Cold hands

[daz h]

I've looked back through the health thread and can find no advice on seriously cold hands.
Lots of people who know me realize I get cold hands. It's odd but I can run vest less even in very cold conditions but my hands have become unbearable.

Tonight and it wasn't that cold I ran for about 40 minutes and I wasn't able to move my fingers barely after half an hour. Over the last four, five years they have become much worse.
Just wondered if anyone else suffers to this extent. I'm dreading winter again. I have to wear bloody ski gloves just to stop them becoming cold. Last year I got through about 50 packs of those hand warmers which have been a god send.
Tonight my phone went in my bumbag and I could not answer it through the pain in my hands.
After about 3 hrs and very steady warming I can just about clench my fists again.

My background for years was grinding and welding.
I suppose I'm just trying to see if it's something like white finger. But should that make them cold.
Seriously fed up with it.
Last year my gp said , come back if they get worse. Well they have.
I'm sure someone on the forum was discussing this but I cannot find owt. My sympathetic neighbour suggested tonight . Gloves dipped in chilli powder. Ha ha ha.
It's no joke

[Alexandra]

I have Raynaud's syndrome and it sounds as if you may have too. Don't worry, Primary Raynaud's is just a nuisance but one can also have Secondary Raynaud's which is a symptom of a selection of more serious underlying conditions, (mostly auto-immune) so you should get checked out. There should be a local NHS clinic where you can have tests which will rule out Secondary Raynaud's and also get suggestions for possible treatment (though personally I have not found any treatment that helped). However, things are much better since I gradually learned to manage my condition better. I recommend researching on the internet to inform yourself about what Raynaud's is.

Avoiding getting chilled hands in the first place obviously helps. I wear light gloves even in warm weather, always have some with me in case the temperature falls, and make sure to put them on the moment my hands start to feel at all cold. As it gets colder, I'm into thinner gloves inside thick fleece ones, and in really cold conditions, inside huge mitts. One feels a bit conspicuous, but actually it is not unusual for runners to wear vests and gloves together - think Paula Ratcliffe.

It's not just abut keeping the hands warm. Keeping the wrists warm is important too - think how close to the surface the blood flow to the hands is there. You don't want that blood to be chilled before it even reaches your fingers. I often wear a singlet and arm-warmers (as worn by cyclists - sold in cycling shops, but you can make your own by cutting close fitting sleeves off out-worn garments). I find it's easy for long sleeves to ride up leaving a cold gap between sleeve and glove. Buying garments with thumb loops or adding your own can help a lot.

Keeping one's core warm is also important. Also, the head and neck. Again, it's best to think ahead. Have warm layers ready and put them on the moment you stop running, before you have time to cool down. If there are warmer and cooler places in your house, keep your gloves in the warmest. If you run from your car, maybe take along a hot water bottle wrapped in something insulating. I used to dread getting back to an icy car - it's much easier now that I don't have one, as one can get onto trains and buses without faffing around taking off muddy shoes, even without taking off one's gloves. But when I was still driving, the cold steering wheel was a big problem even through gloves. A sheepskin steering wheel cover helped a lot (more embarrassment!)

Did you know you can buy re-useable gel hand-warmers? After use, they have to be boiled for a few minutes. They are bigger than disposables so maybe not so easy to fit into gloves, though some manage it. The cheapest I have found are here.

I could go on all night about Raynaud's. If you can use any more info, please let me know, maybe pm me.

[IanDarkpeak]

I'm saving space by not quoteing the last two posts.

Daz alot of what Alex is saying is sound and I would get it checked out.

Prevention would be better to stop them getting cold so wear liners in Mitts.

Secondly stop being a hero a wear some clothes You might think you can run topless on cold days but your body will need to find some heat from some where to look after it's vital organs so will take from your extremeties first.

[Rob Furness]

I was thinking Raynauds as well, good post Alexandra. I've not suffered myself but have come across the condition many times in my job (I work in social housing repairing heating) so it's good to know a bit more. I sometimes run in a vest with gloves because I get cold hands in rainy or wintry conditions and my knuckles go a bit blue ish but it's not a serious problem for me thankfully.

[nikalas]

My Mother suffers from Raynauds and has to wear gloves when she does food shopping... I chilled my hands quite badly in the Arctic in March and, for a while afterwards, they became really sensitive to the cold. I found the best solution was silk liners inside of mitts. The liners provide good extra insulation and mitts allow you to rub fingers against one another and generate heat/blood flow.

[Alexandra]

I found the best solution was silk liners inside of mitts.

Yes, silk liners are good and one can usually manage without taking them off, except for using an ipod - oh for old fashioned buttons instead of their stupid stroking system. I suppose I could sew small rough patches on the index fingers of my silk gloves for this purpose, but should I have to? And while I'm moaning, even the hugest, costliest boxing-glove style ski mitts don't have enough insulation in the thumbs, which is where it is needed most because the thumb doesn't have the other fingers to keep it warm. I am thinking of trying to construct fleece thumb-stalls, kept on by elastic, but what a faff to have to (a) make them and (b) wear them, just because gear manufacturers are only interested in appearance not reality.

[daz h]

Appreciate the posts.
Hands are still aching this morning.
Ian its not about being a hero. I can run with loads of layers on and it makes no difference. It simply doesnt alter anything.

Cycling in the winter is worse. I remember a ride last year of about 85miles. Id reached Crowdicote and it was flurrying with snow. I couldnt grip the bars and that was with silk liner gloves and saloman ski gloves that cost over £90.
There simply isnt any gloves that will keep my hands warm. We have industrial gloves here that are used for working in fridges. They cost £200 a pair( two bulky for running in but they dont keep my hands that warm).
Its as though like Alexandra says , if you let them go to a certain temp then thats it, simply cold hands until you warm them in warm water again.
I will try the mitts Nikalas. Not tried them yet. They may help with having a hand warmer in them. Will be easier. But its such a bloody saga.
Even on my bike ride last Sunday it wasnt that cold but I had 2 x pairs of gloves on. If your hands get cold and your descending say from Monsal Head or a drop like that its agony. Your praying for an uphill.


Does anyone do heated handlebars . Hey ho

[Derby Tup]

I bought a pair of Buffalo mittens after that cold year we were up on Helvellyn for XOTF. They're that warm I can rarely wear them for running but they're great to carry for if I get seriously cold hands. Might be worth a try over normal cycling gloves

http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogu...-Mitts-BUF-MIT

[nikalas]

A bit of searching and I found these... might be worth a try.

http://www.primrose-london.co.uk/war...ve-p-5241.html

[K1M]

Daz, I remember seeing heated gloves at the Motorcyle Show a couple of years ago that had a heating element powered by a battery that fitted on the back of the glove and it wasn't too bulky. Sorry but I can't remember the manufacturer but a google search should find them.