Heat Therapy for Raynaud’s Syndrome

What is Raynaud’s Syndrome?

Raynaud’s Phenomenon, or as more commonly known Raynaud’s Syndrome, is a condition which affects blood circulation, and causes an interruption of blood flow to the fingers, toes, nose, tongue and/or ears of sufferers.

It is a very common condition, thought to affect up to 10 million people in the UK (many of which are undiagnosed), and can have a significant impact on tasks undertaken in everyday life.

Raynaud’s Syndrome can cause uncomfortable and painful attacks on sufferers, and can cause a colour change in extremities, particularly hands or feet, to white, blue, then red. However, not everyone suffering from Raynaud’s will experience all 3 stages.

Symptoms of Raynaud’s Syndrome

There are a number of symptoms associated with Raynaud’s Phenomenon, and they can vary largely for each person, ranging from mild to severe.

Symptoms include:

• Colour changes (red, blue, white)

• Tingling

• Numbness

• Burning

• Excessive cold sensation

• Pain

• Spasms

• Throbbing

• Waxy texture

What causes Raynaud’s Syndrome?

Primary

Typically, when people are exposed to cold, their blood circulation will change to help us to conserve heat, and the blood vessels will narrow in our hands and feet. This reduces blood flow extremities within the body and helps keep our vital organs warm.

However, for sufferers of Raynaud’s, slight exposure to cold temperatures or any emotional stress can cause their blood vessels to spasm and constrict.

The onset of Raynaud’s Syndrome usually occurs in women between the age of 20 to 40, however it can affect both sexes and people of any age, from children to adults.

Secondary

In some cases, Raynaud’s can occur as a secondary condition, often related to other diseases or autoimmune conditions such as:

• Scleroderma

• Lupus

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

Other causes include vibration damage, smoking, or as a side-effect of many common medicines.

People suffering from Secondary Raynaud’s require close monitoring and medical advice for complications such as ulceration or sores.

Contact your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of Raynaud’s, who’ll conduct some diagnosis tests.

Managing Raynaud’s

Some of the steps that sufferers of Raynaud’s Phenomenon can take to manage the condition themselves have been advised by the NHS:

• Keep your home warm

• Wear warm clothes during cold weather - especially on your hands and feet

• Exercise regularly

• Try breathing exercises or yoga to help you relax

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet

• Quit smoking

• Avoid too much caffeine (tea, coffee or cola) or other stimulants which can stop you relaxing

Heated Therapy for Raynaud’s

Gloves are often recommended by doctors to ensure hands are protected in colder temperatures, with BBC’s ‘Trust me I’m a Doctor’ advising: ‘To avoid pain - wear gloves, more than one pair if it’s cold; put on your gloves before you go outside; once you are outside, keep moving to increase your circulation.’

Heated gloves and glove liners have been proven to help alleviate pain associated with Raynaud’s Syndrome, with Blaze Wear’s heated glove liners being a very popular remedy for sufferers.

Our Active Glove Liners provide direct heat to the perimeter of fingers, improving blood circulation for wearers. The soft-touch glove liners have been created using advanced flexible carbon fibres, so wearers can move their hands freely without compromising their technical integrity.

Integrating cutting-edge FIR (Far Infrared Ray) and carbon fibre technology, they have been carefully designed and developed to optimise heat delivery. They are battery-powered with 7.4V rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which provide heat in seconds, at the touch of a button. Gloves have 3 temperature settings, from 38-55°C, providing optimum warmth for people experiencing symptoms of Raynaud’s Syndrome.

Shop our collection of battery-powered heated gloves and heated socks, which provide heat therapy for Raynaud's.