Frostbitten feet

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Leenie,

Just to make sure you don't misunderstand. 'Warm water immersion' is NOT a form of treatment. It is a form of trench foot. This is something you don't want.

Let us know how you make out.

Good luck,
Keith :)
 
Leenie said:
Thank you all for the info- I have actually tried 'mouse boots' years ago-but I am convinced my feet need external heat sources. I have used -20 boots, dry socks, always wear fleece pants under my gore tex, warm hat, several layers on torso, ect. I haven't tried 'warm water immersion' yet. Sounds painful but may give it a try. I have some hot-tronic ski boot heaters but they are bulky and I thought I could get away with disposible heaters. I'm 10 days out from the hike and the feet seem minimally better-toes still numb. MD appt tomorrow! Thanks again! :)

Just to make sure there is no confusion: "warm water immersion foot" is an injury, "warm water [immersion]" (of the hand or foot) is part of Murray Hamlet's classical conditioning treatment for Raynaud's syndrome.

Good luck with the MD.

Sounds like you have tried a resonable list of ways to deal with the problem.

I suggest that you take a closer look at Murray Hamlet's conditioning treatment. It basically trains a nervous system reflex from "if cold air, shutdown circulation to the feet" to "if cold air, heat the feet". Cheap, no drugs, just some conditioning exercises. Appears to be quite successful.
BTW, the water is warm (104-107F in one reference), not hot. Doesn't sound painful to me.

Search on "Raynaud's syndrom" "Murray Hamlet"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="Raynaud's+syndrome"+"Murray+Hamlet"&spell=1

Several references:
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/112.cfm
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/16/102.cfm
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_241-242/ai_107201193

Searching on "Raynaud's syndrom" "warm water"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q="Raynaud's+syndrome"+"warm+water"&btnG=Search
brings up even more references.

Doug
 
Last edited:
cotton is your friend

I don't have particularly sweaty feet, but when I hike with boots that breath very little I do this.

I wear a thin poly layer, then a warmer wool or poly layer over that. Over that I wear cotton socks. The cotton socks absorb moisture. Changing this outer, cotton layer when my feet feel cold or clammy instantly rejuvenates them. They then seem to re-invite circulation to my feet.

Mike
 
Take care of your frostbite

Two wekends ago, I could tell my toes were betting frostbitten between Liberty and Flume, so I headed back down quickly. I had a bit of damage, but didn't take proper care of my toes afterwards. I went out for a few days, and kept the feet in wet boots. They didn't get frostbitten again, but one did get somewhat infected. I'm sitting with a leaking little toe that is black, yellow, white, and red, and is almost the size of my big toe.

If you get a good frostbite, be careful with it.
 
Raynaud's

As everyone has said, it looks like you have Raynauds. The mottled look is a classic finding. The important thing about Raynauds is that it can be associated with other illnesses, which you should see your physician and be evaluated. Your doctor will know what to ask but some of the other important symptoms are rashes, muscle pains, joint pains/arthritis, headaches, urinary problems, and others.

As for prevention and therapy, a lot of good advice has been passed. As well as the feet, it is important to keep the whole body warm. The body functions to preserve the heat to the central organs, and if the vital organs feel cold, it can cause vasoconstriction and in the case of Raynauds, vasospasm. The conditioning therapy has helped many, but the studies that have been conducted are pretty weak and the results vary greatly. You can give it a try, but it might not work. As for medical treatment, it depends on why you have Raynauds. Your doctor can help tailor the appropriate therapy if the Raynauds is secondary to another problem, such as peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, or lupus. If it is just isolated Raynaud's, as one person has already said, nifedipine is a very good drug with few side effects. If that doesn't work, your physician can add other vasodilators to your therapy as well. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks!

Thank you all for your informative replies. I saw my MD today-not too much skin damage, just nerves in toes (still numb) I have had scripts for nifidipine in the past but was not diligent about using it on every hike (I have a new script today for 30mgXL which I should be more compliant with) I won't leave home without my 'hot-tronic' boot heaters and spare disposibles if they give out. I always carry extra socks but will be more inclined to pause long enough to change into them. I have been scared into compliance!!!! Thank you-stay warm!
 
Interesting thread. Glad to see mention of the conditioning method for treating Raynauds.

I have been wearing vapor barrier footliners from

http://www.rbhdesigns.com/category.cfm?Category=1

this winter and have found them effective, even in a pair of uninsulated Scarpa Rios. In an insulated boot I would think that they would be appropriate to very low temperatures. The firm is pleasant to deal with--they basically custom make the liners to your specs. I have problems with ayhlete's foot and nail fungus (too much information?) but even wearing the liners for 48 hours non-stop I've not noted any exacerbation of existing problems.

Ted
 
Top