PSA: Wiggle your toes
 

since my rides are getting back into the 2+ hour region, i've been having some problem with my toes going numb after a while on the bike.

i am pretty sure my shoes fit very well, so i didnt think this was the problem.

as luck would have it, i wound up at a bar with a friend of a friend who is a sports medicine physical therapist, and i was telling him about my experience.

he relayed that it is common for people to "tense up" certain muscles during strenuous physical activity, when they do not need to. for example, apparently it is pretty common for cyclists, and people who exert hard effort to complain of jaw pain and discomfort. after seeing dentists with no avail, it is sometimes determined that they are clenching their jaw, or mashing their teeth during hard efforts, which leads to the discomfort, simply relaxing the jaw consciously during the effort solves the problem.

on one of my last rides i made a point to examine what my body was doing when i was hammering, climbing a hill, sprinting, etc. turns out i was, in fact clenching up my toes, curling them in so to speak when i was really on the rivet.

i made a strong conscious effort to relax the toes, even wiggle them a little in my cycling shoes when i would otherwise be clenching them up. surprise, surprise, toe numbness gone.

this may seem obvious to some people, but i had no idea i was doing this until i was looking for it, and apparently i'm not alone, according to this PT.

anyway - if you have numb toes, (or some other part...) it could be this simple for you too, hope this helps someone.

Supplesse.

Good idea
 

I like your idea of doing a physical inventory while hammering.
Even if you are not currently having any pain or discomfort, it's good to know what you are doing with your body that may cause problems down the line.

I'm working with a young lady who is just getting into cycling, in preparation for doing triathlons. We were out two weeks ago, working pretty hard on one section of our ride. I pulled up next to her and said exactly that..."Wiggle your toes"...then "Relax your shoulders". You could almost see the tension drain from her face.

Personally, I'm a big toe clencher and have to remind myself all the time to relax my feet.

You'll also find your HR will drop when you are able to relax the muscles not involved with the exertion at hand.

apparently i was/am too, but i honestly never realized until i was looking for it.

Wow. I have been having these exact same problems too! For my jaw, I will try to open it while I am riding but I cant open it more than an inch or so, the first time this happened I was terrified that I had lock jaw or something. All I had to do was relax my face a little and I could open it all the way up.

My feet I have been noticing latly that I curl up my toes when I am hammering. And subsequently I get sore feet by the end of the ride, and sometimes my feet "fall asleep".

Thanks for posting!

Wow! I've been having a case of the numb toes recently on the bike. I'll have to check this out. I appreciate the post! Never considered myself much of a clincher, except on long road trips... ;)

I've long been a fan of modifying my shoes and boots for comfort by adding a custom cut gel insole that supports only the ball of the foot, and arch if necessary. Dr Scholls gel insoles work great. To make them for my bike shoes I laid an existing pair of custom insoles over a new pair, drew a line around the border with a marker pen, then cut the new insoles with a pair of scissors. The key is to make sure the toe region is cut away so that when the custom insoles are inserted in your shoes, the balls of your feet have additional support, while your toes do not, thus giving them that much more toe wiggle room inside your shoes.