Numb foot while riding

Okay, I know this is a bit strange, but does anyone suffer with numbness is their foot while riding? It is actually only the outside of my foot, and more often the right foot. I try to remember to take my foot out of the stirrups every once in awhile and rotate my ankles, which helps. I wonder if hinged stirrups might help with this, but I'm not sure. Am I the only one who experiences this?! If not, any ideas to improve the situation?

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Permalink Reply by Amy Allan on May 20, 2009 at 4:38am

Yes I used to get this allt the time.
Try lengthening your stirrups, it worked for me

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Permalink Reply by Bernd on May 24, 2009 at 4:32pm

I'd suggest you go and see a doctor, just to be sure. There can be medical issues behind this and some of those possibilities would require professional attention.
Ciao
Bernd

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Permalink Reply by Fiona Hill on May 25, 2009 at 2:23pm

Although Bernd is right in his suggestion that there could be medical issues behind this, I have to say (as an occupational therapist) that if there were, it would be likely you would be experiencing such problems in other situations and not just while you were riding your horse. I have had this myself and although my knowledge of the innervation of the lower limb is a bit sketchy, I think you can assume that loss of sensation and pins and needles in an otherwise fit person is usually caused by pressure on or stretching of a nerve. It might be that the pressure is high up in the pelvis (all the nerves to the foot and ankle go through the pelvis) or it might be, as already suggested, to do with the angle of your foot in the stirrup. So, all the suggestions seem reasonable to me so far -- the other thing not mentioned is to consider whether your boots are particularly tight up behind your knee, as there is a nerve called the common perineal nerve that comes behind the knee and feeds the outside of the foot... just another thing not considered!!

Failing that = ask a physiotherapist!

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Permalink Reply by Jen B on June 13, 2009 at 10:31am

Update - I did purchase jointed stirrups. I don't know how much they help with the numbness, but they are incredibly comfortable (I didn't think you could say that about stirrups). I have had less difficulty with the numbness problem, which I think is due to a combination of the more flexible stirrups, being more relaxed so I am less rigid with my ankles, and stirrup length. I have much less of a problem with longer stirrups. When I shorten them for jumping I need to remember to take my feet out of the stirrups every once in awhile and rotate my ankle. The problem seems to crop up if my ankle is "stuck" in the same position over time.
Thanks for all the suggestions!