The doctor carrying out the diagnosis, who may be your GP or a doctor at accident and emergency, will want to know how you became frostbitten as this can provide information on the likely extent of any damage.
You may be asked:
- Where did the injury occur?
- What was the temperature at the time of the injury?
- How long were you exposed to the cold?
- Were there any factors that could have made the injury worse, such as wind chill or wearing wet clothing?
The doctor will then examine the affected body part. The full extent of a frostbite injury is often not apparent until a few days after the injury occurs. So you may be asked to stay in hospital for observation or return for a follow-up appointment.
As frostbite is relatively rare in England, your doctor may take a photo of the injury (with your permission) and email it to a specialist with experience in diagnosing frostbite.
In cases of severe frostbite, imaging studies may be required to check the extent of injury to the bones, blood vessels and nerves.
Imaging studies that can be used in this way include:
- X-rays
- bone scans – a small amount of radioactive material is injected into your veins, and damaged areas of bone will absorb more of the radiation, which can show up on the scanner
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan – where a strong magnetic field and radio waves are used to produce detailed pictures of the inside of affected areas of the body
