We all love hiking. Everything about getting out in nature is beautiful, but when you come home with numb toes, it’s frustrating. Unfortunately, that’s not all. You should be able to feel your feet even if you walk miles every day. When you can’t, there’s a problem. Sadly, identifying the issue is only half of the solution. Keeping the sensation and blood flow to your feet is more vital than you realize. Regrettably, you can suffer nerve damage or even lose toes if you don’t take care of your feet properly when you have numbness after hiking. I’ll walk you through some simple solutions and possible causes. Then I’ll teach you an excellent trick for restoring numb extremities. Don’t ignore problems with your feet if you want to keep hiking and walking in the future.
Why are my toes numb after hiking? Your toes are numb after hiking due to nerve compression. Most importantly, you need to get the blood flowing back into your feet before it does severe damage. Over time, that occasional, annoying numbness can lead to serious problems like pain and nerve damage. Luckily, you don’t have to live with numbness.
Why Your Toes Get Numb After Hiking
Numbness, whether it’s in your toes or not, is usually caused by nerve compression, so it’s likely to happen after a long hike. All that pressure on your feet can be fierce. Moreover, when you carry a daypack or another backpack, it can add to the weight on your feet. Thus you’re further compressing the nerves.
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It’s Not (Always) You
Although too much pressure from walking is often the cause of your numb toes after a hike, there are other culprits. You should be aware of the weather and the fit of your shoes. Because both of those things can contribute to numbness, it’s wise to check.
Tight Shoes
Do you pull your laces so hard they break? People who tighten their shoelaces excessively can cut off circulation and further compress their feet while walking. Although there’s nothing wrong with a nice close-fit, try relaxing the laces.
Not every problem is a big deal. Sometimes it’s merely a matter of re-lacing. Also, it helps to make sure you have the right fit. Your feet shouldn’t feel squished inside your hiking boots. If you wear extra socks to hike, consider going up a half size in shoes.
You can relieve the compression numbness with Earthborn Elements Tea Tree Epsom Salt. The added benefit of aromatherapy stress relief will help relax you all over. Plus, this blend also helps fight foot fungus and unpleasant odor. See the reviews on Amazon by clicking here.
Cold
Numbness from freezing is a different problem. If you’ve been out hiking in frigid weather, you could have frostbite. In that case, you need a very different solution for those numb toes, so you don’t damage them.
First, get off your feet right away. You should never walk on frostbitten feet unless it’s necessary for survival. As soon as possible, get the pressure off your feet and legs. Then you need to treat that frostbite.
Starting with cool, but not cold water, soak your feet. Slowly add slightly warmer water every five minutes or so until you bring your toes and feet back to feeling more normal. This process can sting or even be painful. Be careful not to overheat the water, or you can burn that freezing skin.
Treat Numb Toes from Hiking
Numbness after hiking can be annoying, or outright painful. Not everyone experiences numbness the same way. Lack of sensation, pain, tingling, and even burning sensations are all signs of numbness in your extremities. Luckily, one of the best things you can do is take off your shoes and put your feet up right away.
Give your compressed toes time to relax a little bit before you unpack your backpack or get busy doing other activities. If you have a foot roller, then self-massage is also an excellent way to start treating those tingling toes. Better yet, an actual massage will do wonders.
Although it’s okay to take an OTC pain killer like aspirin or Tylenol, if you’re sore, it’s not always the best plan to use that as your go-to. Particularly when you’re survival minded, finding sustainable solutions that don’t rely on shops and factories is a better way to go.
Once you’ve taken the first steps, no pun intended, it’s time to kick your healing up a notch. I recommend a nice soak in a foot bath with Epsom salts to help restore your feet.
How to Use Epsom Salts for Numb Toes
Self-care is an essential survivalist skill. Taking the time to make sure your feet feel well will help keep you on them longer when disasters strike. Unfortunately, a little foot pain and numbness can add up over time, and cause you long term losses in stamina, or worse.
Preparing a relaxing foot soak is a simple and highly effective way to make sure you’re doing all you can for those numb toes. Additionally, you can use this technique if you have tired achy feet after work, or when you’re experiencing foot cramps. Best of all, it’s almost effortless.
Set Up Your Soak
First, you’ll need a tub you can fit both of your feet in comfortably. Using a regular bathtub is fine in a pinch. However, if you’re already there, consider using it as a whole body bath instead. Your muscles will thank you.
Fill up your tub with hot water. You don’t want to scald yourself, but as warm as you can comfortably take it will help promote circulation. Plus, the hotter the water, the faster the Epsom will dissolve.
If you’re only using a foot bath, add two to four tablespoons of Epsom salt. You can add more, but it’s not necessary, and there’s no point in being wasteful. Unless your particular package says otherwise, this should be plenty.
Finally, stick your bare feet in the tub. If you’re doing a whole body bath, you’ll want one fourth to two full cups of Epsom instead, so it’s not too diluted. After that, all you need to do is soak for about fifteen minutes. This is safe to do even if you hike every day.
Dry your feet off and put them up on a footstool or pillow to relax a while. After all, most numbness is caused by compression, so your toes and feet need to relax. They can’t do that if you don’t stop moving.
When to See a Doctor About Toe Numbness
Unfortunately, sometimes there’s more to that hiking related toe numbness than meets the eye. You need to take care of your health if you want to survive in extreme situations. That means getting proactive about your health needs. If post-hiking isn’t the only time you’re experiencing numbness and tingling in your toes, you should be concerned.
If you’ve never had numbness in your feet before, and it was a strenuous hike, then soak your feet and relax. You’re probably just fine especially if you hiked a lot further, or with much more weight on your back than usual.
Pregnant women in their third trimester often experience numb toes, even if they haven’t been hiking. Swelling in the feet and ankles adds extra pressure. Similarly, if you’ve been injured and you’re hiking on a swollen ankle, it can add to toe numbness. In that case, you probably need to take it easy.
When in Doubt, Check it Out
You should always listen to your body when it tells you something is wrong. Compressive neuropathies, fibromyalgia, and diabetes among a slew of other health concerns can all lead to numbness in your extremities. Make sure to schedule an appointment with your MD if you’re concerned, or the numbness becomes painful.
Using a high-quality Epsom salt like Coach Soak: Muscle Recovery Bath Soak from Amazon can help with normal numbness. Not only will it help with sore muscles and circulation, but it also helps with inflammation. With four essential oil scents to choose from, dead sea salt, and twenty-one essential minerals, there’s a lot of beneficial ingredients in a bag of Coach Soak. To find out more about Coach Soak, click here.
If you have regular trouble with numbness in your toes when you go hiking, or at other times, talk to your doctor. There may be an underlying condition contributing to the problem. Sometimes you need more than an Epsom soak to fix the issue. However, in the meantime, it won’t hurt anything for you to get comfortable. Use a foot tub to get those numb nerves loosened up.
Final Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmeeqMxZu-8
It’s not healthy to have numb toes after hiking. Although sometimes you can fix the issue by loosening your shoelaces, it’s rarely that simple. Never ignore numbness in your extremities.
In addition to staying healthier and better prepared for an emergency, hiking could help you in unexpected ways. It’s vital to be able to keep on the move in a survival situation. That numbness after hiking can turn out to be a real boon because it warns you that something isn’t right.
Make sure you soak those toes in a warm Epsom salt bath to help keep your blood flowing. Additionally, if you experience pain or numbness when you’re not exercising, you should see your doctor for a checkup.