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OBXWaMi
04-15-2012, 10:37
Blisters!
At about mile 7 of 12 the bottoms of my feet, actually the balls of my feet, started to burn. I've read about using duck tape to cover hot spots thus preventing blisters, but didn't know how to use it on the balls of my feet. Today I have huge blisters on both feet. They are under the thicker skin and now full of fluid.

Any advice on prevention for next time and suggestions for how to deal with existing blisters now would be appreciated.

BTW, we had to decide whether to stay at the shelter and hike out this morning or to hike out and drive home last night. I'm glad we chose to come home. Those last three miles would have been horrible now that these blisters have swelled up.

--Michelle

Slo-go'en
04-15-2012, 11:20
Preventing blisters:

Do more walking before hand. A lot more walking. Toughen up those feet. Make sure your feet don't slide around inside the boot/shoe. For some people, a liner sock can help.

Treating:

You'll get all kind of opinions here. Blisters on the balls of the feet are difficult to treat. You need to drain them, or you can't walk at all. Then, you'll have a flap of skin, which needs to be removed or it will cause more trouble. Now you have raw skin which needs to be protected, but being on the bottom of your foot, nothing will stay stuck there. That's why I used "New Skin" or other liquid bandage. Stings like all get out when you put it on, but it disinfects and seals the wound.

Spokes
04-15-2012, 11:38
Too much, too soon?

Three things helped me keep from getting blisters on my thru hike:

1- Proper fitting boots
2- Pre-hike treatment to toughen feet by soaking in strong tea solution http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/291 see page 2
3- using BodyGlide on my feet every day during hike.

I've used soak liners too but dumped them after a couple weeks- to me they are worthless. Others rave about them.

Don't underestimate the power of taking your boots and socks off when on a rest break to let those puppies air out.....

johnnybgood
04-15-2012, 11:50
The Cause :
Sounds like your foot was sliding forward causing friction against the balls of your feet.

No mention of type of socks or shoes worn but you might start with using non cotton ,omni-wool hiking socks and a good trailrunners.

The Cure :

If they're infected,then wash the blisters,have them drained and treated with an antibiotic. The blisters will take time to heal but treat ,keeping moisture free,wash daily,air dry and stay off the trails until healed.

ChinMusic
04-15-2012, 12:04
I agree with "too much too soon". I know from personal experience that if I have gone very long without significant walking my feet will be tender, and prone to these types of blisters, if I push too hard.

Heal up, reenter with shorter mileage, and slowly build up. And don't delay using Duct Tape should you feel a hot spot.

OBXWaMi
04-15-2012, 12:31
I was wearing wigwam wool socks and Merril Moab's. I changed socks mid-way through to another brand of thinner wool socks. I don't know what kind they are, but they say Active LT and Point6 on them.
I was sliding forward in the shoe, my second toe, which happens to be longer than my big toe, was hitting the front of my shoe.

About the duck tape, how?? Just put a piece of it over the hot spot? How big?? Wouldn't I slide in the sock even more??

Our hike was the southern half of the Neusiok Trail in NC. Myself, my 17 year old daughter and my 6 year old granddaughter. We hiked in from the hwy 3/4 mile to the first shelter, spent Friday night and hiked all day yesterday to the end.

quilteresq
04-15-2012, 14:56
There is a great book called "Fixing your Feet." The guy also has a web site. If you're prone to any kind of foot problem, I highly recommend it. http://fixingyourfeet.com/

leaftye
04-15-2012, 15:46
I haven't had any success taping the balls of my feet. I haven't noticed much of a difference between socks or how tightly laced my shoes were. What has worked is airing out my feet very shortly after it starts to heat up. Not only does that cool and dry the feet, which should prevent blisters from forming, but it also seems to quickly thicken the skin.

Now that you're back home, you can modify your training to toughen your feet. Do this by walking for speed. You still want to prevent blisters, so air out those feet as soon as they start getting hot and during any break. One thing I've noticed is that my feet get incredibly hot as soon as I'm done walking. If I take my shoes off, my feet feel fine, but they feel hot enough to get blisters if I leave them on. Now my shoes always come off as soon as I'm done walking, whether that leaves me at my front door, car, camp, etc.

As far as socks go, I prefer synthetic over wool because they dry faster. In my experience, wool socks hold too much moisture.

Lyle
04-15-2012, 15:56
Sounds like your shoes were ill-fitting, or improperly laced. May want to try some thin liner socks underneath your heavier wool socks. Generally these are no longer needed with today's lighter packs and footwear. but may be worth a try.

