The other product is a moist pad containing the gel product. You cover it with a dry dressing, and tape over the area. Sports Tape : Tape the affected areas with sports tape, such as Leukotape, to prevent the friction. It takes some skill and experimentation to see which of these works best. The key to long distance walking is to experiment constantly with the various products on your longer walks, to see which ones work best.
Duct Tape : A walking friend of mine uses duct tape on his feet to prevent blisters on the ball of the foot. The drawback could be getting a skin allergy to the adhesive. Be alert for signs of redness and itching, and discontinue use if these develop. Duct tape can also work by making it into a bandage, so the adhesive is not over the sensitive area. Take a piece of duct tape and trim it, so it is slightly larger than the sensitive area.
Then stick it on a larger piece of duct tape, the sticky sides together. Now apply it over the area—you have the slick, non-adhesive side next to the skin, with the larger piece sticking it all in place. Cautions : The adhesive on duct tape has NOT been tested on human subjects, and you could have a nasty reaction to it. Likewise, using it on open wounds may mean that the chemicals in the tape can enter your wounds and may contribute to infection or a bad reaction.
Dubbin : This is a waxy product used on hiking boots to keep them soft and waterproof. While on a two-day 80km charity walk on the Comrades Marathon route, someone told her to rub Dubbin on her feet.
Guess what? Not one blister! I give this the same warning as duct tape: Try it if you must, but look for any signs of skin irritation as this is not approved for human use. See our Walking Shoe Guide for tips on getting properly fitted for your walking shoes. Tip 2. Tip 3. Sock Strategy Forget the cotton socks—stick with synthetics. Tip 4. Lubricate Your Feet Friction—the rubbing motion between your foot, sock, and shoe—creates heat and tearing forces, which make the skin prone to blisters.
Teflon : Some socks are incorporating Teflon to prevent friction. Tip 5. Dry Your Feet Keeping your feet dry starts with wicking socks, but you can also use other strategies: Corn Starch and Talcum Powder : First, plain old corn starch yep, just like you use in cooking in your socks and shoes can keep your feet dry. Tip 6. Cover the Problem Spot When you consistently get blisters in the same place despite trying all the tricks—shoes, socks, drying agents, lubricants—the best thing to do is to cover those areas before you start walking.
At least after your planned hike, your shoes will be more broken in. Hiking boots are much more important to break in than hiking shoes, but any shoe has some amount of break-in period. Hiking boots in particular are stiffer and thus require more time and effort to break in. While cheap shoes may be alright for a short, non-strenuous hike, they will not hold up on a more advanced, longer hike.
Instead of wearing inexpensive tennis shoes, invest in a pair of trail running shoes or hiking shoes to make the hike more bearable. Hiking shoes have additional support and are more functionally designed for long distance walking. If you want to learn more about whether you really need to invest in hiking shoes or not, check out my article here.
Just grabbing any pair of hiking shoes is not the solution either. I went to Walmart and got the cheapest pair of hiking shoes that roughly fit and went for it. Your toes must not have any crowding. If you feel your toes bunched up at all then you are asking for an incredibly uncomfortable hike. I strangely have really wide feet. You can actually strengthen your feet by doing simple exercises, such as heel raises, to make your ankles stronger for walking on uneven ground.
Additionally, you can simply walk barefoot around your yard to help build up calluses and get used to walking on the ground without the support of shoes. While most people think that wearing thick socks is the best way to prevent blisters, it actually does the opposite. Thick socks will retain more moisture and make your feet sweat. This is a disputed method, but some swear by it. There are different schools of thought on this subject. WebMD says to not pop a blister unless there is a good chance that the area is still going to be irritated.
If you are hiking in the wilderness, this is definitely the case! You still have many miles to go. However, the great outdoors is not a sterile environment. The skin and fluid protect the area from infection. Perhaps the safest thing to do is to pop the blister in a semi-controlled fashion rather than letting them pop in your shoes. Once the fluid is drained, put a Moleskin or gauze bandage over the area to prevent further friction.
