Parents Raynaud's causing pain during tumbling

[Strawberry Hill]

Good evening all!

My daughter (age 14) was diagnosed in 2025 with Raynaud's Syndrome, a circulatory condition which can cause cold and numbness in her hands and feet. When she is having a Raynaud's attack during gym practice, it causes pain in her hands and feet on impact during tumbling. Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone tried different warming clothing or other products to help? We would love to hear about any experiences.

Many thanks!

 

[Dahlialover]

Good evening all!

My daughter (age 14) was diagnosed in 2025 with Raynaud's Syndrome, a circulatory condition which can cause cold and numbness in her hands and feet. When she is having a Raynaud's attack during gym practice, it causes pain in her hands and feet on impact during tumbling. Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone tried different warming clothing or other products to help? We would love to hear about any experiences.

Many thanks!

Trying to tumble while having a Raynaud’s attack sounds so painful! Yikes! I think that avoiding flares will be key. Dress warm and definitely keep hand warmers in the bag for practice and meets. Good luck to her.

 

[Dream]

My friend who has it did track and field as well as figure skating. She said it is definitely a challenge but learned to work around it thru trial and error of what worked best for her. Of course good communication with coaches about it always helped so they also knew what was happening and could support positive decisions.

 

[NutterButter]

Prevention is key. My DD’s feet were more of a problem than her hands. When my DD was in a flare and/or susceptible to attacks I made sure she wore socks 24/7, even at home when she otherwise wouldn’t be wearing them. Limiting time outdoors in extreme cold helps immensely. For example, I would drive her to/from school which was only 1.5 blocks away. Making sure she used appropriate clothing for the climate helped. Jacket, hat and gloves should be worn at all times. No ankle socks if she is in a flare. Crew or knee length and the higher quality the better. Have her try wool socks line SmartWool. I swear by them. I often wondered if beam shoes would have helped (my DD was extra sensitive about ‘standing out’ so this wasn’t an option she would consider).

We live in Minnesota so harsh winters are the norm. The worst month for both DD and I is December with that first truly frigid cold snap where temps dip below zero. Oddly, I usually tolerate subsequent cold snaps just fine but swings in temperatures even if not cold by Minnesota standards can also be problematic for me. It’s a weird and annoying condition.

 

[Ajoy]

Good evening all!

My daughter (age 14) was diagnosed in 2025 with Raynaud's Syndrome, a circulatory condition which can cause cold and numbness in her hands and feet. When she is having a Raynaud's attack during gym practice, it causes pain in her hands and feet on impact during tumbling. Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone tried different warming clothing or other products to help? We would love to hear about any experiences.

Many thanks!

In the nicest way possible I’m going to recommend a nutritionist. There are many causes of raynauds but you might want to rule out malnutrition.

But I’ve become a nutrition evangelist after my daughter and I took a workshop. She now eats a shocking amount of food (mostly healthy) is a tiny bit bigger and a significantly better and healthier gymnast.

 

[Strawberry Hill]

Prevention is key. My DD’s feet were more of a problem than her hands. When my DD was in a flare and/or susceptible to attacks I made sure she wore socks 24/7, even at home when she otherwise wouldn’t be wearing them. Limiting time outdoors in extreme cold helps immensely. For example, I would drive her to/from school which was only 1.5 blocks away. Making sure she used appropriate clothing for the climate helped. Jacket, hat and gloves should be worn at all times. No ankle socks if she is in a flare. Crew or knee length and the higher quality the better. Have her try wool socks line SmartWool. I swear by them. I often wondered if beam shoes would have helped (my DD was extra sensitive about ‘standing out’ so this wasn’t an option she would consider).

We live in Minnesota so harsh winters are the norm. The worst month for both DD and I is December with that first truly frigid cold snap where temps dip below zero. Oddly, I usually tolerate subsequent cold snaps just fine but swings in temperatures even if not cold by Minnesota standards can also be problematic for me. It’s a weird and annoying condition.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We live in Massachusetts, so this is a serious issue for us too, many months of the year. My daughter also reports that *shifts* in temperature, especially quick shifts, can cause flares, even when the temperature is not really "Massachusetts cold." She is fastidious about getting to practice early so she can acclimate gradually to the temperature of the gym, and she carefully manages her clothing layers during warm-up and practice, but even then, she still sometimes has flares. Thankfully her coaches are very supportive and trust her judgment about when she can't do something during an attack, but it drives her crazy to miss out on getting to practice skills.

