Foot turning red

[Carlyle]

Hi,when I was at nero asked about my red foot,he said circulation issue.Does this happen with the ms?Your comments please,thank you Dave

[SNOOPY]

This is highly unlikely due to MS. If your Neurologist didn't give you a referral to another Dr. or information Please see your PCP about your red foot.

[oceanpride]

Hello. I’m PPMS with it mostly affecting my left side. Needless to say my left foot is red all the time. Sometimes almost purple. It’s been that way for over a decade. It’s a drop foot too. Never made any sense to me. I would assume it was a circulation issue but... just about every issue you can have can be linked to MS.

[KoKo]

Hello. I’m PPMS with it mostly affecting my left side. Needless to say my left foot is red all the time. Sometimes almost purple. It’s been that way for over a decade. It’s a drop foot too. Never made any sense to me. I would assume it was a circulation issue but... just about every issue you can have can be linked to MS.

I have this discoloration too, but the red foot (sometimes purplish) affects my right side.

Yes, it can be caused by MS.

This article called Symptomatic Therapy in MS, describes this discoloration caused by MS affecting the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that supplies the internal organs, including the blood vessels, stomach, intestine, liver, kidneys, bladder, genitals, lungs, pupils, heart, and sweat, salivary, and digestive glands.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105617/

From the article:

Autonomic derangements: edema,acrocyanosis, neuropathic causalgia

"Very common accompaniments of pyramidal distribution weakness in MS include limb discoloration (red to blue), acrocyanosis of the hands and feet often with associated neuropathic causalgia, reduced skin temperature (with patients frequently complaining of cold limbs), and edema (most commonly pedal and pretibial)."

The article is very long, so you have to scroll down some to get to the part about the autonomic system.

Some recommendations are: to elevate the legs periodically throughout the day, perform leg exercises, use compression stockings, and the use of cilostizol, an agent with antiplatelet and smooth muscle relaxation properties which is highly effective in reducing acrocyanosis (the red/blueing discoloration) and pain.

Take Care

[SNOOPY]

Yes, it can be caused by MS.

Thank you KoKo

Carlyle, from what you wrote your Neurologist didn't tell you it was due to MS only that it was a circulation issue. You might get in touch with your Neurologist and ask him if this is due to MS. If he says no or doesn't know then see your Primary Care Physician who can evaluate and if necessary refer you to another Dr. Even if MS can cause it that doesn't mean MS is causing it. Once other causes have been ruled out then MS becomes more likely.

It's always best to never assume a symptom or condition is caused by MS, sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.

With 2 of my exacerbations both of my feet would swell and turn purple/red. Once the exacerbation resolved my feet went back to normal color and size. I have never had this happen any other time.

[rdmc]

Hi,when I was at nero asked about my red foot,he said circulation issue.Does this happen with the ms?Your comments please,thank you Dave

I have one foot that will get red sometimes. Like the others, it's on my affected side. And it's not just my foot. Sometimes the left side of my face will turn bright red. As Koko mentioned, with that symptom, I think it's some sort of autonomic dysfunction because my largest lesion affects all kinds of weird things because of autonomic dysfunction.

But as a caution...if you ever get pain and swelling along with that red foot, you're best to check
it out with your GP or your neurologist. These are the same symptoms as a DVT (deep vein
thrombosis) which would need to be treated by meds in a timely fashion.

That's what so darn irritating about symptoms once you're diagnosed. Are they just MS related weirdness, or is this something else which needs attention? I know I've mentioned this before, but I have all the symptoms that they tell you to look for when you have a stroke. So because those symptoms present all of the time, I chalk it up to MS. But we have had a couple members on the forum that ignored their symptoms, and in fact, did have a stroke. So I think it's a good thing to investigate any symptom that is new.

Hope you find some relief for your foot.