How The Cold Can Worsen Peripheral Artery Disease

As the temperatures really start to drop, your feet might be feeling the chill more than usual. For anyone dealing with poor circulation and Peripheral Artery Disease, we at CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists want to remind you of the role nature can play in keeping your feet freezing. Let’s see how Peripheral Artery Disease manifests in the late fall and early winter months.

The Body’s Survival Instinct

When you step out into the cold, your body immediately goes into survival mode by pulling blood away from your extremities to keep your vital organs warm. This defense mechanism is called vasoconstriction, where your arteries literally narrow down. This is why your feet get cold so quickly, even if you’re layered up.

While this happens to everyone, people with peripheral artery disease should beware.

Peripheral Artery Disease and Cold Weather

Your arteries are already narrowed by plaque buildup. When the cold air triggers further constriction, that small pathway for blood flow becomes even tighter, and the blood flow you rely on is reduced.

This means your leg muscles and foot tissues aren't getting enough oxygen, which can lead to immediate coldness, pain, and numbness, especially when you walk.

The Danger of Starved Tissues

This reduced blood flow is serious because it starves the tissues in your feet. If you already have compromised circulation, the cold can lead to a few worrying issues:

• Frostbite and Chilblains: If your feet get too cold and you can't feel them (a risk for those with neuropathy), you can suffer tissue damage like frostbite. Even less severe cold can lead to chilblains, those small, itchy, painful red bumps on your toes.
• Slow Healing: Reduced circulation means your body’s immune cells struggle to reach your feet. This makes minor skin cracks or scrapes take much longer to heal, which increases the risk of infection.
• Increased Pain: The lack of oxygen being delivered to your calf muscles when walking is what causes the sharp pain of claudication, and cold can trigger this discomfort much faster.

Preventing PAD

Now for some tips on how you can keep your feet healthy in cold weather.

Your best defense is to keep the cold out and the warmth in. Avoid the cold when possible and never go outside with damp feet. Also, make sure your shoes or boots aren't too tight, because tight footwear will only compound the problem by squeezing those already narrow blood vessels.

If you’re seeking more information on how the heart plays a role in your foot health, check out this blog.

For any podiatric concerns you’re dealing with, come see Dr. Hubert Lee and the team at CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists for guidance and advice. You can schedule an appointment online or call today at 425-455-0936.