Yep, this happens to me too especially on the elliptical machine....a chiropractor helps, but also being aware of it so that I'm more focused on moving my feet & weight around on the foot holder of the machine so I don't keep the same amount of pressure on the pads of my feet...I'm much more focused on keeping my weight centered instead of on the front of my feet & that seems to help.
HTH!
I have had my toes and feet go numb when exercising every day because I exercise about 5 or 6 times a week now for over 20 years. My doctor, naturopath, and physiotherapist think nothing of it and just say don't tie your shoes to tight and move your foot and toes around. My boyfriend gets this to when we are on the elliptical at the gym. We just stop for a minute a move our feet until we get the feeling back.
I know many other people with this, I don't believe it to be that uncommon. If you really want to find out the cause then it never hurts to ask your doctor.
Have your thyroid checked. I have hyptothyroidism, which causes numbness in your toes and fingers and odd times. If you catch a chill, it can trigger it, or if you are excercising. It is genetic as well, so if someone else in your family has it, chances are very high that you will too. When I found out I had it, my mom, sister and brother, all were tested and result were all positive. It can be controlled easily by medication. Can be serious so if you continue to have the numbness, get tested for a thyroid disorder.
Talk to your dr. You could have an underlining heart condition/ circulation problem. You could also go see a chiropractor and see if this helps but I would recommend a non-force chiropractor. they work on your disks and the bones not just the bones that the popping ones do.
I am so glad that someone else experiences this. The same thing happens to me in the same situations, usually about 25 minutes into my exercise my toes or whole foot starts to tingle and then goes numb. When I sleep I have the same problems with my fingers/hand. About 6 months ago I went to the chiropractor and told him about this(I have seen a chiropractor for about 15 years) but had not seen one since I moved to Texas from California. I went becasue my back was hurting. He did an adjustment on me and a day later I felt so much better, I noticed that the tingling and numbness subsided after this adjustment. He told me that I had a pinched nerve somewhere in my back. I am going back tomorrow, as it has started again. You should give this a try.