Cold feet in winter aren’t always just a matter of temperature. Every year, with the arrival of the colder months, the number of patients who present to podiatry consultations complaining of a constant sensation in the feet increases. … cold Although the habit is to attribute it to the weather or to not wearing appropriate shoes, the Illustrious Official College of Podiatry of the Valencian Community (ICOPCV) warns that having cold feet continuously can be the harbinger of a cold of up to “five possible pathologies“.
In this regard, the podiatrist and member of the board of directors of ICOPCV, Jorge Escoto, explains that “the most common thing” is to have circulatory problems. This pathology “generally progresses silently with age and venous insufficiency makes it difficult for blood to return to the heart”, while “the veins lose their elasticity and have difficulty raising the blood against gravity. This venous stagnation gradually cools the feet and causes a feeling of cold feet”.
According to the ICOPCV, arteriosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries, reducing their ability to carry warm blood to the extremities. Therefore, to avoid cold feet due to circulatory problems, podiatrists recommend stimulating circulation with simple exercises like toe flexion or ankle rotation. These movements activate the muscle pump and promote venous return. At the same time, they emphasize the importance of eliminating toxic habits like smoking, because smoking induces, inflames and clogs the arteries.
On the other hand, Scotus points out that “secondly, the Raynaud’s disease is another that could be at the origin of this symptomatology. This is a transient ischemic attack, that is, the blood flow to the feet is stopped for a short time, due to obstruction of the arteries, which generates a feeling of cold in the lower limbs. In people who suffer from this pathology, with the onset of cold weather, the disease becomes more evident because the blood vessels contract and narrow, and they may observe that their feet do not have their usual appearance, but are more whitish or bluish. “Additionally, they may notice numbness in the area.”
From the ICOPCV, to relieve the symptoms of Raynaud’s disease, they advise exercising and wearing socks that promote blood circulation. In the case of patients who smoke, reducing nicotine has been shown to improve symptoms. Along with this, they recommend staying away from direct heat sources such as braziers, since sudden temperature changes favor clinical manifestations, cold isolation is essential for the improvement of symptoms. To do this, they recommend using suitable shoes, with a cold-insulating sole and lining. It is also useful to opt for merino wool socks in winter.
“Another disease that causes cold feet to feel cold is peripheral neuropathy which is caused by damage to the nerves that sense temperature. It is important to note that in these cases the feet feel cold, but to the touch they are not really cold. This is very common in people with diabetes and therefore extreme precautions should be taken. In these cases, the ability to feel extreme temperatures (actual heat or cold) decreases, increasing the risk of burns or frostbite without the person realizing it. This is why they need to check their feet regularly,” explains podiatrist Jorge Escoto.
As with Raynaud’s disease, the ICOPCV indicates that in these cases the affected person should not expose themselves to braziers or direct heat sources, as they can cause a burn without realizing it, it is preferable to take baths with lukewarm water. In addition, they recommend carrying out periodic podiatric checks to check the health of the lower limbs, practicing correct cutting and milling of the nails and checking their shoes and the condition of their foot orthotics, if they use them.
At home, the Association of Podiatrists advises against going barefoot and recommends inspecting your feet daily for cuts, blisters or redness. They also explain that the feet should be washed and dried properly daily, especially the interdigital spaces, moisturizing them and then performing a light massage.
Finally, the College of Podiatry of the Valencian Community highlights that constantly having cold feet can be the consequence of other systemic diseases such as hypothyroidism or anemia. In the first case, the thyroid gland produces hormones (T3 and T4) essential for controlling the body’s metabolism and producing energy and heat in cells. In hypothyroidism, hormone production is insufficient, which slows down these metabolic processes, causing cold and dry feet.
In anemia, iron deficiency leads to poor blood circulation and a reduction in the body’s ability to generate heat.
“Hence the importance of integrating podiatrists into multidisciplinary units and working in conjunction with other specialties of the public health system, since a podiatric consultation can detect systemic pathologies or, conversely, systemic pathologies sometimes cause problems in the feet, which can be derived and resolved by foot health specialists who are podiatrists,” explains Jorge Escoto.
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