It’s July 4th so we should all be thinking Red, White and Blue!! Even when we are thinking of our toes??

The color of each and every toe can indicate the health condition of that toe!

With the summer months of having exposed toes, it’s important to understand what each color might mean.

Red Toes.  Assuming we are not talking about active bleeding, having redness appear suddenly or even gradually may indicate inflammation.  Inflammation is your body’s reaction to something that is injuring or irritating your body.  Stubbing your toe, a cut in the skin or even an ingrown nail can all cause inflammation.   As inflammation increases, the area that appears red, or pink, may spread.  Infection is always a worry with redness as well.  It is often difficult to know if your redness is infection or inflammation so if it worsens, its important to see a podiatric physician as soon as possible.  At  Family Podiatry Center we always make room for same day appointments for injuries, ingrown nails or suspected infections.

White Toes.  If a toe turns white, it is likely related to your arterial (blood) supply to that toe.  People with heart disease or peripheral arterial disease may experience white toes, but even otherwise health people may have this problem.  Raynaud’s is a condition that causes spasm of the small arteries that give blood and oxygen to the toes.  Some people develop Raynaud’s by itself or it may be present with certain inflammatory or arthritic conditions.  It’s important to take protective measures of proper socks and shoe wear and not to smoke cigarettes which can increase the spasms of the arteries.  These spasms can occur in the cold of winter but also in damp climates regardless of temperature.  Speaking of cold weather…white toes in the winter may also be the result of frostbite!

Blue Toes.  Blue toes usually indicate that the veins leading the blood away from the toes are not working and the blood is pooling in the toes.  Veins function to bring blood from all areas of our body back to the heart.  With the toes having the smallest veins and being subject the most to gravity, venous congestion of the feet (and toes) can be a sign of vein disease.  It’s not uncommon for women and men n their 30’s and 40’s to begin having symptoms of vein issues.  A podiatric physician can identify if your veins are causing your swelling, pain or discoloration.