Running outdoors provides a unique benefit for exercise, as the terrain is constantly changing, whether it be the type of materials you're running on, or the slope of the road or trail. These unique qualities bring runners outside sometimes even in freezing weather. However, it's important to keep in mind the potential side effects of exposure to the elements when you run, especially with regard to your feet.
Numbness Cause
Numbness is a direct result of the effects of the cold on the nerve endings of your toes. Just like when you use ice on a sports injury, the cold of the environment while running outside seeps into the skin of your toes to the nerve endings. The cold effectively slows down or stops the nerve signals between your toes and your brain that allows you to feel your toes. Cold also causes the blood vessels in the toes to constrict, which reduces the circulation of oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the toes, which may also contribute to numbness.
Potential Dangers
While some numbness is probably not going to cause serious damage to the toes, extended exposure to the cold can cause not only your nerve endings to be affected, but also the cells of the skin and underlying tissue of your toes, as is the case with frostbite. While any part of your body can be affected by frostbite, extremities like your toes and fingers are especially susceptible. Frostbite can result in severe pain as the toes heat back up and the nerve endings are no longer affected by the cold. Frostbite can also pave the way for severe infections, or can cause the tissues of your toes to die in extreme cases. This can lead to the loss of the affected toes.
Treatment
For mild numbness after running in the cold, getting out of the cold and allowing the skin time to warm back up is often enough to bring back feeling in the toes. Placing the toes in warm water -- not hot -- can also help gradually encourage feeling, and can return circulation to the toes. For more severe cases, such as with frostbite, medical treatment will be needed to remove dead tissues and fight infection through the use of medications like antibiotics. In the rarest and most severe cases, amputation may be needed to treat the affected area.
Prevention
To prevent serious damage to your toes from the weather, consider running indoors on a treadmill on days where the temperature drops below freezing, or when there is a significant amount of cold water or snow on the ground. If you must go for a run, wear good quality shoes and warm socks that still allow your feet to breathe. Waterproof and wind-proof running shoes are also important if you're running in the rain or snow, such as shoes with a Gore-Tex membrane. Stay aware of your feet when running. If the cold starts to overwhelm your feet, or if you start to sense numbness developing, cut your run short and head back to where it's warm and dry enough to bring the temperature of your toes back up to a safe level.
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