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Gross Frost Bite Photo from Winter Training

Note: the photo in this story is graphic and you might not want to see it.

Cold weather and training. Sometimes they go together, sometimes they don’t. A photo posted to the Trail And Ultra Running Facebook page shows how severe frostbite can be.

“Blisters and frostbite of the toes,” the post reads. “The patient hiked five miles in knee-deep snow during an ice climbing excursion. Melted snow got down in her boots and her socks got wet.

“She noticed it but still had to hike five miles back home. By the time she got to the doctors her toes were completely swollen. As you can see when cells die they release fluid and proteins as a part of the inflammation process, blisters develop as a result.

“Treatment: Doctors had to wait it out and see which of the toes ended up dead. Surgeons were able to save enough of her big toe to have her fully recover balance. They were able to keep the base of her foot too. She is still able to do what she loves: hike, ski, and run.”

If you or someone you’re with gets frost bite, get out of the immediate environment. If the frozen extremity is allowed to thaw slowly, it will generate much pain and can do further damage.

It is also critically important not to let the area re-freeze once it is thawed. If a victim must be moved and there is great chance that the thawed extremity will freeze again — better to travel with it still frozen and not let it thaw out in the first place.

Continue scrolling if you wish to see the photo.

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Keep scrolling. You sure? It’s brutal.

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