What is Raynaud’s Disease and How Does it Affect Feet?
Raynaud's disease or syndrome is a condition that causes your fingers and toes to feel icy or numb when you’re stressed or exposed to cold temperatures. The symptoms occur when the small arteries that supply blood to your skin become narrow, reducing blood flow to your affected areas.
Anyone can develop Raynaud’s, but women are more likely to be affected. Your risk for Raynaud’s may increase if you live in a colder climate, like Indiana’s, or if you are a smoker. Having a first-degree relative - a parent, sibling or child - having the disease also appears to increase your risk of primary Raynaud's.
Symptoms of Raynaud’s Disease
With Raynaud’s syndrome, you may develop:
Cold fingers or toes.
Changes in skin color when cold or stressed.
After warming up, you may experience numbness, prickly or stinging pain in your fingers or toes.
Raynaud’s attacks progress in stages. First, your toes usually turn white. Next, they often become blue - that’s when you may experience cold or numbness. Finally, as you relax or warm up and your circulation improves, your toes may turn red. Tingling, throbbing or even swelling may also set in.
It’s most common to experience Raynaud's symptoms in your fingers and toes, but areas such as your nose, lips, ears or nipples may also be impacted.[i] Symptoms should improve with warming, but it can take as long as 15 minutes for your blood flow to return to normal after an attack.
Raynaud’s Treatment
While Raynaud’s is sometimes just uncomfortable, you may develop tissue damage or ulcers (open wounds) if your blood flow is compromised for too long. In rare cases, untreated Raynaud’s can lead to foot or toe amputations. That’s why you should always mention Raynaud’s to your podiatrist, and get your feet checked after an attack.
It’s also important to prevent Raynaud's attacks:
When you go outside in cold weather, always layer up. Wear hats, scarves, socks, boots, and two pairs of gloves. Choose coats with snug wrists to avoid gaps that would allow cold air to hit your skin.
Chemical warmers may help keep your fingers and toes warm, but be careful to avoid direct contact with your skin.
Remember to preheat your car on cold days before getting in for a drive.
Even inside, always keep your socks on. You may even prefer to wear socks and mittens in bed at night during colder months.
During the summer, carefully monitor your air conditioning since cold temperatures could trigger an attack.
If you’ve had a recent Raynaud’s attack, schedule an appointment with your Westfield podiatrist quickly. It’s especially important if you have a history of ulcers or if you have an underlying condition. Proper podiatric care is the best and safest way to prevent restricted blood flow from leaving you with permanent foot damage.
[i] Mayoclinic.org.