Frozen Feet: Raynaud’s Symptoms

22 September 2015

Raynaud’s Disease Symptoms may be most visible in the hands, but they can also affect your feet, regardless of whether you know about it! Toes are just as vulnerable to Raynaud’s as fingers and can suffer the same colour-changes as blood supply is cut off. With the feet being some of the coldest areas of the body, and not easily as warmed as hands which can simply be rubbed together, keeping feet feeling warm can be quite the task!

Walking Warmth

Consider how many hours of the day your feet spend in shoes compared to how often you go barefoot, both pose a risk for Raynaud’s sufferers, but just because your feet are inside a shoe, don’t think there isn’t anything more you can do to keep attacks at bay.

1. Are your shoes waterproof? The answer to this question usually comes too late, after you’ve had to walk through a miserable morning shower and discovered that your feet are as wet as the rest of you. Rain-soaked feet are certain to set off your Raynaud’s, so making sure you have rain-repellent shoes is an absolute must.

2. Are they warm enough? Stylish wool-lined shoes may look cosy, but these fashionable fabric boots are rarely waterproof. You don’t have to settle for a shoe that makes your toes shiver, try a thermal insole to boost your warmth, comfort and even hygiene. Don’t be afraid to be creative, a pocket hand warmer does just as good a job at warming shoes before you pull them on for the day.

3. Are your feet warm enough? Not all socks are created equal, as proven by our 12% silver deluxe socks. Made to keep feet feeling comfy and protected from the cold, silver reflects heat back to its source, so that once your feet are warm, they stay that way.

4. Are your slippers warm? Back at home, chose your slippers carefully! Most designs can keep you warm, but fewer will let your feet breathe, and sweaty feet once removed from their shoe can quickly become cold. Try our Merino Sheep’s Wool Slippers for comfortable, breathable warmth and a super-soft feet treat that double as bed socks for all-night warmth.

Keep Feet Busy

Poor circulation can trigger an attack, and sitting at a desk all day does not favours for your blood flow. Take a break every few hours to stretch your legs, or stretch at your desk:

“Wooden Leg”: Hold one leg up pointed forwards in a sitting position, hold for 10 seconds and repeat with the other foot.

“One Leg Squat”: With both legs flat on the ground, raise one slightly up, raising the rest of your body slightly off the chair as you do so. Hold the position for 6 seconds and lower yourself down, repeat, alternating legs.

“Thigh Squeeze”: A simple move for toned thighs as well as keeping the blood flow pumping, hold a ball, sweater, a roll of tissue, or anything you have to hand, between your knees and squeeze as much as possible, making sure not to drop it. Repeat up to 12 times.

Happy Feet

At Raynaud’s Disease.com we offer a range of items - including some fantastic feet-friendly value bundles - to help you get through every day living with Raynaud’s. Our cosy socks and insoles have been specially selected to help you beat the winter chill so you can stock worrying about freezing feet and get on with more important things.

Visit our online store for a range of garments and gadgets for keep feet cosy through the chill.