[Get n healthy]

Hello, i use an elliptical for my 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week. For some reason, about 15 minutes into it the front part of my feet start to go numb. I just dont get it. I have tried changing shoes 3 or 4 times and cant seem to find a pair that makes the numbness go away. So i thought maybe it is not the shoes but just something with a nerve in my foot. Anyone else have this happen or have any ideas as to what it could be? It goes away the minute i get off the elliptical...just weird. I keep going even though they are numb...dont know if i should be doing that but i get mad that it is interferring with my workout.

[RockerGirl]

I get this when my toes are up against the top of the foot platform. If possible try moving your feet back a bit. I also read somthing somewhere (it may have been here) that says to make sure your foot is flat and you are not up on the balls of your feet or you toes.

[Sheila53]

When that happened to me, I was also told to make sure the back of my foot is at the end of the "pedal" and my toes aren't up against the front. My foot tends to drift toward the front so I have to make a conscious effort to move it back.

[boaterswife]

Thanks for asking this question, the same thing happens to me and I didn't know why. I have noticed that sometimes my feet are against the front of the platform, but I never put two and two together. I'll pay closer attention next time!

[Get n healthy]

Well i went to the gym today and was very mindful of my feet while on the elliptical. I took your advice and kept my feet in the middle, not too far up , not too far back. I also tried to make sure i was not on my toes too much or my heels too much. They still went a little numb but it took a lot longer and they werent nearly as numb. MUCH better. I easily did my 30 minutes and was actually ready to do more. Very cool. Thanks.

[metalgoddess]

I have the same problem. I spoke with my doctor about it. The nerves at the base of your spine tend to get pinched when your overweight and when you exercise (esp. ellipt,treadmill) the pressure causes your legs feet to go numb.
I have the problem mostly on my left side because my hips don't sit even so it tends to happen more on that side. He said that as my weight drops I should see it not happening as much.

[kella]

The same thing was going on when I tried to use elliptical machines. The random guy at the gym said he'd heard that complaint a lot from short people. Don't know whether it's an issue with my feet sliding around or somehow weirdly overextending my legs. Gave up on exercise altogether for a bit, now that I'm back on again I'm doing my cardio on a bike or treadmill, so no numb toes.

[Amberelise]

I know this is an old thread, but I was just running a google search on the topic and found that 3FC had a thread about this exact issue.

My feet go numb, too. It's to the point that it is almost painful. So, yesterday as I was attempting to go 30 minutes despite the numbness I started checking the feet of other people around me. NONE of them were lifting their heels like I was. I tried to use the machine without lifting my heels but if felt impossible to me.

Do you guys lift your heels on the elliptical or no? I finished my workout, but I'm afraid to use that machine again. I'd rather do the stairmaster, but I also want to keep mixing my workouts up so my body doesn't get bored.

[Meg]

You should definitely concentrate on pushing through your heels when you're on the elliptical. Pushing with your toes is a major cause of foot numbness and can lead to plantar fasciitis. It probably feels odd to you if you're used to pushing with your toes, but maybe try with your heels for a few minutes at a time and see if it starts to feel more normal to you?

Other things that have helped me are loosening my shoes laces and going backwards half the time. It also went away with time -- perhaps my feet just adapted?

Best of luck to you -- I hope you don't have to give up the elliptical because it's a great cardio workout!

[Cassie501107]

My feet get numb when I work out sometimes...and I never use the elliptical.

[Lifeguard]

It has definitely happened to me & it's definitely worse on the elliptical. Loosening my shoes & wiggling my toes throughout helps but it's so irritating I just avoid the elliptical now or just do 10-15min on it & then hop onto something else to finish my cardio.