Cold feet when wearing socks: By the end of... - Vasculitis UK

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Cold feet when wearing socks

sanah profile image
19 Replies

By the end of the day of wearing socks, my feet start to feel very cold. And when I take my socks off my feet start to warm up again. I don't understand why that happens. When I tell people that my feet start feeling cold after wearing socks for a couple of hours they think I'm weird.

If anyone knows why my feet gets cold then please let me know. Any insight will be helpful. Thanks :-)

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sanah profile image
sanah
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19 Replies
hamble99b profile image
hamble99bVolunteer

on a shopping channel, the presenter said that when feet are squashed into shoes they can get cold. she said that if toes have room to move, they warm up. does this help at all?

ldwilliams profile image
ldwilliams

My feet are freezing All the time, even wearing 2 pairs of thermal socks (heat holders) and thick lined slippers or thermal boots

in reply toldwilliams

Yes I have the same problem with feet and legs although they don't warm up much when I get them out of the socks - only way is to warm them up with warm/ hot water and follow with a cold soak for me. Toes go bright white then scarlet in the warm water. If I don't follow with cold soak they burn very badly all night. I have RA with small fibre neuropathy and hypothyroidism. Was told that this was Raynauds for a while but not sure anymore. Hands exactly the same thing applies.

PMRpro profile image
PMRpro in reply to

That is typical Raynauds - the bright red bit is called a "reactive hyperaemia". It happens because the body suddenly cottons on to the fact it is short of oxygen because the circulation is shut down during the white phase and releases substances that cause them to dilate suddenly to allow blood back in. This dilation and excess blood flow causes the pain - your cold soak sends them back to normal.

For a long time my feet got uncomfortable in socks, either cold or far too hot. Going without socks in the house in the winter helped - I only wore Birkenstocks with socks anyway and that seemed to be OK for most of the time as long as it was dry. I have a pair of winter boots with a nice lining - don't need socks with them.

Thanks for this PMRpro. The trouble for me re walking without socks is that I also have morton's neuromas and sometimes my RA flares in my feet so I need my specially made insoles if I'm going for a walk or doing exercise to protect my joints. Interesting to know it's classic Raynaud's as I have now been told by the neurologist it's progressive small fibre neuropathy and it does seem that I have numbness as well as burning pain in my feet and hands now. Also my fingers and toes don't go blue/ purple like those with true Raynaud's?

There's a lot of trial an error involved it seems but I was very pleased when the hot/ cold soak seemed to reboot my extremities for a while at least. Glad this tarries with your explanation too.

Do you happen to know anything about whether this might connect with my inability to sweat these days I wonder?

PMRpro profile image
PMRpro in reply to

Raynauds can be primary or secondary to another problem. Yours is the secondary sort probably. My fingers have never gone blue/purple - dead and white. So did my aunt's fingers. My husband worked in the field, he developed testing for showing the lack of blood flow in Raynauds, and I don't think I ever saw a patients with coloured fingers!

ldwilliams profile image
ldwilliams

Buergers Disease (which I have) has all of thse symptoms as well.

in fact i feel that there is so much cross over between a lot of conditions, that folk are often misdiagnosed, especially where there are no clinical tests available to base a decsion on

Budapest profile image
Budapest

My feet feel cold in lace ups, despite wearing socks, after approx 2 hours from putting the socks & shoes on. I now change my socks, and ideally shoes too, whenever my feet feel cold as this immediately makes them feel ok again.

When my feet feel cold my socks are always damp & cold to the touch, presumably from my feet sweating in laced up shoes.

I use orthotic insoles from the hospital as I have a Moreton's neuroma so must wear laced up footwear as they are the only ones which have space for the insoles and so prevent foot pain.

I had a looser-fitting fur lined lace up pair of boots (sadly now fallen apart from use) which didn't cause my feet to feel cold so presumably circulation of air helps for me.

It doesn't help that I must wear support stockings as they are made from a "manmade" material.

I don't think, in my case, that my cold feet have anything to do with my GPA vasculitis as I had cold feet long before I was diagnosed

Budapest profile image
Budapest

My feet feel cold in lace ups, despite wearing socks, after approx 2 hours from putting the socks & shoes on. I now change my socks, and ideally shoes too, whenever my feet feel cold as this immediately makes them feel ok again.