 

[Strawberry Hill]

My friend who has it did track and field as well as figure skating. She said it is definitely a challenge but learned to work around it thru trial and error of what worked best for her. Of course good communication with coaches about it always helped so they also knew what was happening and could support positive decisions.

Thank you so much. I couldn't agree more about the importance of trial and error and supportive coaches. Brilliant suggestion to look to the figure skating community for ideas--I imagine that an ice rink would be an even more challenging environment than the gym for an athlete with Raynaud's!

 

[Strawberry Hill]

Trying to tumble while having a Raynaud’s attack sounds so painful! Yikes! I think that avoiding flares will be key. Dress warm and definitely keep hand warmers in the bag for practice and meets. Good luck to her.

Thank you! Yes, she mostly doesn't tumble during attacks, and thankfully she has never had an attack during competition, so far only at practice. But it's still a bummer.

 

[Strawberry Hill]

In the nicest way possible I’m going to recommend a nutritionist. There are many causes of raynauds but you might want to rule out malnutrition.

But I’ve become a nutrition evangelist after my daughter and I took a workshop. She now eats a shocking amount of food (mostly healthy) is a tiny bit bigger and a significantly better and healthier gymnast.

Thank you for this suggestion. I haven't come across any research showing Raynaud's symptoms can be improved by nutritional changes, but it's an excellent reminder to make sure nutritional needs are being addressed in general. So glad that your family is benefitting from the workshop!

 

[Strawberry Hill]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has responded. I really appreciate hearing from people who have had similar experiences, as my child is starting to wonder if she is the only one who is impacted in this way. There are a few other girls at her gym with Raynaud's, but it seems like their symptoms are milder--really just an annoyance, rather than something that forces them to curtail their training. She is actually doing a yearlong research project for school about Raynaud's and gymnastics, and the possibility of designing practice attire that could help prevent symptoms during practice. (She is also a sewist who loves making leotards ). But it has been disheartening for her that the handful of people she knows with Raynaud's don't have symptoms severe enough to warrant special clothing, and she has started to doubt whether her project has any merit. I'm a longtime ChalkBucket reader but first time poster, and I'm really touched at how quickly many of you responded! It definitely helps to feel less alone.

 

[Ajoy]

Thank you for this suggestion. I haven't come across any research showing Raynaud's symptoms can be improved by nutritional changes, but it's an excellent reminder to make sure nutritional needs are being addressed in general. So glad that your family is benefitting from the workshop!

I obviously know almost nothing about your situation so this is definitely not a well informed opinion, but the things known to cause Raynauds are high blood pressure, poor circulation, excessive alcohol use, nicotine, genetics, and poor nutrition. Since it’s extremely unlikely your daughter has any but the last two, maybe look into her nutrition and see if something could be fixed there. Her caloric needs as a 14 year old gymnast going through puberty are probably quite high.

 

[kidzalright]

Good evening all!

My daughter (age 14) was diagnosed in 2025 with Raynaud's Syndrome, a circulatory condition which can cause cold and numbness in her hands and feet. When she is having a Raynaud's attack during gym practice, it causes pain in her hands and feet on impact during tumbling. Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone tried different warming clothing or other products to help? We would love to hear about any experiences.

Many thanks!

My mom had this condition. She wore cashmere lined leather gloves when she was in the cold. The leather gave some compression which helped with circulation and the cashmere helped retain heat. I work in a cold office and recently got some alpaca fingerless mittens and my hands get hot in them. They really keep my hands from getting too cold to type. I strongly recommend alpaca for warmth. Paca's make compression socks. I have cashmere gloves like my mom and I think the alpaca is better.

 

[Strawberry Hill]

My mom had this condition. She wore cashmere lined leather gloves when she was in the cold. The leather gave some compression which helped with circulation and the cashmere helped retain heat. I work in a cold office and recently got some alpaca fingerless mittens and my hands get hot in them. They really keep my hands from getting too cold to type. I strongly recommend alpaca for warmth. Paca's make compression socks. I have cashmere gloves like my mom and I think the alpaca is better.

Wonderful, thank you! I hadn't heard of Pacas. Just ordered some for her to try!

 

[Dahlialover]

Thank you! Yes, she mostly doesn't tumble during attacks, and thankfully she has never had an attack during competition, so far only at practice. But it's still a bummer.

My son attended a meet where the heat malfunctioned and it was about 50 degrees inside the venue. My son’s hands were so cold that it affected his grip and he fell on high bar and pbars. That’s why I mention hand warmers. Even without Raynauds, hand warmers are an important item in his meet backpack.