Last weekend, I got frost bite on my big toes. It seems to be minor b/c there’s no dis-coloration. There’s a small blister on one…it’s mainly just some loose skin not filled w/ any fluid. The only affect it has had so far is numbness in on the 2 toes. There’s not pain, just numbness.
I plan to do a small, easy 30 min run this afternoon. I have no doubt that I can do it w/ no pain, I’m just wondering if I am going to cause anymore damage. From my understanding, the damage is done (cell and tissue damage).
Ok, obviously w/ any question on this site re: medical conditions should be directed to a doctor…I’m just asking for opinions and/or experiences anyone else has w/ this. If you don’t have one (besides check w/ a doctor) then move on.
Opinions? My opinion is that you should move south. Seriously - I hate winter, and moved from Michigan because of it.
However, it sounds like you have frost*nip *rather than frostbite. If your don’t have any darkening of the blister, then you’ve probably just got touched by it. It’s similar to a burn that would cause the same damage. You probably damaged some nerve endings and may have lost some hot/cold/pain sensitivity in that area(possibly permantly).
Myself? I’d avoid running for another week, bike would be okay, but I’d definitely stay inside. Just like heatstroke, you’re more likely to refreeze if it’s already happened. Let it fully heal, otherwise you just expose yourself to further injury.
I live in Dallas, so I’m in the “South”…unfortunately, we had the ice/snow storms last week. Maybe that’s why I got frostnip so easily…not use to the cold.
I’m in Dallas as well. What the heck were you doing outside? People from the north don’t understand that the roads are built different and they don’t have any road plows down here. We stayed inside, and I had to get some warm bean bags for my toes as well.
Be careful with any frostbike injury, especially on your feet.
Foot injuries are nasty because they are at your outer extremity farthest from your heart and at the bottom of your body. Infections seem to start more easily there.
Frostbite is a dangerous injury because the frozen tissue can damage surrounding tissue and infection can set in quickly and easily. Be careful to let the injury heal completely. The impact of running could very easily make the injury worse- even after it has apparently healed.
This is a great one to send you to a specialist on.
I’m an expert on feet- mine, shown below, were featured on a Discovery Channel documentary about running in the Sahara. I’ve also had immersion foot but I’ve never had frost bite on my feet.
I’m in Dallas as well. What the heck were you doing outside?
I was actually just out Friday night…I had stepped in snow in very non-insulated shoes. That plus, standing outside for a while did the trick. Those shoes are terrible…my feet get cold at work wearing them.
Anyway, my feet aren’t even close as the pics above. In fact, just looking at them, you can’t tell there’s anything wrong…it’s just that they are numb.
I lost every toe nail except two. It was about four months before they bounced back. It was the only time I’ve every had any foot problems, but they just nuked.
I did a 105 mile running race between Jordan and Iraq (The Desert Cup) right after 9/11 and got one small blister. Weird.
Try double socks, a thin underlayer and heavier sock above. This time of year I run in the woods over snow and ice. This works pretty well. I’ve also used the chemical hand warmers in the bottom of my shoes as well. Good luck.
Good advice for running in the cold, but I’m not worried about running w/ fostbitten toes in the cold weather…as mentioned above I live in Dallas, so the temperatures are fairly mild (except the occasionaly front like last week). My question is more around just running on already frostbitten toes. Are there negative effects, additional damage that can be done?
After frost bite your toes become more sensitive to the cold so be careful as often you can’t feel the damage as it’s being done. I’d be very cautious exposing your toes to more cold when they aren’t completely healed. I grew up in Minnesota and through to cold exposure both my feet and hands are very sensitive to cold now.
I live in MA and currently can only run outside as treadmill bothers my knee I had scoped, so I run often when it’s 10 degrees or so. I wear warm smart wool socks and covered up the mesh on my running shoes with duct tape. They look quite weird but keep my feet much warmer.
I’d be sure to check with a physician before I did any more potential damage.
**My question is more around just running on already frostbitten toes. Are there negative effects, additional damage that can be done? **
Frostbite is actually pretty serious. Very similar to burns in terms of tissue damage. Sometimes the damage is deeper in the tissue than what is apparent. I would not run on frostbitten feet. If I were you, I would go see a doctor yesterday. But then again, why would you play it safe? They are just your feet.
X2 on seeing the doc. I got frostbite on both my feet and ended up losing most of the toes on my right foot. What you have is most likely Frost Nip or level One Frostbite. My guess is Nip but I’m not a doc. I would hate to see you damage your toes further or get an infection and risk your feet. Remember the guy who dies with the most toes wins!
The other posters are likely correct - you probably don’t have true “Frostbite” as that implies actual frozen tissue/cells and death. If so, continued running will further damage tissue and make treatment (and/or amputation levels) more complicated. All you need to do is google some actual photographs of frostbite damage. If your toes are dusky/black with red around the base and without much pain and you haven’t been to the ER/physician yet …
Most people simply use the term Frostbite for any type of severe cold/thermal injury and there are several levels of such. If you are truly concerned, a simple evaluation with digital photoplethysmography to assess the blood flow through the end of the toe(s) might be wise.
Good advice for running in the cold, but I’m not worried about running w/ fostbitten toes in the cold weather…as mentioned above I live in Dallas, so the temperatures are fairly mild (except the occasionaly front like last week). My question is more around just running on already frostbitten toes. Are there negative effects, additional damage that can be done?
Which part of “stop running” don’t you understand? What is so important about running that you can’t take a break? Jeeezzz…!