UKC

My fingers and toes got pretty cold last Thursday, and since I warmed up I've been getting pins and needles whenever I put pressure on them. They don't hurt otherwise.

Nerve damage?
Should I go and see a doctor (currently in south east England so they might be as clueless as I am)?

In reply to florence58: I've had that kind of effect a lot from extended exposure to cold (primeraly cold water immersion, with subzero air temps), it tends to.pass of its own accord... *If* there's no functional.impairment and you're not in any major discomfort I'd just wait for it to pass; though it can't hurt to chat to your GP.

In reply to florence58:

I *think* this is minor nerve damage. I had it for about 3 months after a day on the ben a couple of years ago. The worst bit about it was that I couldn't really feel how good friction was when I was rock climbing because my fingertips were always numb.

In reply to florence58:

I had this about 5 years back after a drawn-out belay in the Cairngorms with gloves that weren't up to the job. My fingers had a tingling sensation though them for about 3 months afterwards if I touched anything, but after that it went away.

However...I'm not sure if it is related, but I've found since that those fingers now seem more prone to feeling sore than other ones when they get very cold.

No harm in going to the doctors if it is causing you concern.

In reply to florence58:

I had numbness/tingling in the end of a couple of fingers after getting very cold doing an alpine route a few years ago. The GP was pretty unhelpful - said 'you've got minor nerve damage - the numbness will either go away or it won't'. Fortunately, it did but it took a few weeks. I think you just have to give these things a little time; I'm not sure there's much the doctor can do anyway.

In reply to florence58: My hands feel normal now, but my toes have become quite painful over the last couple of days. Until now I've been cycling, walking and climbing (indoors) as I normally would - is it OK to head out or should I give it a rest?

In reply to florence58:
If it hurts, rest it.

I know that sounds facetious, but honestly, your body will tell you when you should stop. If you head out in the cold and it's excruciatingly painful, then you need to head back and give your digets a break. If you can stay warm and you feel comfortable, then go for it.

As has been suggested above, cold injuries tend to compound the issue. Once you get nerve damage/frost nip/frost bite, that area of the body tends to be more prone the next time.

In reply to florence58: it should be ok to head out but I'd advise to wear extra thick socks land a pair of thin contact gloves as well. At the end of the day is bette come back with feet and hands that are roasting hot then numb!

In reply to florence58:

It does sound as if you've had a mild occurrence of frost-nip. Symptoms can linger, but it usually clears up in time.

Standard advice - carry on with exercise as normal unless it is painful or distressing, in which case a trip to your GP may be advisable. Having said that I really don't know if it is medically treatable.

In reply to Jamie Bankhead: If the nerves are damaged they'll stay damaged, they can't heal or be repaired. I didn't think I'd gotten that cold but guess I must have at some point

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

My advice would be the same as Jamie's. Unless there is tissue damage (and therefore possible infection), it's unlikely any treatment will be tried. It will clear up with time. In the meantime, you may well be more susceptible to the same frost nip, so be extra careful.

In reply to Martin1978:

I disagree. Nerves will heal. I like many others have had numb toes in the past with frost nip (Alps in winter pre-plastic boots), and the nerves healed so the feeling was back after a few months and fully normal after around 3 to 5 years. Sounds bad but I didn't have to change my activities at all. And I had been careless, so have not been since.