Elliptical Woes

You’ve Got That Tingling Feeling....

The elliptical has become an extremely popular piece of exercise equipment today. I mean there aren’t very many cardio machines that allow us to read a book or catch up on the latest episode of Survivor. The elliptical is a great low impact exercise for those of us with chronic back, hip, knee and ankle problems.

While the elliptical is a great way to get our cardio in, it can lead to discomfort for some users. Many people report feelings of burning, numbness or their feet falling asleep with prolonged use. This is due to the constant position on the balls of the feet throughout the exercise. This constant pressure on the nerves with no relief can cause that “strange” feeling. In addition the constant pressure can reduce the blood flow to the pads of our feet and exacerbate the condition. If you continue use of the elliptical in the presence of pain, inflammation of nerve can occur called a Morton's neuroma and pain can persist even after exercise is completed.

In order to prevent this from happening try to apply more body weight on your heels, and even mix up your workout by reversing the motion of your legs like you are back pedaling. This will place more pressure on your heels and should reduce symptoms. Adding a metatarsal pad to your shoe can reduce pressure and reduce or eliminate symptoms.

If problems persist try another form of low impact exercise like swimming or biking. If pain continues even with a change your regimen or continues after your exercise is complete, you may have a more serious condition like Morton's Neuroma that requires treatment.

Contact us and come see us at FAANT so we can get you on the road to recovery.

I Have a Neuroma.. Do I Need Surgery?

Neuromas can be very Irritating and Painful. A neuroma can prevent you from wanting to walk around and be active, and with summer around the corner who wants that?

Most of the time a neuroma will cause you to feel like you are walking on a pebble. It may cause shooting pain and tingling to the ball of your foot as well as to your toes, you may even experience numbness in your toes. Others might complain that it feels like they are walking on a rolled up sock in their shoes. All of these symptoms can be signs that you are suffering from a neuroma....
So what can we do to get rid of a neuroma??

There are many treatment options for neuromas.

1) Because neuromas are an inflammation and irritation of a nerve commonly from the bones in your feet, an injection into the area of the nerve can be helpful. It will calm down the inflammation and allow the nerve to become less irritated = less pain.

2) Accomodative Padding is another great option, by taking the pressure off the bones that are causing the nerve to become irritated, the nerve is able to relax and heal.

3) Custom Orthotics are another great treatment option. Nobody has a perfect foot and most people really will beefit from a custom device. An orthotic made specifically for your foot will allow a doctor to offload any areas in your foot that may be taking to much pressure.

4) Surgery is always an option once all conservative measures have been exhausted. Most of the time we are able to give patients a lot of relief from the other options listed above.

To learn more about neuromas click here.