Feet Numb Week After Being Really Cold

[treillw]

My left foot was really cold last Sunday. 34 below zero with windchill and I couldn't get my foot to warm up, despite literally running laps up and down the ridge.

Now it's over a week later it is still numb and tingly. What is this from? I don't think anything is majorly wrong, but I'm curious. Is it a mild form of frostbite or something?

Thanks!

 

[street]

Nerve damage im pretty sure. My big toe is still numb too and slowly coming back.

 

[DudeBro]

A number of years ago, during military training, I was required to wear my boots full time during a week long event. The big toe on both feet was number for around 6 months! It came back just fine though.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Nerve damage...as loNg as your skin looks fine. Not red and prickly and not black or discolored.

like dudebro above, Uncle Sam introduced me to foot nerve damage years ago. Like dude, I had it so back once that it was months to come back to normal.

 

[Crowmangler]

was high altitude a factor?

 

[jmez]

Alpine toe or Christmas toe. Compression of nerve that runs along the side of the big toe.

For cold to damage a nerve skin would be damaged as well.

 

[Theringworm]

Alpine toe or Christmas toe. Compression of nerve that runs along the side of the big toe.

For cold to damage a nerve skin would be damaged as well.

This is inaccurate.....you can develop a sensory neuropathy from prolonged cold exposure without evidence of frost-bite or frost-nip (damage to the skin or underlying tissues). Typically occurs in non-sub freezing temps. Several research articles support this. I also experienced this after my Alaskan moose hunt last year. I forgot to wear heavy weight wool socks one day when I thought I would not be wading in the water. Caused a large portion of my left foot to have a sensory deficit that lasted 4-5 weeks. Zero tissue damage. Foot was simply numb. And no it wasn’t from nerve compression or improper boot fit, which can also be a cause.

Regeneration of damaged nerves takes a while. Be patient with it but seek medical advice if necessary.

 

[stonewall]

interesting thread. one of by big toes went numb last year. it lasted long enough I just thought it was permanent...but it eventually went back to normal. I assumed at the time it was something i developed from running

 

[ndbwhunter]

Likely the effects of slight frostbite. Had the same thing happen to my hands about 10 years ago. A couple of my fingers get numb and tingly when the temps drop below 40 degrees now.

 

[boom]

oh no. last elk season i froze my ass in NM. to the point if an elk came i would have thought to climb into its body cavity.

never had my feet stay tingly afterwards tho. perplexing.

 

[treillw]

was high altitude a factor?

7500' Not terribly high.

 

[ColeyG]

This is inaccurate.....you can develop a sensory neuropathy from prolonged cold exposure without evidence of frost-bite or frost-nip (damage to the skin or underlying tissues). Typically occurs in non-sub freezing temps. Several research articles support this. I also experienced this after my Alaskan moose hunt last year. I forgot to wear heavy weight wool socks one day when I thought I would not be wading in the water. Caused a large portion of my left foot to have a sensory deficit that lasted 4-5 weeks. Zero tissue damage. Foot was simply numb. And no it wasn’t from nerve compression or improper boot fit, which can also be a cause.

Regeneration of damaged nerves takes a while. Be patient with it but seek medical advice if necessary.

Spot on.

This loss of sensation/numbness is common and can happen in freezing and non-freezing temperatures and doesn't have to be linked to frostbite or tissue damage, just prolonged exposure to cold.

Altitude isn't a factor other than it tends to be colder at higher elevations. One could make an argument about slightly impaired circulation and perfusion at higher altitudes, but there wouldn't be much validity in that argument below say 16,000' in my opinion and experience.

It can take anywhere from a few days to a few months for sensation to return. Instances of permanently impaired sensation without tissue damage (frostbite) are exceedingly rare. I lost sensation in the ball of one of me feet for several years after a particularly cold climb in the Alaska Range without having frozen the tissue. Compression was a factor as well.

Frostbite is classified the same as burns as the skin reacts basically the same way to each.

1. Superficial
2. Partial Thickness
3. Full thickness

Even with superficial, you won't have to wonder if you have had frostbite, i.e. your tissue has frozen. After re-warming the tissue will swell, cause significant pain, and typically ooze or weep clear fluid. As you move into partial thickness and full thickness you get into the arena of blebs (blisters), bloody blebs, likely tissue loss and permanent nerve damage.

 

[feanor]

oh no. last elk season i froze my ass in NM. to the point if an elk came i would have thought to climb into its body cavity.

never had my feet stay tingly afterwards tho. perplexing.

And you thought they smelled bad on the outside.

 

[stdeb11]

Great timing. Currently experiencing the exact same symptoms on my right toes from hunting in the cold...no skin issues, just tingly/numb. Had it last a day or two before but now going on over a week

 

[treillw]

Great timing. Currently experiencing the exact same symptoms on my right toes from hunting in the cold...no skin issues, just tingly/numb. Had it last a day or two before but now going on over a week

Wife and I are at two weeks and still tingling. haha

 

[Husky10]

I had the same thing happen to me this season... left hand fingertips were tingling/numb for a couple weeks. I read it could take up to months to regain full feeling. I found a condition called frostnip after some searching and I think it’s just a mild precursor to frost bite??

 

[Squamch]

Wife and I are at two weeks and still tingling. haha

If it lasts more than 4 hours, you're supposed to call a doctor!

 

[Next Ridge]

My left foot was really cold last Sunday. 34 below zero with windchill and I couldn't get my foot to warm up, despite literally running laps up and down the ridge.

Now it's over a week later it is still numb and tingly. What is this from? I don't think anything is majorly wrong, but I'm curious. Is it a mild form of frostbite or something?

Thanks!

Zero parts of a healthy body should be numb. If you are really concerned see a doctor.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Nerve damage.

A few years ago I helped a buddy pack a moose out in December with snowshoes. Something about the snowshoes and my boots didn’t work right, probably my feet being compressed with the bindings in addition to the cold and wet conditions.

I got sort of an electrical shock feeing in the middle of the ball of my feet, it took a few months to clear up but it did.

 

[ozyclint]

had the 'alpine toe' once after a trip to NZ. took a good couple of months to get back to normal.