Have you ever wondered, “why do my feet go numb on the elliptical”? It’s very irritating, right? Honestly, common workout mistakes on your trainer can be the problem. Not knowing how to position your feet flat while exercising on the ellipticals causes pressure on the foot nerves. Sometimes even while maintaining a somewhat perfect foot balance, your feet might fall asleep on your elliptical.
Tingling feet, as it’s usually called, is an unpleasant and distracting sensation. However, it isn’t a cause for panic. It usually stops after a spell. But if you prolong your workout time even after noticing your feet go numb on the ellipticals, you can end up being detrimental.
Tingling in the feet after exercise on your elliptical can be caused by various issues like dense shoes, prolonged training time, and others. The unpleasant tingling sensation can be easily alleviated through different methods explained in this article.
Why Do My Toes Go Numb On The Elliptical Machines?
There are several reasons you experience numbness on your elliptical trainer. In medical terms, foot numbness is also called paresthesia and usually occurs when using elliptical machines.
This is because putting weight on your toes or the soles creates constant pressure on the nerves. And this causes nerve irritation in your feet, making your feet fall asleep on the elliptical.
Here are some of the common reasons why your feet or toes go numb on your elliptical;
Tight Shoes
Tightly laced shoes are another common culprit of why your feet go numb on ellipticals. It could be from your shoes or toe box not being the right size to give you enough comfort while working out on your cross-trainer.
Or perhaps, it could be that you laced your shoe too tightly. And all these put pressure on your foot and can even cause foot pain. As it cuts off sufficient circulation of blood flow in the nerves of your foot, leading to foot numbness, tingling sensation, or feet swell.
Fit Balance
It’s rather tempting to lean on your toe or the balls of your feet while working out, but unfortunately, putting all your body weight which is a lot of pressure, makes your toes go numb when working out.
You need to exercise enough daily to reach your fitness results in optimal time. So taking proper measures that won’t allow distractions or stop your training sessions is ideal for your fitness expectations.
Constant Forward Movements
Pedaling in a particular motion on your elliptical means nerves on certain areas of your feet are under constant pressure, which leads to tingling in feet after working out. The numbness you feel could start from a few minutes or after a long time after working out on the CrossFit trainer.
Long Workout Time On Elliptical Machine
Another common reason for toe numbness on a cross-training machine is when you workout on ellipticals for too long. It should go without saying that training and resting go hand in hand. One without the other can cause major health issues, including unpleasant feet and numbness.
Bad Form
Your elliptical was built to ensure your feet stay immobile to reduce the impact on your joints and lower body while training. If your feet constantly hit the foot pedals of your fitness trainer due to too much movement, this could lead to your toe numbness while working out.
Underlying Medical Condition
It might sound far-fetched, but an underlying medical condition might be the reason for your toe numbness when walking or your feet falling asleep on ellipticals.
The ellipticals are great home gym equipment for staying healthy, and it offers many benefits. And one of the benefits is that it helps you feel relieved if you have joint problems. However, underlying medical conditions like diabetes, causing myalgia, or planters fasciitis can specifically cause foot numbness. And this would give you workout and body limitations.
If you constantly experience numbness on your feet while working on a fitness trainer, even after taking some rest, it may be due to an underlying medical condition. You should be wary about medical issues on your elliptical because using it without a proper medical check from your doctor can lead to more problems.
How Can I Avoid Numb Feet
Wear Less Tight Shoes
Wearing the right shoe size or larger shoes helps you avoid your toes going numb when working out on your elliptical and even while walking. This allows better circulation in the nerves of your feet.
You can choose the best shoe size by purchasing shoes half or higher than your feet size. Also, make sure not to lace your shoes too tight while training. This would ensure comfortability, blood flow, and less risk of your toes when walking or on your cross-trainer.
Use Proper Workout Techniques
Having great results on your elliptical is essential. But avoiding potential injury and numbness is just as important because it would hinder your health and elliptical workout process. You should adjust the resistance selections to customize your workout. Try to keep your feet fixed without moving them at all while working out.
You must focus on your feet to disallow pressure on your nerves. Zoning out may cause you to be complacent, and using the wrong techniques could lead to numb toes.
Change Your Exercise Stance And Balance
Running or pedaling while changing your movements, forward for some minutes and backward for the next, helps you avoid toe numbness.
You can also try some toe numbness exercises by wiggling or shaking your toe and foot when you feel the numbness coming on. This would enable circulation and avoid an unpleasant tingling feeling in your toes.
Address Any Medical Issue
You should inquire from your doctor if using an elliptical trainer is the best option for you if you have any kind of medical condition. These machines help out joint strains due to their low-impact workout but could be harmful due to other health problems. Knowing what is compatible with your body is an important step toward healthy fitness goals.
Adjust Elliptical Movements
Another way to know how to stop foot numbness while working out on your ellipticals is by changing your pedaling direction. Try to naturally shift the weight from your heel to your toes at each stride. Doing all this with your foot fixed on the pedals helps keep your toes active and avoid numbness.
Shorter Elliptical Time
Working for a prolonged time on your fitness trainer is detrimental, so you should try to cut down your time and rest in between. This helps you avoid numbness in your foot and other potential strain or fatigue in your muscles and joints.
conclusion
Getting complacent or zoning out and prolonging your time on your elliptical is pretty normal, but getting numb toes is certainly not, and you shouldn’t ignore it either. Numb feet from exercising on your elliptical trainer is usually not a severe issue.
Because you get relief just by taking some time away from your workout machine, these sensations can be uncomfortable, unpleasant, and distracting. Try to avoid them as much as possible by following the guides in this article.
Taking care of your body on your elliptical helps you achieve your fitness expectations quicker.
