Update...
Finally got the Sidi Genius 6.6 shoes and had my podiatrist fit the orthotics to them. First rides impressions:
1. The shoes are definitely an upgrade from my Genius 5's. The fit is superior, especially the very secure feeling in the heel. No feeling like I was "pulling out" of my shoe from 7 to 12 on the upstroke. The sole is a lot stiffer and the pedal pressure has been dissipated. Ne feeling of waterfalling over the pedal on the downstroke. Really a good feeling.
2. The orthotics take some getting used to. The ridge behind the balls of my feet were most noticeable. I thought they were going to take a lot of time to get used to them. However, after about 20 miles, I realized they really felt terrific. They seem to take the pressure off the balls of my feet and allow them to relax.
3. The arch in the orthotic for my right foot felt "back". The left foot felt perfectly fine. During our second ride, I noticed my right foot was feeling a lot more comfortable. The arch seemed to be where it belongs.
4. The combination of new shoes and orthotics makes a very positive difference. My podiatrist said it could take a couple of months to see if the shoe/orthitic combination is going to solve my Neuropathy problem. Will let you know what happens.

Fingers crossed in hopes that the orthotics help.

If you ride with clipless pedals could this numbness be the result of damage to your feet caused by the clipless pedals??

Try platform pedals to see if that helps..........

My right foot is larger than my left which leads to numbnessof right foot only (never left). I started lacing up my shoes less tight, not cinching down toe clips on my old school bikes to tight. Wore -3 different pairs of shoes a day to make sure that it wasn't some other chronic thing with shoes. Eventually went away.

One other thing..I went through a year of plantar faciatis. The only way I cured it was switching shoes frequently and it still took a year to cure.

Related but not exactly the issue. Anybody have any insight into tendonitis of the Achilles tendon. Stopped running months ago and have not changed cycling shoes or position. Pain will not go away. Sometimes can not get down stairs due to the pain.

The position of your foot on clipless pedals often causes this condition. Go to your LBS and have the clip on your shoe adjusted to match your bike geometry.
The problem could be something else but you should eliminate this possibility because it is so common.

DenverFox has had a lot of experience with his AT lately, find his thread about what he has done for his problem and the acupuncture that helped him so much. P.M. if you cannot find the thread or possibly he will see your reply. I did a partial rupture of my left AT last October in a century, had to abandon, I used the things my physician told me to try since it didn't completely separate and require surgery. Denver can explain this much better than I could.
Hope this heals up for you, it is painful. I'll abandon my hijack now, sorry.
Bill

Saw my Podiatrists (one is a Cat2 racer) today. All Neurological and biopsy tests came back normal. The diagnosis is nerve compression in the balls of my feet. My orthotics were adjusted slightly to correct right foot arch pressure. The combination of Sidi 6.6 Mega Wide shoes with stiff soles and the orthotics have eliminated the ball of foot painful hot spots (felt like little hot ball bearings in the my shoes). I was able to ride a double metric a couple of weeks ago with no pain.
The Cat 2 podiatrist suggested that I change from Speedplays to a wider platform pedal. He doubts if I will ever be able to completely eliminate the numbness, but wider platform pedals will distribute the pressure over a larger area and (probably) stop the numbness from getting any worse. It is a tough one to do because I have been riding Speedplays for 20 years and love them. However, if I can continue to ride and not make the numbness worse, I am willing to make the change.
Thanks for the posts

If the soles of your shoes are stiff, the area of spread on the pedals doesn't come into the equation, I'm afraid.

There is already a wide plate in the bottom of the shoe that the cleat screws into. A wide pedal isn't going to distribute any pressure signficantly enough to avoid what ostensibly was an issue inside your shoe. I've been through this process, too, and going to a wide pedal didn't help.

Your problem has apparently been fixed, and if you continue to ride without recurrence of the symptoms, there is not need to move away from the Speedplays.

Actually Rowan, there is a pressure deflection change from my Speedplay's to a larger platform pedal, but, with the current stiffness of the carbon sole and orthotic, it is only incremental. Pressure=Force/Area. Think of a 6" square surface of aluminium foil. One pound of pressure applied to the end of a needle would easily pierce the foil. However, if the same one pound of pressure was equally distributed across the entire 6" square surface, the foil would easily support the weight.

Another misconception on the Speedplay's platform being to small. When hooked up the one of the biggest in the business.

You guys go in for the clipless race stuff, I got some, way back then,
but for real long tours loose fit shoes keeps the circulation going ..

Too loose for Spud release , would end up more like pulling out my foot from the shoe..



my feet liked the loose fit of a modified* slot cleat shoe and Toeclips and plain old Campag pedals

and 3/4 length Birkenstock cork composite insoles but You guys like tight shoes ..YMMV obviously..

*the shape lets an arc of float/ play still work fine.. unlike strait slot shoes ..

1+ on the metatarsal pad. I also started suffering numbness and extreme pain a few years back. The pain was so bad I could barely pedal and sometimes had to rest or walk the bike. I went to a podiatrist who said it was Morton's neuroma. I was riding mtb shoes and pedals so I switched to a pedal with a larger platform bed to get some pressure off the ball of my foot. I also moved the cleat back a little, less efficient pedaling but also a little less pain. Then finally I got custom inserts with a metatarsal pad and that did the trick. No more pain though every once in a while I do get some numbness on a long ride, but not often.

I've had this type of foot pain from cycling for years. I tried different shoes, different pedal types, different foot positions. Not much helped. In my case, which is certainly not everyone's case, it turned out to be a pinched nerve in my back. Neurological problems sometimes have symptoms in places other than the causes, and that's my problem. I am working on improving strength and flexibility in my back. I'm also improving my posture while on and off the bike. The posture improvements have helped my foot pain more than anything so far.

I was pinching the same nerve in the same place long ago. It was so severe that I needed surgery, because I was unable to walk or stand. This was 25 years ago, when I was only 27 years old! Now that the problem is back, it is much less severe than it was. I am sure I don't need surgery, and I definitely don't want it, either. I'm grateful my insurance paid for the nerve test, though I can't remember what it was called or what kind of doctor performed it. It was an unpleasant test of shocks going through my legs and feet.

Lessons:

Things are not always what they seem, especially with nerves.

Perseverance with doctors pays off.

An improvement in health does not mean it's OK to be complacent. Keep up the stretching and strengthening exercises!

Always seek to learn more.

Although maybe not on point for the OP, an excellent resource for many cycling issues is Steve Hogg's excellent site. He addresses a number of common foot problems, and generally recommends a mid-sole cleat placement. You can start with the following article, and review other information. https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/...-arch-support/

I was pleased to see that of the 3 commercially available orthotics that he recommends, Superfeet is included. This is what I've recommended to others, and what I posted in another recent thread. I'll add this link to that thread for reference.