Batteries in your stockings might help with painful cold feeling

It seems technology is in everything now.

From kitchen cupboards automatically ordering tins of beans when you run low, to plant pots sensing when they need water.

Battery-heated socks and gloves sound a bit low-tech in comparison – but putting Duracells in your stockings is actually a big help to a group of people who experience a fairly common condition.

Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition where the extremities of the body – usually the fingers or toes – become discoloured and painful.

It’s usually due to cold, but sometimes stress can contribute.

It can appear on its own, called primary Raynaud’s – which accounts for 90% of cases.

However, it can also appear as part of certain other conditions, such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, or MS.

I have a patient who tends to get it in her hands. If she touches something cold, such as a packet of food from the fridge, it can spark a painful reaction.

In a way, what’s going on is an exaggeration of the body’s normal response when it’s chilly.

The blood vessels in the area narrow, turning her fingers white. They then turn blue or purple as the oxygen in the area is quickly used up

fter that her fingers go red as the blood vessels dilate and blood rushes back to the area.

This can cause tingling, numbness and potentially rather severe pain.

Primary Raynaud’s generally appears under the age of 30, and can affect any of the fingers or toes.

In most cases it’s fairly mild but in more severe cases we prescribe nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker which opens up the blood vessels. As with all medicines, there can be side effects.

There are other ways to reduce symptoms, though. Chemicals in tobacco cause blood vessels to narrow, making it worse, so giving up smoking helps.

Cutting out caffeine can make a difference.

But the most important way to try to ward off a painful bout of Raynaud’s is to keep warm in colder environments.

Wearing warm clothes, hats and scarves will help by keeping the whole body snug.

And put gloves on before going out into the cold.