Dirt Archives - Fixing Your Feet

Aug 4, 2012 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care Products, Health, Sports Tagged: Amp Skin, Backpacker Magazine, bag balm, bagbalm, blister prevention. lubricants, blisters, blistershield, bodyglide, Dirt, Disclosure, Endurance, friction, High Mileage, hot spots, hydropel, lubricants, Magazine Article, Mileage, Pain Balm, Pennies, runguard, skin care, Skin Lubricant, Slicker, Socks And Shoes, sportslick, Stickiness, vaseline

This post came about because of a Backpacker magazine article about skills. One of the items was about endurance and was for, “Blistered feet during a high-mileage trek.” The tip was to, “… protect against hot spots by applying a skin lubricant like Vaseline to high-friction areas…” I’m sorry, but I think Vaseline is a bad choice. When I ran my first ultra, back around 1982, there was not a huge choice in lubricants so Vaseline was commonly used. But I learned very quickly that its stickiness …

Jul 22, 2012 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care Tagged: Antibiotic Ointment, Athlete, Bacteria, badwater ultramarathon, Blood Blister, blood blisters, Blood Red, Brazil, Circulatory System, death valley, Different Story, Dirt, Finish Line, Foot Care, friction, Grime, Long Periods, Mistake, Pitfalls, Rule Of Thumb, Sterile Environment, Wounds

In reality, most blisters don’t have blood in them. Repeated heavy pressure (friction) or simply long periods of pressure can turn an ordinary blister into a blood blister. The fluid will go from clear to light pink, and with continued pressure, to blood red. The general rule of thumb is not to lance and drain any blood blister. You may have to pad the area to take the pressure off the blood-filled skin. You need to now how to manage a ruptured blood blister. Here’s why. The problem with …

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May 3, 2012 · by John · In: Foot Care, Footwear Tagged: blisters, Dirt, Disclosure, feet, Foot Care, footwear companies, friction, Gaiter, gaiters, hot spots, Link Caption, Mesh Material, mesh shoe uppers, Minute Particles, non-mesh shoe uppers, Pairs, Rei Store, Salomon Shoes, Shoe Uppers, socks, Stuff, Trail Runners

Last month I was at my local REI store to conduct a clinic on foot care. At the same time, they held a footwear festival, which had eight footwear companies represented. I noted something about some of the shoes that is valuable to know if you are shopping for shoes. Specifically, the materials of the shoe’s upper. I have two photos to share with you. The shoes in these photos are made by Salomon. In fair disclosure, I have several pairs of Salomon shoes that I received as swag for working …

Jan 6, 2012 · by John · In: Foot Care, Foot Care Products, Footwear Products Tagged: Absolutes, Advocate, Bottom Edge, Country Model, Desert Environment, Dirt, Dream Chaser, dream chaser events, Elastic Cord, eric lahaie, Gaiter, gaiters, Hook, Marathon Des Sables, mesh, Metal Eyelet, Nine Times, racing the planet, Rough Country, rough country gaiters, Seam, shape, Typical Design, Velcro

For years I have been a strong advocate for gaiters if you are doing trails. In fact, it has been one of my “absolutes” – things I believe you must do. This post is a review of the Rough Country Gaiters. Most gaiters follow the same design. They cover the top of the shoe and go up to the top of the ankle. The benefit of Rough Country Gaiters over the typical design is how they cover from the top of the ankle to the bottom of the shoe. The beauty of this design is how they cover the shoe’s …

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