



Do you suffer from cold feet? Sadly, it is more common than many people know. Some have cold feet all the time. Others complain of cold feet just in certain situations. You may be surprised to learn that diagnosing cold feet causes is not that easy. Treatment for cold feet is usually possible. Others cannot. The following article will discuss cold feet causes. But, before you read, maybe start with this video:

Cold Feet on a Cold Day

Obviously, the most common of all cold feet causes are cold surrounding. When the surroundings are cold, the body shuts off blood flow to the hands and feet. This is a normal reaction that is meant to keep the center of the body warm. The feet are the first to be shut down. This can result in a cold sensation, esepcially if the surrounding is very cold or if the reaction is severe. Common sense things such as wearing a hat and warm socks and shoes can go a long way. In my clinic I meet quite a few people who get better just by improving what they wear.

Arterial Cold Feet Causes

The most important reasons for cold feet are linked to the circulation. Properly flowing blood keeps the feet warm. When there is not enough blood flow the feet become cold. It is as simple as that. This is why as a vascular medicine doctor I will always think of the following reasons when a patient asks me about cold feet:

Artery Blockages

Artery blockages are by far the most common reason for not enough blood arriving at the feet. Without enough blood the body cannot keep the feet warm. Obviously blood needs to get to the feet in order to keep them warm. People with artery blockages usually have a disease called peripheral artery disease. People with peripheral artery disease cannot get blood to their feet.

Peripheral artery disease is probably the most common cause for cold feet. If the peripheral artery disease is severe the feeling may be constant. In mild cases of peripheral artery disease a person’s feet may just be more sensitive to the cold than others’. But that is not all. Patients with peripheral artery disease have even more trouble when their feet are elevated. This is why some people complain of cold feet only when getting into bed. These people typically feel better by dangling their feet over the edge of the bed. This way gravity helps with getting more blood to the feet and keeping them warm.

Unfortunately cold feet are not the biggest problem people with peripheral artery disease face. They are also prone to injury and non-healing sores. For this reason people who have peripheral artery disease are advised to take particular good care of their feet. This includes comfortable shoes, foot and skin care. This is also why people who suffer from cold feet should may sure they do not have peripheral artery disease.

Artery Narrowing

Some people who have blood flow problems to their feet don’t have constant artery blockages. Instead, they have transient narrowing. This is a different type of circulation problem and is typically called Raynaud’s phenomenon. Raynaud’s is a totally different type of vascular condition than peripheral artery disease. The arteries of patients who have Raynaud’s happen to easily stimulate to narrow. Narrowing can happen without an obvious cause or as an over-reaction to cold. When narrowing happens blood flow is blocked. You have already learned that when there is not enough blood a cold feeling occurs. When the narrowing happens in the feet the result is cold feet.

In typical Raynaud’s there are also skin color changes. The fingers (or toes) may turn white, then blue and finally red. It is sometimes painful and sometimes it is not. Usually Raynaud’s affects only part of the fingers (or toes) and not the whole hand (or foot).

Acrocyanosis

Acrocyanosis is just a fancy way of saying “blue toes“. Some patients have over reactive arteries. When their feet are exposed to the cold, their arteries constrict and the blood in them cannot move. Blood that isn’t flowing releases oxygen and turns blue. This is where the blue toes come from. Treating cold feet that arise from acrocyanosis is easy. Just keep your feet warm with socks and properly fitting shoes.

Nerve Related Cold Feet Causes

Problems with nerves are also a common causes for cold feet. The cold sensation can actually be just that – a sensation. This means the nerves are feeling the cold even when it is not there.

You all probably know the most common neurological cause for cold feet. Do you know the expression “He was nervous and got cold feet”? For some reason it is often used to describe the groom on his wedding day. Being nervous causes cold feet because the extra activity from the nerves also causes arteries to constricts. This can be felt as cold feet.

The most common medical reason for neuronal cold feet is diabetes. This is called diabetic neuropathy. Patients with diabetes often also have poor circulation. For this reason when a patient with diabetes is complaining of cold feet it is not enough to say “it is diabetic neuropathy”. It is also important to make sure that the arteries are functioning and that there is no peripheral artery disease. This can be done easily with ankle brachial index or pulse volume recordings.

There are other causes of neuropathy that are not diabetes. Neuropathy can be caused by exposure to toxins or to injury. Many people who have had cold injury suffer from chronic cold feet. People who have had pernio may heal completely or have cold feet later on.

Hormonal Cold Feet Causes

The thyroid is a gland located in the front of the neck. It regulates temperature and metabolism. If the thyroid is malfunctioning and is not secreting enough hormones, the metabolism may slow. This has several symptoms, but some of them are feeling cold all the time.

When the Cause for Cold Feet Cannot be Diagnosed…

Sometimes patients complain of cold feet but non of the reasons I have listed above cannot be found. In this case doctors will usually reassure the patient that whatever the reason is, it is probably not dangerous. They are probably right. When no causes for cold feet can be found, it usually means that there is nothing terribly wrong going on. Some people are just that much more sensitive to cold than others. For these people the usual recommendation is just to keep the feet warm. But here is another tip. Your feet will feel warm if your whole body is warm. So when your feet get cold, wear a… hat. That’s right. Most of us loose heat through our heads. Wearing a hat will actually keep your feet warm. Try it. It works.

Cold Feet and Foot Care

Because many of the reasons for cold feet are from poor circulation, it is important for patients with cold feet to know how to keep their feet healthy. Proper foot care is very important and can be life saving. Read more about foot care.

2 minute summary