Chilblains - anyone else get them?

fudgey

I have been suffering with them, on both feet since about october now, barely been out on the bike in december/january party due to them.

Went out on sunday with the boy for about an hour and now i am properly suffering with both feet.

It seems there is no cure but i am getting fed up, they are not going away and getting worse if anything.

I wear 2 pairs of socks and overshoes and it was my hands that were cold sunday, feet felt ok!

Does anyone have any tips for getting rid/easing them as i cannot find much help at the mo.

Thanking in advance..

mercia_man

I also get chilblains - and it's getting worse the older I get. They've just started playing me up for the first time this winter in the current cold snap.

There doesn't seem to be any cure. The main thing is to avoid your feet getting cold in the first place. Once the chilblains develop, they tend to stay with me until it gets warmer again.

Thick overshoes and warm socks are the obvious thing. I've got cashmere socks which I use for cycling and they seem to be better than merino. Chocolate Fish sell socks made from a mix of wool and possum fur which are recommended for chilblain sufferers. I suspect these would be even better than my cashmere socks. Possum fur is about the warmest material you can get. My warmest overshoes are Primal Wear ultra-thick neoprene which I got really cheap from Planet X. They have a partly enclosed rubber sole, which adds to the warmth, but I did have to cut away the rubber to accommodate even small SPD cleats.

I've also used Balmosa cream, claimed to provide warming pain relief for unbroken chilblains and muscular aches and pains. It provides a bit of relief for me but is certainly not a cure.

plodder73

I've got them. Last year I didn't have proper gear and came home with feet that were numb, I didn't get them. This year I've invested in Woolie Boolies, heat pads, winter boots and overshoes, my feet haven't been warm but they haven't been anywhere near as cold as last year and I now have them for the first time. Bizarre . They are quite sore.

fudgey

I guess prevention is better than cure in this case then, as there is no cure!

i think i will look into some better socks!

i have been reading up on treatments, and found that Nifedipine tablets relax the blood vessels but are on prescribed by a GP, i popped to the pharmacey at lunch time and they sold me some Balmosa cream so i have slapped some on.
today my feet were not too bad as i have not put my work shoes on as my little toe was rubbing against the steel toe cap and yesterday i was very uncomfortable, so just wearing trainers and this socks today.

but now i have put some of that cream on its like deep heat or something, they are tingling and feeling uncomfortable again, and feel a bit sweaty!

might make a visit to my GP to see if can get any of the afore mentioned tablets, i dont really like taking tablets but needs must!

i get them every year now since 2008

natrix

I used to get them when I went to bed with a hot water bottle that I rested my feet on. Once I switched to wearing socks in bed in winter instead of the hot water bottle, they cleared up. They're strange things...........

tangled_metal

Is it related to circulation issues? I got diagnosed with Reynauds at about 33 years old. I was starting to get really numb and tingling middle finger which became painfull. I aslo would get incredibly pale or white hands or part of my hand. This was a problem when out walking in the hills (I wasn't riding back then so not an issue there). I got a good set of primaloft mitts as prevention is better than cure. I think you can get seriously warm primaloft lobster mitts if your hands are the issue but feet are a different matter.

From my experience of being out in the hills in all seasons I kno that feet getting cold and causing problems is serious. One thing I would look into is the tightness of the shoe/sock combination you are wearing. If your shoes are too tight you could be affecting the circulation. Adding more socks could be making your feet more constricted and actually make them colder which is a bit counter intuitive. Just an idea.

Look at gaps in clothing. For example ankles and wrists. I know from my Reynauds, with my problem being mostly hand related, that wearing something covering the wrists kept my hand warmer and the problem at bay for longer. Wristies were one solution but also thumn holes in your sleeves of your warmth layer worked as well. I am not sure if that is even an issue with your feet but perhaps longer socks?? Keeping your lower leg warmer might help keep feet warmer for longer. Leggings are not a good look though perhaps if you had a pair of overshoes that were slightly longer it could help. I am only spitballing ideas to try and help, they probably amount to nothing.

What about sealskin socks? Or in extremis try a vapour barrier layer. They work by preventing sweat from wetting out your warm layers. You will get a slightly wetter skin inside but your skin is designed to regulate this so you won't have your feet swimming in sweat but will maintain a maximum moisture level which is not really that bad. It allows your insulation layers to work better without evasporative cooling. This is not just for extreme cold weather neither (which perhaps we don't truly have). I have heard of lightweight backpackers using them to allow for a much lighter sleeping bag to be used. IIRC one blogger used them to allow a 2 or 3 season down bag to be used in Scottish Higlands in Winter!! Wear them outside a thin liner sock and inside your warmth layers.

My summary - loosen up you shoes a bit to allow for thicker warmth layers without restricting blood flow; wear longer socks/over shoes/etc. and in extremis look into vapour barrier layers.

fudgey

Admittedly i do have poor circulation, have cold hands and feet quite a lot so that could be an issue.
My shoes feel ok, not too tight but i got a new pair for xmas and went a size bigger.
Socks i wear are short summer socks and long winter socks from aldi that are not all that thick, but come up to my knees. I also wear dhb roubaix vaeon bib tights.

Cheers for the input, somethng else to look at.

bflk

Yes I have had them three winters now, they started just after bonfire night and generally go on until March irrespective of anything I do about it. Worst on my fingers which swell up badly and make typing difficult but also my toes especially one big toe which has an ingrowing toenail and can't move around in the shoe which makes the circulation even worse. I've even reverted to riding in trainers which look like they would be colder but let me wiggle my toes around as I go along. Talked to my GP about them and he basically told me to learn to put up with it!