I'm sure we've talked about this before, but I can't recall what was said.

My issue is that after about 30 minutes on the elliptical or crosstrainer, my ankle area and feet fall asleep. I know others who have this same issue, so it's just not me.

I've tried changing the incline to lower and higher, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. Looser shoes don't help either.

Anyone else have this problem?

Mel - any trainer suggestions?
Cindy

Same thing happens to my mom... she was told it has to do with circulation and she needs to have some tests done, I guess it's the accumulation of a few things that cause it. She continues to use the elliptical though just for shorter amounts of time and she machine hops back and forth so there is no time for anything to fall asleep. The plus to that is a lot of different muscles are used on all the different machines!

Cindy, do you feel like your weight is on the balls of your feet when you're on the elliptical? You should concentrate on pushing through your heels no matter what incline setting you're on, but many people put their weight forward on the front of their feet and end up with numbness. Ultimately you can end up with plantar fascitis if you elliptical this way, so check out your stance.

If that's not the problem, then time may fix the numbness. It was an issue for me when I started but went away as my feet adapted. Switching up cardio machines every 15 or 20 minutes might help too.

It happens to a lot of people. Move your foot positions, get off every 15 minutes and do a minute of pop squats or lunges, or just high stepping to get the blood circulating and the weight of the affected nerves. Just repositioning your feet every once in a while helps!

Mel

Thanks for the info gals!

Actually, Meg, I have had plantar fascitis in the past, so it's good to know that I need to adjust my stance to avoid reoccurance. I do tend to stay on the balls of my feet - I'll try to be more back on my heels the next time I do it.

I have found that if I pedal backwards for a minute it helps to relieve the numbness for a short while, and I guess that does make sense - when I go backwards I definitely have my weight on my heels.
Cindy

Bear with me here, Meg. I'm just learning about this stuff.

If you keep your heels down, does that make it a 'closed chain' action (= not good for knees)? ('Closed' and 'open chain' are terms I learnt from my physiotherapist - for knees.)

Silver, there's a lot of controversy about open and closed chain exercises and whether or not they even exist. No one even agrees on the same definition, let alone whether one is better than the other. You'd probably find as many arguments in favor of closed chain exercises for knees as you would against.

In any event, I've never heard 'closed' or 'open chain' applied to cardio exercise, only traditional exercises like squats or leg extensions. Open chain means that the end furthest from your body (feet) is free, so it's hard for me to imagine open chain cardio? Unless you're sitting and using an arm bike?

Ellipticals are one of the best cardio machines for people like me with knee problems because there's no impact on joints. If you were wondering if doing it on the balls of your feet would protect your knees in any way, I'd say no.

Thanks, Meg. Very helpful, as always. We do appreciate you!

I've had this problem to with my feel gettng tingly and almost falling asleep. Try to lean back a little, which puts the weight more on your heels like Meg and Mel suggested. It also helps to hold the stationary hand grips for a few minutes instead of the grips that move. I think that puts you more in a position where you're leaning back and not putting so much weight on the balls of your feet. Good luck!
Pam