When my feet feel cold my socks are always damp & cold to the touch, presumably from my feet sweating in laced up shoes.

I use orthotic insoles from the hospital as I have a Moreton's neuroma so must wear laced up footwear as they are the only ones which have space for the insoles and so prevent foot pain.

I had a looser-fitting fur lined lace up pair of boots (sadly now fallen apart from use) which didn't cause my feet to feel cold so presumably circulation of air helps for me.

It doesn't help that I must wear support stockings as they are made from a "manmade" material.

I don't think, in my case, that my cold feet have anything to do with my GPA vasculitis as I had cold feet long before I was diagnosed

Tippon profile image
Tippon

How tight are your socks? They may be cutting off circulation to your feet.

Kentish_Man profile image
Kentish_Man

I also get cold feet, or at least they feel cold all the time, but when I touch them they are warm'ish. I have some compression stockings (TEDS) that were given to me when I was in hospital to help against getting a thrombosis. I tried wearing these and felt a definite difference.

Now I have Activa Leg Ulcer stockings and also made to measure elasticated stockings - BOTH are available on prescription - and now the cold feeling is vastly reduced. The stockings help your blood circulation or at least they help mine a great deal.

I would ask your GP or your Rheumatologist/Specialist if they could prescribe these for you. What have you got to lose ?? I hope that you can get them and if you do I hope that they work out for you.

They are also very beneficial if you ever fly.

AndrewT profile image
AndrewT

Dear Sana,

Actually I confess I haven't got a clue but, then again, nothing surprises me where vasculitis/auto-immune conditions are concerned. As asked above, could your socks/tights( I don't know if you are a boy or girl) be too tight? Have you mentioned this to your doctors/consultants-just a thought.

In any event please do let us know how you 'get on', will you.

Very best wishes AndrewT

Amanda51 profile image
Amanda51

I hate wearing socks because my feet are always cold but with socks they are colder so the only time I do wear socks is if it snows! I too have been diagnosed with raynaulds syndrome but take nifedipine which has helped as I do not get white toes anymore.

PMRpro profile image
PMRpro in reply toAmanda51

Do you find the nifedipine helps? Lots of patients used to say the medication was worse than the illness! One lady actually moved - they wanted to relocate from the north of England to Oz but they wouldn't give her a visa because of her medical history so they moved to the south coast.

Amanda51 profile image
Amanda51 in reply toPMRpro

Yes the nifedipine does work to a certain degree as I said I do not get white toes anymore but feet are still cold, however while they are cold they are less painful so I don't want them warm. I donot seem to have any side effects from the nifedipine at all.

luggsey profile image
luggsey

My Mum suffers cold feet during the day, in bed she is fine and has warm feet.

She finds that wearing her wool lined boots with no socks keeps her feet warm.

Because man made fibre makes you sweat a little why not try some natural fibre cotton or wool and see if that helps?

Warmfeet profile image
Warmfeet

Yes initially you feet will warm up with thermal socks but as you feet perspire you socks get damp then like a refrigeration socks cool off and feet get cold. Help is on its way ---- Warmfeet

footjammies profile image
footjammies

I have Raynaud's which is a condition of cold feet. I always had trouble sleeping at night. I would wear socks to bed but I found after a couple of hours my feet were too hot and my feet felt constricted. So I would kick off my socks and then after a few minutes my feet would become cold again. So I decided to design a product to help people like myself suffering with cold feet in bed. I came up with a product called "footjammies". Below is information about footjammies...

what are footjammies™?

footjammies™ are warm, soft and cozy “jammies for your feet”. This sleepwear and casual wear product is made in Canada with 100% brushed cotton flannel. footjammies™ are the perfect way to keep your feet warm and comfortable, without the constricting feeling of wearing socks. Give your feet a break by wearing warm, loose and airy footjammies™

footjammies™ can help people who suffer from cold feet or who may have Raynaud’s Syndrome to get a good night’s sleep!

footjammies™ are great for lounging on the couch and watching TV, working on the computer, or just laying around and reading a book. You can also take your footjammies™ on the airplane to kick off your shoes and relax, apres ski, or camping for those cold chilly nights.

You can visit footjammies.com to get more information.

Adammidd99 profile image
Adammidd99

Wow I thought I was the only one haha after a day at work my feet feel freezing then when I take my socks off they start to warm back up again?

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