UKC

Until recently I thought that chilblains were the exclusive property of aged Charles Dickens characters but now it appears that they are a real thing and I have them ;-( Probably gained from too much climbing in shoes that are too tight for too long in places that are too cold!

Anyone else suffer from this curious Victorian throwback or am I the only 'lucky one' ?
 

In reply to GravitySucks:

I think I’ve got them at the moment from having numb feet from cycling in the cold. 

In reply to GravitySucks:

My wife and I are both suffering from them, thanks to living in a hard/expensive to heat Victorian house. A little painful, but for me, mostly a minor irritation.

Wife also has Reynauds and got them so badly she couldn't bend her fingers. Doctor has given her some medication, and we're being slightly less tight about turning the heating on.

In reply to GravitySucks:

You're definitely not alone. I have to be really careful with my feet over winter or they spring up on my little toes and are incredibly painful. Poor circulation + tight fitting shoes + external cold is not a great combination! Climbing is obviously the worst culprit due to the tight shoes - I've had to become a lot more disciplined at taking my shoes off and slipping on fluffy socks between problems (and have been known to take cosy slippers to Malham to wear on the Catwalk!). I also struggle with my bike shoes over the winter and ideally double up protection with overshoes and toe thingies.

In reply to GravitySucks:

Every child who lived and played through the winter of 1962/63 knows about chilblains. Months of playing in the snow without the luxury of modern clothing (for is it was some knitted woolen mittens and socks) and then inside to put frozen fingers on a hot radiator. Ooh the pain, I can still feel it.

 

In reply to GravitySucks:

Started suffering with this over the last couple of winters

Low body fat, tight rock shoes, and too much time with cold feet.

In reply to GravitySucks:

Yep. Tight climbing shoes and cold. Got them every winter and very painful. I haven't had any since I stopped climbing. Which isn't an ideal solution! (I too have Reynauds, though I don't know if it's linked)

In reply to GravitySucks:

 I have them now. Old damp house, too much winter cycling, I thought everyone still got them!

In reply to climbingpixie:

They're less efficient, but MTB flat platform pedals and sticky trainers with enough space in for cosy socks can help towards foot warmth, as well as over shoes.

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/HHMSBK.html?source=adwords&ad_pos... 

These socks are 'weirdly warm'. 

In reply to GravitySucks:

Yup. Got my first of the season pre Christmas. They’re horrible. 

Cycling definitely doesn’t help. Am a Reynauds sufferer too. I’m sensing a theme...

Got to take care of those fingers and tootsies!

In reply to Tony Jones:

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/madison_isoler_merino_deep_winter_sock-ID_7090...

In reply to GravitySucks:

I get them too - have Reynaulds - and spend much of winter feeling like someone has set my toes on fire.... so hardly Victorian.

In reply to GravitySucks:

As a skinny kid in rubbish clothes in the Bradford winters of the early 1970s they were a big, bad part of my life.  Reduced me to tears at school.  I just assumed this was what life gave you, and you had to get on with it.  At some point I was given some cream (which I'm pretty sure was called 'Akrotherm') and the results were jaw-droppingly amazing.  I've no idea whether this stuff is still available - it's probably been deemed unfit for human use by now - but it made a little kid very happy for a while.

Good luck with yours!

In reply to Dave Todd:

Not heard of that but we did have Snowfire ointment for chillblains.

In reply to GravitySucks:

I have been getting them badly for a few years. Cold wet feet from surfing, cycling and fell running.  Last year the damage caused very deep blistering which took months to heal.  I injured my knee this summer and haven't done any of the above sports and hey presto my feet are pretty good this year!  I have moved over to flats on the mtb which helps.  Running is still a problem as you inevitably run through puddles which rapidly cool the feet.  I'll buy some 7mm boots for surfing.

I did take a vasodilater (sp) drug a couple of years ago which helped but had side effects, headaches mostly.  

In reply to Guy:

Have you tried waterproof socks for running?  I find Sealskinz start to leak almost immediately, the membrane is quite fragile, but even when they do let a bit of water in they still prevent the cold water from 'flushing' through and help to keep feet warmer.

I have a friend who runs in neoprene socks (meant for surfing/kayaking/sailing) and swears by that.  They also don't keep feet dry, but help with warmth by preventing the cold water flushing through.

Just lately though, I've gone a step further and started wearing Reed Aquatherm socks over thinnish woolly ones.  It's like a slightly more sophisticated and hard wearing version of bread bags over your socks - they're completely waterproof and not at all breathable.  Consequently feet do get a bit sweaty over time.  I only run for a maximum of an hour or two at a time though, so that's not a problem.

https://www.chillcheater.com/gloves-and-footwear/aquatherm-socks

In reply to deepsoup:

Snap.  I wear strong running socks underneath to protect them from my toenails.

In reply to GravitySucks:

I used to get them when I was a student, when central heating was a distant dream. And I have Reynaud's - definitely a theme here.

I haven't had them for ages, so was indignant when I had one last winter, no dpubt due to running in the cold. 

In reply to Moley:

           . . . a hot radiator!  Where was your world? No such luck for us poor folk! We had to get inside the wet washing on the clothes horse in front of a poor fire. In fact one felt warmer outside that winter. No water in the house either!

In reply to HB1:

The radiators were at boarding school, weeks and weeks of no games as all the pitches were deep in snow. So we were let loose every afternoon to play in the snow, or sometimes the lucky ones were taken tabogoning, walked a couple of miles dragging the wooden sledge  to some farmers slopes (in Surrey this was) and then dragging the sledge back. Probably why obesity wasn't much of a problem then!

But the pain we got back and tried to warm our fingers and toes. Wet woollen gloves and socks left on the radiators to dry overnight. Happy days, lucky to have been a child then, I wouldn't swap it for the present.

In reply to David Riley:

The Aldi version are cheaper and seem to be slightly more durable (though not much!). Not always available though.

In reply to Dave Todd:

A long time ago I found cream which was probably this, and it worked. The next time I went to find it, it was no more. Never seen it since.