(WFRV) – Photos of Aaron Rodgers’ foot were circulating on Twitter Wednesday as the Green Bay Packers quarterback set to settle the controversy once and for all: Does he have a fracture or a syndrome known as “COVID toe”?
On Tuesday, Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” he had no lingering effects from his COVID-19 diagnosis other than “COVID toe,” which he described as “more painful than turf toe.”
No, COVID toe does not mean his toe has COVID-19. Rather, COVID toe mimics a well-known ailment called Perino: skin sores or bumps that appear after exposure to cold.
“COVID toe is a pernio-like reaction that we think is due to inflammation or clotting in the superficial vessels of the feet, likely due to an inflammatory response affecting the blood vessel walls or blood cells, or a combination of both,” says Dawn Davis, a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Symptoms include discoloration and leaking blood vessels that cause the surrounding tissue to itch and burn.
But Rodgers changed his story in a press conference Wednesday when he showed his feet on camera, demonstrating he has a fractured toe, not COVID toe. The comment he made on McAfee’s show appears to have been in jest.
Rodgers said he expects to be dealing with toe pain for the next couple of weeks.
The Packers (8-3) will host the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) this upcoming Sunday.