Dead foot? Help please :(

-steves-

Hi

I am new to this forum and was advised by a friend to ask here if anyone can help me out with an issue I am having.

I only started cycling in Januray this year, where my fitness level was exceptionally low and have slowly built up some distance levels and speed to a level where I am happy with it. I do however keep getting the same problem time after time. My left foot is going from normal to "pins and needles" then through to numb after about an hour or so on the bike. I use quality padded shorts, I use a pair of trainers on normal pedals. The seat is a standard seat for a specialized sectuer base model, which is a Rival 143. I do find I have to move around on the seat after about an hour or so as it does start to get a tad uncomfortable. i should also note that since starting this I have managed to get a "trapped siatica nerve" in my other side back / leg which is also not helping matters but not sure this is a direct link, I doubt it as its the other side?

My questions are

1) How can I solve the dead foot thing, is it riding position, seat, pedals, trainers etc? Anyone else had similar and solved it?
2) Could the trapped siatica nerve be caused by my recent take up of riding and if so, is there any way to stop this?

Please help me if you can

Cheers
Steve

mrwibble

stuff like this is all over this forum, if it starts after an hour I would check how you have set your bike up in relation to how you are sitting on it. It really could be anything, you could have the saddle too far back, too high, stem too long. If you are taking the cycle lark properly, get some good shoes, cleats, pedals and get a bike fit. It costs yes but will be worth it in the long run.
One little tip for you buy some spiky massage balls, get two different sizes, one small and one bigger and work them into your lower back (either side of spine). Feel the tight muscle and use the release theory. Which is apply maximum pressure to the muscle (psoas) and when the pain disappears after about 30 secs you have relaxed the muscle.
If you are a desk jockey I suspect you have a weak psoas muscle which will be rounded and pressing on your sciatic nerve, use the balls to release it and try them on your outer hip muscles.
Hope this helps, bike fit recommened

-steves-

Thanks Mrwibble

Yup, had guessed a bike fit may be in need after reading a few other posts, but was kinda hoping that I wouldn;t have to go to the extremes of shoes, cleats, pedals and a bike fit all in one go. The idea was originally to get fit on the cheap, however with the costs so far, its not very cheap at all, lol :roll:

Sounds like some good advice on the siatica issue, I will have to give that a go, the doctors have been less than useless for me on that one, just giving me strong muscle relaxants which i have to eat with and then saying there is nothing more they can do, not very helpful :oops: Great guess on the desk job, lol

I was hoping to put some 50 mile runs in soon, but as things are, once I get to around 30 - 35 miles, my foot wants to drop off and hurts like hell when the feeling starts to come back in after a short rest

Guess its time to start saving up for the above, which are likely to cost more than the bike itself :shock:

ctrlaltdel

Might sound a bit obvious, but how tight are you tying your shoes up? I've tightened my shoes up too much and cut the circulation off once or twice before. also try and match your foot position with what you would find on a clipless shoe/pedal setup, or just get clipless pedals anyway, since they have many advantages.

-steves-

I bet I need a new seat too don't I :oops: :evil: I just hope not

mrwibble

Psoas is the muscle troubling you and me

http://tptherapy.wordpress.com/2010/06/ ... the-psoas/

lots of stuff for psoas online but invest in a pair massage balls, great for releasing upper back, shoulders and so on.

try this test
http://www.floota.com/psoas_tests.html

get some sports massage to release that lower back, hips etc, my sciatica has vanished for a couple of months now, when my psoas feels tight i have a quick two minutes at work with the massage balls against a wall to release the tension

let me know how you get on

-steves-

ctrlaltdel wrote:

Might sound a bit obvious, but how tight are you tying your shoes up? I've tightened my shoes up too much and cut the circulation off once or twice before. also try and match your foot position with what you would find on a clipless shoe/pedal setup, or just get clipless pedals anyway, since they have many advantages.

The trainers are lose enough, I had an issue when I first started walking in them that I had them too tight, now I can walk miles in them with no discomfort and as you say, it was down to having them too tight. I do try and match foot position with a clipless setup, but I am sure when I go through the miles I must change position of my foot as I feel it start to numb up. I would just love to justify a clip setup, but fear that it would be a complete waste of money for a novice like myself, I have no idea of what it would give back to me and also I have this big fear of not getting my foot out of them and just falling sideways :oops:

mrwibble

you justify a clip setup because you enjoy cycling and you cannot put a cost on your health. Ditch the trainers...

-steves-

mrwibble wrote:

you justify a clip setup because you enjoy cycling and you cannot put a cost on your health. Ditch the trainers...

Honestly and truely, will a clip setup help me with these issues I am having? If so, then I will do it, if not, then it would truely be a waste of money and another accident waiting to happen at a junction near me :oops:

rothers_bikeo

-steves- wrote:

Honestly and truely, will a clip setup help me with these issues I am having? If so, then I will do it, if not, then it would truely be a waste of money and another accident waiting to happen at a junction near me :oops:

Whilst a clip-in setup is where you want to be heading the most important thing is to dump those trainers. Get some proper cycling shoes (non-flexible soles), adding toe straps to your existing pedals will do fine for now.

-steves-

Thanks for all the replies.

Now, who can tell me a decent place to get a bike fit near to Cambridge???? :shock:

Any adivice greatfully received

kingrollo

1. Lower the saddle.

2. Get some cleats and shoes. Be careful with the shoes - your feet will sweat and swell on a ride - so what fits in the shop - may become tight after an hours cycling. You can not go by your normal shoe size. A decent shop will let you sit in the shoes for a while.

3.Practice pedalling - pull up as well as push down.

If cash is an issue - I would do the shoes\pedals before the fit. you can read up and adjust your position until you get it right. Post a few pictures of your position on here if you like. Thats not to say a bike fit isn't a good investment - I would just say that shoes/pedals are the priority here.

cyberknight

With regards to the sciatica bike fit is the most important factor.

I had very similar problems and fixed it by ..

lowering the saddle 3 mm
moving the saddle back a similar amount.

specific exercises to help stretch the muscles thta can be trappign the nerve, some people actually have the sciatic nerve running through the pirifomis muscle which contracts pressing on the nerve.

-steves-

cyberknight wrote:

With regards to the sciatica bike fit is the most important factor.

I had very similar problems and fixed it by ..

lowering the saddle 3 mm
moving the saddle back a similar amount.

specific exercises to help stretch the muscles thta can be trappign the nerve, some people actually have the sciatic nerve running through the pirifomis muscle which contracts pressing on the nerve.

Just 3mm....wow, I was adjusting my saddle height by 1/2 an inch at a time, goes to show what you learn by reading on here, I see on other posts just a few mm can make all the difference, looks like I am in for some shoes, pedals and a bike fit asap, wont stop me trying to do another 30 miles at 6.30 tomorrow moring though, lol

Berk Bonebonce

Who is saying spend however much money on a bike fit when all the problem might be is excessive road shock? Rule out the obvious things first: too high a tyre pressure (and especially with aluminium frames) can result in numb feet. Try lower pressures and/or fatter tyres.