Frostbite sends thousands to hospitals every year in the U.S. Serious cases can result in extreme pain, gangrene, amputation, and even death.
What do serious cases of frostbite all share in common? They started out as minor cases of frostbite. That’s why it’s important to know the symptoms of frostnip:
- Pain
- Tingling
- Numbness
If you feel any of these after prolonged exposure to cold, do this: bundle up more, go where it’s warm, and stay there until you feel yourself again. Doing so will spare you from minor to moderate frostbite, which is accompanied by patchy, discolored skin that stings, burns, swells or blisters. It will also spare you from deep frostbite, in which parts of the body die permanently.
If you value all your toes and don’t want to know what a blood infection feels like firsthand, then you’d be well advised to dress appropriately for extreme cold. Start from the ground up. Choose the right footwear to prevent winter frostbite if you want to avoid the podiatrist’s office (or worse).
Feet Are Especially Vulnerable to Frostbite
Most frostbite cases affect the feet and lower extremities. How can this be when the legs only represent about 18% of the body’s total surface area? It’s because feet are vulnerable to frostbite for multiple reasons.
- Feet touch the ground. They can’t do very much when they don’t. Being “well grounded” means feet are in direct and constant contact with snow, slush and meltwater.
- People don’t dress adequately. High heels. Tennis shoes. Slippers. Sandals. Crocs. You appreciate why these aren’t good footwear for winter. Unfortunately, too many can’t seem to do the same, and leave their precious feet at the mercy of the elements because of it.
- Feet are poorly insulated. For all its undesired effects, fat certainly does provide great insulation. Feet, which accumulate less fat than other body parts, benefit less from this fact.
- Feet aren’t warmed as much by blood. When it reaches your feet, your blood is the farthest away from your heart that it can be. Blood loses a considerable amount of its heat whilst traveling to extremities. It also circulates throughout distant extremities less effectively, and carries less heat to them as a result.
Do you have diabetes? Then take even greater care, because you are at higher risk of frostbite than average.
Among hard-core adventurers, toe and limb loss are treated like badges of honor. You would much rather stay in one piece, of course, which is why you need to know…
How to Protect Your Feet Against Frostbite
Taking shelter at the first sign of frostnip is only the first way to protect your feet against frostbite. The second is to wear the right footwear. Ideal winter footwear includes:
- Good insulation. Minnesota’s very own 3M developed one of the best wearable insulation products of all time: Thinsulate, which traps dead air between microfibers far finer than those of any natural insulation. That hardly makes wool obsolete, however. It is still a great insulator boasting excellent durability, odor resistance, and moisture wicking properties. (You could say wool isn’t baa-a-a-ad.)
- Good breatheability. If you can be bothered to, look for winter boots featuring Gore-Tex. It is a selectively waterproof membrane. Water from the outside can’t get through it. Water originating as sweat from your feet can. In short, Gore-Tex protects feet against both sources of wetness.
- Good traction. Good traction won’t necessarily protect you against frostbite. It will help you avoid a serious orthopedic injury, though, which is never a bad thing. Consider carrying ice cleats, which will prepare you to safely traverse even the iciest of patches.
- Good fit. You already know why you want a good fit. It’s comfortable and prevents blisters. Better yet, it also protects your feet against frostbite. When boots fit snugly, they don’t contain air pockets that could diminish the effectiveness of surrounding insulation.
Remember to wear thick, warm, moisture-wicking socks, too!
Has frostbite already injured your feet? If you live in the Twin Cities, then the care you need right away awaits at Twin Cities Foot & Ankle Clinic. We encourage you to contact our podiatry clinic in Golden Valley, MN today!