Blisters are your body’s way of creating a natural protective cushion to protect your feet.
Most occur on the ball or heel of the foot, or underneath the big toenail.
Friction rubs are the direct cause of blisters. Any amount of friction between skin and skin, skin and sock, sock and shoe, etc., eventually will cause a blister.
Anywhere on the feet or toes where you feel pressure, tenderness, pain, heat, or burning is an area of potential blister.
When you remove your shoes and socks after walking, check your feet for hot spots. Areas that are more tender, red, or warm are most likely to form a blister during subsequent walks.
The following guidelines should be followed to help you take of blisters should they occur:
If you develop a blister, do not pop or peel it; let nature take its course and heal the blister before you hit the pavement again. A few days of rest will be more beneficial to your training than trying to walk through the pain.
Cover the blister, opened or not, with antibiotic ointment and gauze or a Band-Aid. Provide protective cushioning with some type of padding (moleskin, Second Skin, etc.).
If the blister is under a toenail, drain it and tape the toenail in place. If the nail is loose and looks like it might cause a problem, see a podiatrist (foot doctor) for further evaluation.
For bilster care, consider stocking a "blister kit" with the following items:
Band-aids
Alcohol pads
Moleskin dressing material
Blister pads
Small scissors (to cut dressing material)
Minor over-the-counter pain relief medications (Aspirin, Ibuprofen)
Tubefoam
Medical tape
Gauze pads (sterile, individually wrapped)
Foot Powders
There seems to be a lot of discussion about using foot powders and cornstarch. You need to find which, if any, works best for you.
Try using the powders that are especially designed for feet. Cornstarch has a sugar base and may not be a good choice if you are prone to fungal infections or athlete’s foot.
You may also try applying Glide or Vaseline between your foot and sock to help prevent friction.
Applying glide (i.e. body glide) to your feet and wearing two pairs of thin socks can work well to prevent blisters. The two socks act as friction against each other rather than your sock and your foot.
Last edited by Genesis; 06-14-2006 at 01:42 PM.
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