Antibacterial ointment is a great idea since you now have a new hole in your skin. For more tips on how to prevent infection, make sure and check out that WebMD article I linked above. From duct tape to Band-Aid brand blister pads, hikers have become very creative with the ways they protect their feet from blisters. For the most part, you can proactively place pads or tape in the spots that you most commonly get blisters, or you could use the tape after you feel the blister.
The moister your feet are, the better chance you have of getting a blister. So if you are on a grand backpacking excursion and stop to make camp, take off your have shoes and go barefoot so that you can air out your feet. Other times it involves using Moleskin to take the pressure off the hot spot or applying a lubricant, like Body Glide.
See Tip 6 below. With a cotton ball, dab rubbing alcohol aka surgical spirits on the soles of your feet. Rubbing alcohol is a drying agent that will harden your skin. Dab the soles of feet 3 times weekly. Monitor how your feet respond. Greg Everett of Crystal Athletics recommends using Corn Huskers Lotion every day to help heal your feet and toughen them up. This is not the first time we have heard that tip. Greg is one of the top strength coaches in the world. You can imagine that weightlifting athletes tear up their skin often using a barbell, so they need to keep their skin in good shape and repaired.
Good one. The same can be done with your feet using CornHuskers. It keeps your feet from drying out and cracking. So just keep putting it on your feet after your days in the sand and walking barefoot.
Ultra runners sometimes use a tannic acid solution, applied to your feet every day for several months leading up to a big event. Just remember to start this process as early as possible before events so that you can gauge how your body responds. ALSO, cut your toenails before big events. When you are hiking or running, use an anti-chafe cream like Bodyglide Anti-Chafe Balm.
Put it all over your feet, crotch, nipples and under your arms if you are doing a really long event. This will not make your feet tougher, but will keep them prevent blisters. Blisters are the enemy of tough feet. From Coach Grant : At the Marathon des Sables, runners complete between a half-marathon and double marathon in the desert extremes of sand dunes and intense heat.
T he sand works exactly like sandpaper and destroys skin. On Day 3 of this race, my foot hit a sharp rock and it punctured my sand gaiter and shoe.
Sand poured in. I finished the stage with bloody, blistered feet. My tent mates warned me against the method the race doctors used to deal with foot problems, saying that it was excessive and unduly painful. Their method is to slice off the blister, clean it, and apply a large does of an antiseptic like Betadine.
It hurt like hell when they applied the antiseptic to raw flesh, but it did the job of quickly drying and toughening the exposed skin. I walked out of the med tent wearing blue plastic bags on my feet, which were covered in red Betadine, and let my feet air out overnight.
The next day I ran 50 miles on them and finished a strong week of racing on what could have been broken feet.
Use a double sock combination like the video shows below. The Darn Tough socks get great reviews by anyone that uses them. Another very good sock option, particularly when in running shoes is Injinji toe socks. While they look strange, they are effective for many long distance runners and hikers in that they separate the toes and prevent them from rubbing together.
This toe rubbing, especially with a long toenail present, is the cause of blisters in many athletes. Also, in any type of event or training when you can take a short break, immediately remove your shoes or boots, as well as your socks, and air your feet. This simple action will prevent blisters, allowing you to keep the hard-earned foot-toughening gains of the time of your ruck or run. Circling back to the topic of the Apache Indians and Tarahumara tribe, their focus on barefoot running was born out of necessity, but offers insights and inspiration on the simple concept of less is more.
The less you rely on shoe technology for your performance, the more your body will adapt to deliver what you need without the technology. Check out the heel-to-toe differential, or drop, of your current running shoes and work your way down to the mm range.
Walking or running barefoot on rough surfaces can produce rapid adaptation. I have found that even short barefoot walks have thickened the skin on my feet, but your feet need to be reasonably tough before you can use this approach. Salt water will dry out the skin, causing it to thicken slightly. I have found that this technique works, but the effect is very slow. Bathing the feet in warm salt solution can also be very soothing, a benefit beyond any toughening.
I found using Epson salts rather than table salt is no more effective, but it does boost your Magnesium intake. The tannin in the tea is supposed to bind with the Protein in the skin and make it tougher. I tried it a few times, but found no real change.
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