Tuesday I did 25k in something like 9°C. Must have had a shoe fastened too tightly: in the shower I noticed that my right big toe was deep purple verging on black. It went way in a couple of minutes.
Question: how long can it stay that way on the bike without permanent damage?
How long did the ride take ?
Do you have full feeling/sensation along the full length of the toe? (poke with a pin, have someone stroke it when you are not looking)
The big issues here are:
- if you've cut off circulation enough to make it go purple or black, there is a build up of toxins, that on resumption of flow, can cause issues in the body. Be careful.
- lack of blood flow can cause you issues with nerve damage, this takes a long time to heal, I had frost bite in December that damaged the nerves on my big toes, and it took nearly 3 months for full feeling to recover.
- Toes are pretty resilient, have a google of Sarah Hammond's toe following the race to the rock, it's a bit scared, but she's kept the full toe.
- If in doubt, talk to a doctor.
J