Hands and feet feel numb after running

In daily life, many people like to run. It not only exercises the body, but also detoxifies and beautifies the skin, which is very beneficial. However, some people experience discomfort symptoms after running, the most common of which are palpitations, limb soreness, and dizziness. No matter what kind of discomfort symptoms occur, they need to be taken seriously. Today, I will tell you the causes and solutions of numbness in hands and feet after running.

Causes of numbness in hands and feet after running

1. Manifestations of menstrual fatigue.

The numbness during running did not appear first in the legs, where the muscles contracted the most, but in the arms, suggesting that the numbness may not just be muscle fatigue. In fact, the feeling of muscle numbness is often a sign of nerve irritation and fatigue.

For example: Sometimes we feel numbness in our legs after standing or sitting for a long time. This is usually because the body remains in one posture for a long time and local nerves are under pressure for a long time. Or local blood vessels may be compressed, causing ischemia and hypoxia, which in turn stimulates the nervous system. The numbness will disappear soon after you change your position. Patients with cervical spondylosis or lumbar disc herniation may also experience numbness in their hands and feet, which is also a manifestation of nerve compression.

An obvious characteristic of nervous fatigue is that it affects the whole body, not just the part that is moved. Because nervous fatigue is often central fatigue, the reaction of the central nervous system (mainly the brain) will be transmitted to all parts of the body. This is why your arms will feel numb when you run with your legs.

According to the Pavlov school, the root cause of sports fatigue is the "protective inhibition" produced by the cerebral cortex. During exercise, a large number of impulses are transmitted to the central neurons in the cerebral cortex, causing them to be excited for a long time. As one of the most important organs in the human body, the brain is the one that needs the most protection and rest. When the central nervous system of the cerebral cortex continues to receive fatigue from the peripheral nervous system, an inhibition process occurs to avoid further consumption, which has a protective effect on the cerebral cortex. In 1971, Yakovlev discovered that when mice engaged in long-term exercise and became fatigued, the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the cerebral cortex, a central inhibitory neurotransmitter, increased significantly.

There are many reasons that can stimulate the nervous system during long-term exercise. The excitement of the nervous system itself, strenuous muscle movement, the reduction of energy substances, hypoxia, increased lactic acid, loss of electrolytes, and excessively low or high temperature (a precursor to hypothermia and heat stroke) can all stimulate nerve cells, trigger nerve impulses, and be transmitted to the central neurons of the cerebral cortex, inducing a process of protective inhibition.

2. Lactic acid accumulation causes numbness in the arms.

The "blockage theory" of sports fatigue believes that fatigue is caused by the accumulation of certain metabolic products in body tissues. Lactic acid is a very important metabolite related to fatigue.

Lactic acid is an intermediate product produced during the metabolism of glucose in the body during exercise. When the intensity of exercise is high and the oxygen supply is insufficient, the aerobic oxidation system is insufficient to supply energy, which increases the anaerobic glycolysis function and causes a large amount of anaerobic metabolic product lactic acid to accumulate in the body.

The accumulation of lactic acid causes the pH value in muscle tissue and blood to drop, which is acidification. This will cause the calcium ion concentration in the sarcoplasm of muscle cells to decrease, affecting the interaction between myosin and actin, and reducing the muscle's contraction ability; the muscle's anaerobic glycolysis metabolic capacity will decrease; acidification will also directly stimulate nerve cells and hinder the transmission of excitation between nerves and muscles, thereby affecting athletic ability. Many times, the feeling of "numbness" is also produced in this way.

Judging from the characteristics of running movements, although the arm muscles produce less strength and energy metabolism, and produce less lactic acid themselves, the lactic acid in the body's blood circulation, that is, blood lactate, can cause irritation to the arms. Because lactic acid is not only limited to exercising skeletal muscle cells. After being produced in skeletal muscle cells, it enters the blood and becomes blood lactate, and is transported to other parts of the body through blood circulation. So even though it looks like you are running with your legs, you may experience numbness all over your body.

In addition, lactic acid not only causes muscle fatigue, but is also a major cause of nerve fatigue. The fatigue caused by lactic acid stimulating the nerve endings, superimposed on the original fatigue of the nervous system, aggravates the feeling of "numbness".

How to deal with numbness in hands and feet after running?

Through the above analysis, runners should already know that arm numbness during running may be due to fatigue of the nervous system itself, or it may be due to excessive blood lactate concentration that stimulates nerve cells. When you run for a short time and at a high intensity, the impact of blood lactate is greater. Blood lactate stimulates nerve cells and is the main cause of numbness in your arms. Long-term, low-intensity continuous running causes more fatigue to the nervous system itself rather than other stimuli such as lactic acid.

So, if you feel numbness in your arms when running at high speed, you might as well try slowing down. Slowing down can greatly reduce the degree of hypoxia in the body, reduce anaerobic lactic acid metabolism, and lower blood lactate concentration, which will greatly improve neuromuscular fatigue. But if you still feel the tingling after you slow down and it continues to get worse, it is more of a sign of nervous fatigue.

When the nerves are fatigued, the various systems of the body are actually in a relatively tired state, such as reduced energy reserves, muscle fiber fatigue, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, excessive heat in the body, etc. Therefore, if you feel tired or "hitting the wall" during a marathon, you must accurately judge your physical condition.

1. If you just feel that you can't run anymore, your pace slows down, and your desire to exercise decreases, but you don't have any other abnormal physical reactions (such as nausea, dizziness, etc.), then this is a normal type of sports fatigue and you don't need to worry too much. As long as you maintain the rhythm and mechanical movement state, there will be no problem in continuing to compete, and it will not cause obvious harm to your body.

2. But if you not only run slower, but also suddenly experience abnormal reactions such as nausea, dizziness, palpitations, and difficulty breathing (which you never normally experience), and can no longer stay awake, then you need to be alert. If you insist on holding on, you may very likely "fall down" or even a more dangerous accident. It is a sensible choice to withdraw from the competition and stop training at this time.

Body numbness, as a warning signal sent by the nervous system, is often the second type of fatigue reaction mentioned above, which means you should be cautious when you persist in it. Body numbness indicates that physical fatigue has reached a "turning point". If you continue to persist, the excitability of nerves and muscles will drop drastically, and your physical condition will almost collapse. This is professionally called the "mutation theory."

This is not exactly the same as the so-called "banging your head against the wall". Because when you hit the wall, if you have a high competitive level and have a systematic pre-match training system, the reaction during the game will not be too big. Often you will just be unable to move your legs and your pace will decrease, and rarely you will experience reactions such as numbness and nausea. Runners with lower levels and unsystematic training will react more violently and often experience body numbness. This is a warning signal from the brain, telling you to be careful.