blister care Archives - Fixing Your Feet

Aug 2, 2019 · by jvonhof · In: blister care, Foot Care, Footcare, General, Sports Tagged: blister care, blisters, Foot Care, foot care supplies, footsore, mandatory gear

This post is an editorial about foot care at races – and more importantly, the lack of it. Over the years I have worked many multi-day multi-sport adventure races and multi-day running races. Most of these are six or seven-day events. Adventure races are races where the clock doesn’t stop until the team gets to the finish. Running races are typically stage races where each day is a specific mileage and camp changes every day. Please continue reading – even if you don’t do multi-day races - …

Jun 18, 2016 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Foot Care Products, Footwear, toenails Tagged: blister care, blisters, Foot Care, maceration, toenail care

Next week is the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and all the fun and hoopla that goes with it. I ran the race from 1985 – 1989 with a best time of 24:32. It was a challenge but I had fun every year. Ever since then I have been associated with the run in some capacity and for the last 16 or so years have provided foot care help at an aid station or two and the finish line. In that time I have seen a lot of runners come through aid stations needing foot care. This year I decided to make a …

May 28, 2016 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Footcare, Health Tagged: ball of foot blisters, blister care, Fixing Your Feet, foot blister care

Today’s post is a thru-hiker's story about her experiences with her feet. It’s one that make you grimace when you hear the details and see the pictures. I share the story because there are lessons to be learned. Here's her story. "This past April, I started the Pacific Crest Trail intending to thru-hike northern-bound to the Oregon/Washington border. I’m an experienced long distance thru-hiker and frequently hike 20-25 miles without issue. "Rarely do I get blisters, and I have no …

May 20, 2016 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Footcare, Sports Tagged: aid stations, blister care, blister prevention, Foot Care

A month ago I wrote a blog post about two multi-day races in Europe that are implementing a triage system for medical care at aid station – the outcome of their being overwhelmed by the amount of treatment and time that their participant’s blistered feet were requiring. Here a link to that post about Providing Foot Care for Athletes. In this post, I want to expand on a quote from their website that I included in the original post. It was about the 6Ps of foot care. They stated that foot care …

Oct 16, 2015 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Footcare, Health Tagged: Backpacker Magazine, bil vandergraff, blister care, Foot Care, self care

My October issue of Backpacker magazine featured an article about Bil Vandergraff, a Search and Rescue (SAR) Ranger. He served as a ranger for 25 years in the Grand Canyon backcountry. In the article he shared tips on surviving in the backcountry – especially in the harsh and unforgiving Grand Canyon with its heat and extreme elevation changes. His tips on dealing with the heat are right on: wear the right clothes, embrace the sweat, go slow, stick to mornings and evenings, and know when to …

Sep 6, 2015 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Sports Tagged: Adventure Race, blister care, foot blisters, Foot Care, primal quest

The 2015 Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race concluded a few days ago, after nine days of challenges to the 11 four person teams. This was an unsupported race, meaning there was no crew support. Race organizers, medical staff, and general volunteers all worked together to provide levels of support that were awe-inspiring. People worked together to help the racers get through over 400 miles of a variety of disciplines: trekking, orienteering, white water kayaking and rafting, mountain biking …

Jan 13, 2013 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Health Tagged: Anti Perspirant, Band-Aids, blister, blister care, blister causes, blister prevention, Blood Blister, blood blisters, Bursitis, Double Layer, Foot Blister, Footies, hot spot, Ironman, Mole Skin, moleskin, New Best Friend, Pinches, Rubs, side of the foot blister. blister prevention, sneakers, Sweaty Feet, Whopper, Yesterday Today

Today’s post is long, but illustrates a valuable point. The Facebook post below started a long chain of responses – all suggestions on what the poster could do to eliminate her blister problem. There were a total of 64 responses. Let’s get right to what was initially posted. Original Facebook Post So some of you may remember the nasty blood blister I got during Boston in 2011. I am very unhappy to say I have another one as a result of yesterday. Today I will be doing a GREAT amount of reading …

Jan 4, 2013 · by John · In: blister care Tagged: Adventure Racers, Athletic Tape, bad blisters, Band Aid, blister care, blister testers, blister volunteers, blisters, Blog, Email, friction, Hikers, Pho, Poor Success, Prevention, Raw Skin, Runners, Second Skin, Tape Job, Volunteers, Walkers, zinc oxide

For years blister care has been fairly standard. Many athletes use Second Skin over the top of a blister and then apply tape to hold that in place. Some still use Vaseline. Others will drain the blister and cover with a Band-Aid or athletic tape. And some will use zinc oxide under tape. All can work – but some work better than others. I’ve seen many runners who have tried one of the above with poor success. Sometimes the lack of blister patching success happens because of a poor tape job. …

Sep 30, 2012 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Sports Tagged: Adventure Race, Bike Section, blister care, blister prevention, blisters, blood blisters, Bushwack, California Sierras, Checkpoint, Checkpoints, engo, Foot Care, Gold Rush Adventure, gold rush adventure race, hot spot, hot spots, Insole, Long Trek, Lounge Chair, macerated feet, socks, sore feet, Tender Area, toes

In August I worked the Gold Rush Adventure Race in the California Sierras. Throughout the race I worked at three checkpoints. As racers needed foot care, I carried my lounge chair and foot care box to where their team was set up and did what I could. Most racers had hot spots, blisters and sore feet. A lot of times, athletes tell me that have blisters and yet, after cleaning their feet, none are visible. They may have a very sore spot or a hot spot, but there is no blister. Sometimes I can tape …

Jul 29, 2012 · by John · In: Uncategorized Tagged: Arch Supports, Bandage, blister, blister care, blister donut, blister kits, Camp Staff, Donut Shape, Email, feet, First Night, Foot Care, Gauze, Hole In The Middle, Next Morning, Old School, Patch Job, patching blisters, Playing Tennis, School Patch, Severe Pain, Silver Dollar, Tennis Camp

One of my goals is to educate athletes about good foot care techniques. You may recall blog posts where I stress the importance of knowing how to do foot care and importantly, to know what’s best for your feet. I recently received an email from Rob, asking for some advice. Here’s Rob’s email: I have been running a modest 30 miles a week for a few years. Last weekend we attended a tennis camp and during the first night of drills during ball pick up (not during a drill or competitive play) …

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