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Nerves and circulationGuide

Cold feet

Cold feet is a symptom, not a condition in itself. It can come from narrowed arteries, Raynaud's phenomenon or nerve changes, so finding the cause comes first. Simple steps such as not smoking, regular walking and good foot care can help, and some signs need same-day care.

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPodLast reviewed 27 October 2026 6 min read

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  1. 1. What are cold feet, and how common are they?
  2. 2. What can cause cold feet?
  3. 3. How is the cause found?
  4. 4. What can I do about cold feet at home?
  5. 5. What helps if that isn't enough?
  6. 6. Will cold feet get better, and how can I stop them coming back?
  7. 7. When to see a podiatrist

At a glance

  • Cold feet is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It can come from reduced blood flow, Raynaud's phenomenon (spasm of small blood vessels) or nerve changes.
  • Feet can feel cold when they aren't. Nerve damage (neuropathy) can make warm feet feel cold.
  • With diabetes, warm or pain-free feet don't prove healthy circulation. Regular foot checks matter.
  • Simple steps come first: not smoking, regular walking, good foot care and keeping your feet covered.
  • A foot that suddenly turns cold and pale or blue, with pain or numbness, needs an ambulance.

What are cold feet, and how common are they?

Cold feet means feet that feel cold much of the time. It's a sign of something else rather than a condition of its own. The usual causes are reduced blood flow, such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD, narrowed arteries); Raynaud's phenomenon, a temporary spasm of small blood vessels set off by cold or stress; and neuropathy (nerve changes), where feet can feel cold even though they're warm to the touch.

How common cold feet are overall isn't clear yet, and most of what's known is about adults. It helps to notice whether your feet are cold to the touch or only feel cold, and whether you also have colour change, numbness, tingling or leg pain when walking.

What can cause cold feet?

The main causes look different in everyday life:

  • Narrowed arteries (PAD). Fatty build-up narrows the arteries and restricts blood flow. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, getting older and a family history of heart and blood vessel disease raise the risk. Signs include cold lower legs or feet, missing foot pulses, and cramping leg pain on walking that eases with rest.
  • Raynaud's phenomenon. Toes (and more often fingers) change colour when you're cold or stressed.
  • Neuropathy. Numbness, tingling, burning or shooting pains, and feet that feel cold although they're warm.

If you have diabetes, PAD often causes no symptoms or unusual ones, and neuropathy can hide pain, so the usual signs may be missing.

How is the cause found?

A podiatrist or GP will ask about your risk factors and symptoms, such as leg pain when walking. They'll feel the pulses in your legs and feet and look at your skin. A common test is the ankle-brachial index, which compares blood pressure at your ankle with your arm. Stiff arteries, common in diabetes and kidney disease, can make it misleading, so toe pressures may be needed. An ultrasound scan can also show blood flow in the legs.

If you have diabetes and a foot sore, a physical examination alone doesn't reliably rule out PAD, so blood-flow tests are used as well.

What can I do about cold feet at home?

Because the causes differ, it's worth having the cause checked first, especially if you smoke or have diabetes or kidney disease.

If PAD is the cause, treatment starts with non-invasive steps: stopping smoking, regular exercise, controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and medicines your doctor prescribes. Stopping smoking and exercising more are the two most important lifestyle changes. A supervised or structured walking programme is a good option, and a home programme may be an alternative. This advice is for PAD in adults and may not suit Raynaud's or neuropathy.

Check your feet daily, wear well-fitting socks and shoes, and avoid walking barefoot. Keep your legs and feet warm with socks or a blanket.

What helps if that isn't enough?

If walking pain or cold feet aren't improving after exercise, stopping smoking and medicines, ask your GP or podiatrist about seeing a vascular (blood vessel) team.

Procedures to restore blood flow, such as angioplasty or bypass surgery, are kept for people whose walking is severely limited or whose blood supply is badly reduced. For leg pain on walking, they're used selectively. They carry a small risk of serious complications, including heart attack, stroke and death. Medicines that ease walking pain also have side effects, so a doctor should start and review them.

For Raynaud's, treatment is mostly supportive, and few trials are available.

Will cold feet get better, and how can I stop them coming back?

It depends on the cause. When blood supply is badly reduced, amputation becomes a real risk unless blood flow is restored, which is why early care matters.

If you have diabetes or neuropathy, check your feet every day for blisters, breaks in the skin, pain, swelling, heat or redness. Wash minor cuts with water and cover them with a non-adhesive sterile dressing. If you have diabetes or neuropathy and a cut isn't healing or is getting worse, see your GP or a podiatrist the same day. Leave corns and hard skin to a podiatrist.

If you've had a diabetes-related foot ulcer that has healed, pressure-relieving shoes or orthotics that fit your foot can lower the chance it returns. If you have several risk factors, professional foot care every 1 to 3 months may help.

When to see a podiatrist

Call 000 and ask for an ambulance if a leg or foot suddenly turns cold and pale or blue, with pain or numbness, or you can't move it.

See your GP or a podiatrist the same day if:

  • you have diabetes and a wound, sore, blister or colour change on your foot;
  • you have pain in your foot at night, or in your legs at rest, that eases when you hang your leg down or stand;
  • a sore on your foot or leg isn't healing, or skin looks dark or dead;
  • you have diabetes and spreading redness, heat, swelling or pus in your foot, especially with signs of poor circulation;
  • you have neuropathy and one foot feels warmer than the other, or is unusually red, swollen or sore;
  • you have sudden severe pain or numbness in a leg or foot.

For urgent advice when it isn't an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24 hours a day), or go to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

See a podiatrist or your GP if your feet are often cold, especially with cramping leg pain on walking that eases with rest, toes that change colour with cold or stress, or numbness, tingling or burning.

Common questions

Can diabetes cause cold feet?

Diabetes can lead to narrowed arteries and nerve changes, and either can be behind cold feet. It can also hide the usual warning signs, so warm or pain-free feet don't prove your circulation is healthy. If you have diabetes, have your feet checked regularly, and see your GP or a podiatrist the same day for any new sore, blister, wound or colour change on your foot.

Why do my feet feel cold when they are warm to the touch?

Nerve changes (neuropathy) can make feet feel cold even when they're warm. You may also notice numbness, tingling or burning. It's worth telling your GP or podiatrist, who can look for the cause. Because feeling can be reduced, be careful with hot baths, heaters and hot water bottles.

Can smoking cause cold feet?

Smoking is a risk factor for narrowed arteries, which can reduce blood flow to the feet and make them cold. If you smoke, stopping is one of the two most important steps for people with narrowed arteries. Your GP or pharmacist can talk through support to help you quit.

Further reading

Want to know more? Cold feet on Clindice

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod

Podiatrist

Reviewed 27 October 2026. Next review by 27 October 2027.

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Sources

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  15. 15.High risk of non-healing wounds and amputationNHS

This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. For advice about your own feet or legs, see a podiatrist or your doctor. In an emergency, call 000.

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