Toes falling asleep, tingling, numbness

Definition:

Tingling and numbness (such as toes falling asleep) are categorised as sensibility or sensory disorders.
Tingling or numbness in the limbs and other parts of the body indicate nervous disorders or insufficient circulation. Other causes should be considered.

Tingling is a sensation on the surface of the body. The unpleasant or even painful feeling is transmitted to the skin by sensitive nerves or nerve endings, forwarded through the neural pathways and perceived by the brain. That means that increased nerve activity plays a significant role when the hands or feet tingle. But there is usually no recognisable exterior stimulus.

Unpleasant tingling that is a symptom of a disorder is triggered by ‘incorrect’ or pathological stimuli, such as when the nerves in the affected area are damaged (by a disease). In such cases the pathways are overactive The incorrect perception (the medical term is paraesthesia) can arise in a wide variety of locations on the skin: in the arms and legs, the hands, fingers, feet and toes, the head and the face. It manifests as straining, piercing pain or formication. Some affected individuals describe the feeling as a burning or an electrical shock. Tingling occasionally precedes numbness, but can also follow it.

Numbness arises in the limbs (extremities), in the face, mouth or other delimited parts of the body. These sensations, which are usually considered irritating, can also affect nearly a whole side of the body. Sitting in the same position, such as with drawn-up legs, for a long time may lead to the legs ‘falling asleep’. Pressure on the nerves can cause these innocuous problems that go away again when the leg is moved.

Numbness indicates temporary nerve underactivity that may be harmless, but may be pathological. Experts refer to this as hypoaesthesia. Occasionally, the nerves in the affected area, such as the feet, are damaged and have lost some of their function. Blood flow might also be disrupted, causing a part of the body to be undersupplied.

Tingling and numbness have a variety of causes. The damage might be directly in the areas experiencing stabbing pain or numbness, but may also be in superordinate areas of the body. For example, it is not uncommon for problems in the cervical spine to manifest as tingling fingers or hands.

What Causes Tingling and Numbness?

• Foot malposition/toe malposition (such as Hallux valgus/bunions)
• Lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint in the kyBoot/on the kyBounder.
  This causes too much pressure on the foot, and its blood vessels and nerves can be pinched, resulting in the area going to sleep.
• Toe clenching in shoes
• Shoes are too small
• Problems in the lumbar spinal column (such as spinal disc problems)
• Disorders such as peripheral vascular disease (circulation disorder), diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, psychological causes

Long-term consequences of tingling and numbness in feet

Toes falling asleep is usually not a serious problem and represents a temporary reaction that is easily corrected. However, caution is advised in the following cases:

Always consult a physician if tingling or numbness arises suddenly without discernible cause or if it is very severe or of long duration. Sensation disorders that recur at specific intervals should also be reported to a physician. This is true especially when further complaints, such as pain, visual disturbances, signs of paralysis, dizziness, nausea or skin reactions arise in addition to paraesthesia. If you have diabetes or another disorder, it is always important to take changes to the surface of your body seriously.

How Conventional Therapy treats numbness and tingling in the feet:

Treatment varies according to cause. For example:

• Physiotherapy
• Medications that stimulate circulation (for diseases that involve circulatory problems)
• Pressure relief in the affected area (for a foot malposition), often by means of orthopaedic insoles

Why being PROACTIVE is an essential solution:

Over the long term, you can improve foot strength, mobility and circulation in the kyBoot and actively do something about your toes falling asleep, malpositions and deterioration of your foot and toe joints.

In the kyBoot/on the kyBounder, your foot stands on a soft, elastic sole/mat and can move freely in all directions. When you walk, you can roll your foot naturally from the heel to the big toe, mobilising the joints and strengthening the foot and leg musculature.
With the kyBoot/kyBounder, you can actively work against circulatory disorder in the feet or legs, stiffness in the toes and ankle joints, or weakened foot musculature (foot malposition).

The increased rollover improves the circulation in the feet and legs and loosens restricted joints. This reduces or even eliminates incidences of cold feet or tingling and numbness in the toes.

And all this happens automatically when you walk in the shoes or stand on the mat

What to expect at the beginning

Specific initial reactions with existing foot problems (such as foot/toe malposition, circulatory problems, osteoarthritis):

In the beginning, the toes or feet can ‘go to sleep’ in the kyBoot/on the kyBounder. This is a common initial reaction and reveals your weak spot. As soon as your foot musculature becomes stronger and your joints more mobile, these symptoms will decrease and usually go away altogether. You can read about what you should do in this case here: Initial reactions

How to exercise to supercharge your feet

Start with Interval walking:

1. Put on non-slip socks before you begin
2. If your feet begin to fall asleep during interval walking, use a fast exercise to increase circulation
3. Read the instructions here: kybun interval walking instructions

For information about the special kyBoot exercises or the basic kyBounder exercises , please click here: kybun exercises

Some more tips for you

• Be sure to maintain an upright body posture and foot position.
• Correct any lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint in the kyBoot/on the kyBounder. The load on the foot should be applied uniformly, which means that the same amount of pressure should be applied to the front, back, right and left sides of the foot.
• Be sure to roll your foot naturally when you walk, from the heel to the big toe. Push off with the big toe, not the little toe!
• If this causes you severe pain because you suffer from toe osteoarthritis, you should shorten your steps and push off with your big toe with less force.
• Avoid taking excessively long steps since this makes it easier to maintain balance and an upright foot position with the kyBoot/kyBounder.
• Always lace the kyBoot from bottom to top without pulling too tightly.
• Keep the toes loose without curling them (this often happens unconsciously)!
• Perform the kybun exercises regularly in order to loosen the muscles.
• If you feel very fatigued in the kyBoot/on the kyBounder despite the kybun exercises, are no longer able to correct lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint or even feel pain, we advise taking a short kybun break until the symptoms go away.
• Try different kyBoot models: The first-generation models are slightly wider in the forefoot, which means the toes have more room to move. Ask for advice at a specialist kybun store.
• If you have a flattened transversal arch of the foot (forefoot muscle weakness), we recommend inserting a stiffer, thin insole (available at shoe stores) in the forefoot area of the kyBoot. This insole reduces the softness of the kyBoot sole somewhat so your foot does not get over-extended as easily.
• For more information, see the indication ‘Forefoot pain’.

What can cause temporary tingling and numbness in your kyBoot shoes or on the kyBounder mat? 

• Specific initial reactions with stiff joints:
  The increased rollover in the kyBoot/on the kyBounder mobilizes stiff joints too much at first. This can lead to pain or numbness.
• The kyBoot is fastened too tightly
• Specific initial reactions with weak foot musculature:
  This causes the foot to roll slightly to the side at first. This compresses the nerves in the area and causes the toes to fall asleep.
• Foot shape:
  Some foot shapes (usually feet that are too broad) may mean that certain kyBoot models do not fit. There must be enough room in the kyBoot for the toes to move freely, and the shoe should not pinch anywhere!

When you use the kyBoot/kyBounder, the musculature of your feet may be overtaxed at first, causing slight lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint. There are other reasons (see ‘Causes’ at the top) why toes fall asleep/become numb. It is essential that you discover what causes your toes to fall asleep and counteract that cause.

Numbness in the kyBoot/kyBounder is very unpleasant, but it is usually a temporary initial reaction that goes away as soon as its cause has been removed.

All you need to do now is decide if the kyBoot shoes or kyBounder mats are the best solution for you and order now!

If you need help or have more questions please email us at info@kyboot.shoes