You’ve started to increase your cycling mileage. You’re getting psyched about destroying the future century. Then, you begin to join the triple digits club and notice numbness, especially during longer rides. You have may cyclist’s foot or hot foot.
Cyclist’s foot is compression of the nerves and blood vessels. If the nerves and blood vessels become compressed for extended periods, you may experience burning, numbness, and tingling. The key to eliminating cyclist’s foot is to reduce the compression. Before trying any of the following tips listed later in this post, be sure to read the following three articles:
- Do You Have Knee Pain When Cycling?
- Do You Have Neck or Back Pain When Cycling?
- How to Prevent Numb Hands When Cycling
The posts above discuss details about establishing a proper bike fit. If your bike fit is not correct, you may try to fix your foot numbness improperly. A bike fit is a step-by-step process. Skipping ahead will lead to poor results.
Tips for Buying Cycling Shoes
If you are in the market for new cycling shoes, try on the shoes at the end of the day or after a long ride. Sometimes, the feet will swell. Trying on shoes when your feet are most likely to be swollen will give you a more accurate assessment of the overall fit. Also, if you’re ordering online, make sure you can easily return the shoes.
Look for Imperfections
The first step is to place your hand inside the shoe and ensure that there are no bumps. The inside of the shoe should be smooth. An imperfection within the shoe can press on the foot. Pay particular attention to the sewing and cleat plate. The stitching and cleat plate should be unnoticeable.
Volume Check and Arch Support
Before trying on the shoe, take out the insole. Then, step onto the insole with just your socks on. The insole should support your entire foot.
If any part of your foot is off the edge of the insole, then the shoe will be too tight for your foot. The shoe is supposed to be comfortable. So don’t choke your foot.
A cycling shoe’s insole gives you an idea about the volume inside of the shoe but also gives you an inside look at support. Every insole is different. Some cyclist shoes have supportive insoles to prevent your feet from flattening too much. Others have insoles that provide no support. Imagine pressing your foot down into the shoe thousands of revolutions. If the arch of your feet collapses, then your foot flattens and pushes into the outer edge of the shoe. The bones and joints within your foot compress against the nerves and blood vessels of your feet. Fortunately, there is a quick way to know if the insole is right for your foot.
Hold the insole up to your foot. The arch of the insole should support or fill in the arch of your foot.
If the insole’s arch is too low, you take a chance of your foot flattening too much. If the arch is too aggressive, it will act as a pressure point, causing other issues. Specialized has done a great job creating insoles to match most feet.
In addition to providing significant support for the inside arch of your foot, Specialized insoles also include a gradual arch across the midfoot. This midtarsal arch slightly separates the long bones of the feet, hence reducing the opportunity for compression.
Before finalizing your purchase, consider riding throughout the seasons. During the warm months, you typically wear thin socks. During the cold time of the year, you will need a little extra space inside the shoe to accommodate thick wool socks. If financially possible, purchase a pair of shoes for the warmer months and a pair of shoes for the colder months. If this is not possible, buy a shoe that can accommodate thicker socks but tightens enough to secure your foot when wearing thinner socks. I’m a big fan of the BOA adjustments.
The BOA adjustments are easy to loosen and tighten, depending on your socks. You just have to ensure that the rest of the shoe, especially the toe box, has enough space.
If you find shoes without imperfections, roomy shoes with wide toe boxes, and supportive insoles, you will eliminate most of the issues that cause numbness and tingling in the feet. If you already own a good pair of cycling shoes, you may need to replace the insoles, but remember to consider your bike fit. Bike fitting is something that should happen every season. If you found the ideal pair of shoes and had a bike fit and still have issues at the feet, then look closely at the cleat position under the shoe.
Cleat Position
Typically, the compression of the nerves and vessels of the foot occurs at the ball of the foot. If you feel that your shoes and insoles meet all of the above criteria, consider moving the cleat on the bottom of the shoe as far back as possible towards the heel. The back position of the cleat will shift the pressure when pedaling away from the ball of your foot.
Mid-foot Cycling
I’ve tried all of the above but continued to have a numb foot. I thought I knew all of the answers. Unfortunately, the usual fixes didn’t work for me, so I had to think outside of the box.
I stumbled on mid-foot cycling adapters. The adapters go on the bottom of your shoe, allowing you to attach your cleats closer to the heel to deweight the sensitive parts of your foot. Absolute genius!
Thinking Even More Outside of the Box
Since I’ve been blessed with a problematic foot, I’ve had to get creative with trying to get rid of the foot numbness. The mid-foot adapters worked well but there was a time that the adapters didn’t even fix my problem. The solution was mountain biking shoes on the road bike.
It may sound taboo to wear mountain biking shoes on the road bike, but it worked well for me. The Shimano XTR pedals combined with my Specialized mountain biking shoes created a perfect harmony for my foot. The secret was that the tread from the mountain biking shoes rested on the wide pedal. As a result, the pressure from my foot and the pedal were spread out. Worked like a charm!
What If Nothing Works?
You may have a neuroma. A neuroma is a thickening of a nerve. This thickening is related to repeated squeezing. The nerve becomes chronically irritated, leading to fibrous. The most common neuroma is Morton’s Neuroma. Morton’s neuroma most often affects the small digital nerve between the fourth and fifth toes. If you have tried everything to get rid of the foot numbness and tingling, consider consulting a physical therapist, podiatrist, or a physician that specializes in feet to help you.
