Feet when Cycling

John has a problem with his feet, numbness when he goes cycling, this could be caused by a few different reasons, we list what we can think of and hope to sort his problem and make sure he enjoys his cycling again

Question: I seem to suffer from numbness of the toes everytime I go cycling. After a half hour my toes go numb and I don’t know why! I use Time Impact S pedals with Time Equipe Pro shoes which are as far as I can see fit well and set up correctly. Any advice you can give me would be helpful.
Thanks,
John.

Hi John,
Your problem sounds terrible, I had a similar problem, but it was my heel that would go numb, this was followed by my right leg also feeling weak, without any power. I visited an Osteopath/Chiropractor who found I had lower back problems, which he manipulated. I occasionally have a recurrence of the problem that needs looking at, but with a little treatment all is OK, I will give you a few other suggestions and if they don’t make any difference it might be a good idea to have your back, hips and legs looked at by a doctor or other practitioner.

First check that your pedals are properly positioned on the pedals the axle should be directly under the knuckle of your foot, if it is too far back then maybe you are using your toes for pedaling and not the foot. You don’t say wither you had this problem before you bought the shoes and pedals, have you tried going back to your old set-up to see if this makes a difference? Is the sole on the inside of the shoe comfortable? If not try an insole, try one anyway as you may have a problem with your feet, talk to a foot specialist as you may need special anatomically shaped insoles to solve a foot problem, only a specialist can help you with this as they can take molds of your feet and make special shoe inserts.

So here is a list of things you need to look at;

1. Check shoe position on the pedal.
2. Try a different pair of shoes and pedals for any change.
3. Try an in-sole for comfort.
4. Go to an Osteopath or Chiropractor to have your back checked.
5. Visit a Podiatrist to see if you have foot problems.

We hope this helps and please let us know how you get on.