I used to always have various blisters to tend to. Started each day with foot doctoring. Was pretty adept, called on to tend to other folks feet as well. Since the changes in lightweight gear and the demise of heavy leather boots, this is a skill that is rarely needed or called upon except with very new folks.

I can sympathize with you in regard to the location of your blister. I once developed a heel size blister underneath a heel-sized callous on my right heel - the entire bottom of it, and expanding up the outside of my ankle. I did cut into the side of it to drain it to make hiking possible. Unfortunately, I also chose to go swimming in a pond. The cool mud in the bottom of the pond felt real soothing, until I came out, pulled the leaches off my legs, then had to dig all the muck out of the pocket formed by the callous. Twigs and slightly larger sticks were the most effective instruments, along with occasional water bottles to flush it. :-) Lesson learned.

Blister tending is becoming a lost art!

rocketsocks
04-15-2012, 16:07
There is a great book called "Fixing your Feet." The guy also has a web site. If you're prone to any kind of foot problem, I highly recommend it. http://fixingyourfeet.com/A couple months ago you turned me on to this site......thanks and it's cool,learned a lot.

OBXWaMi
04-15-2012, 16:44
ooohhhh, I didn't think of the way I had my shoes laced. I hate how my shoes get too tight in the toe box so I unlaced half way down and tied a knot before relacing. Has worked like a charm, but I wonder if that allowed my foot to slide around a bit too much. Maybe I'll rethink that on my next hike.
BTW, I drained the blisters and I can tollerate walking as long as I wear my super squishy flip-flops.

thanks for the website!

rocketsocks
04-15-2012, 17:00
ohhh, I didn't think of the way I had my shoes laced. I hate how my shoes get too tight in the toe box so I unlaced half way down and tied a knot before replacing. Has worked like a charm, but I wonder if that allowed my foot to slide around a bit too much. Maybe I'll rethink that on my next hike.
BTW, I drained the blisters and I can tolerate walking as long as I wear my super squishy flip-flops.

thanks for the website!Time to think outside the box a bit.There is know reason that I know of that says you can't use more than one shoe lace.You can use two if you like,one at the toe box,skip a couple eyes where there's a problem area,and start a knew one for the big finish,even change colors if you like.

Spokes
04-15-2012, 18:08
Duct tape? Yeah, some folks use it on hot spots. I don't like it.

One things for sure, don't get the bright idea like I did once and wrap it around your toes as a blister preventative. Damn stuff ripped my toe nails off by the end of the day. Talk about hurting.......

ChinMusic
04-15-2012, 20:30
Duct tape? Yeah, some folks use it on hot spots. I don't like it.

One things for sure, don't get the bright idea like I did once and wrap it around your toes as a blister preventative. Damn stuff ripped my toe nails off by the end of the day. Talk about hurting.......

White tape on toes. Duct Tape on the rest of the feet.

jerseydave
04-15-2012, 20:46
I wear a thin nylon sock under my thicker hiking sock. Nylon helps prevent friction, hiking sock provides cushion.......... gets pretty warm in the warmer weather though.

Creek Dancer
04-17-2012, 16:33
Nylon doesn't work for me. My feet sweat too much and I get blisters. Instead, I use a silk or "coolmax" type liner, along with a thin pair of hiking socks or a second pair of liners, and I never get blisters. These fabrics seem to wick away the moisture. I also use Gold Bond foot powder as a extra measure. I make sure to rub this well all over my feets and between my toes.

Not sure what to tell you about the blisters, OBX. Hope you are healing well. But, by any chance did you meet a guy named 32oz Gatoraid on the Neusiok trail? He is thru hiking the MST and I think he was on the Neusiok about the same time as you.

Slosteppin
04-21-2012, 20:01
I found two things to help prevent blisters next time. I had a similar problem on the last two days of a seven day hike in Florida a few years ago. The first day I tried duct tape. That night I had a much bigger blister. Opened that and applied Newskin. The next morning I padded with Molefoam and taped in place with white tape.

Before the next hike I washed my feet with rubbing alcohol each day for a week. Then while hiking I used Purell on both feet morning and night, sometimes at noon also. No blisters since.
Slosteppin Ed

Moose2001
04-21-2012, 20:16
You don't ever want to use duct tape to cover an open blister. Duct tape does not breath and can cause infection. White athletic tape is the best thing to use.

OBXWaMi
04-22-2012, 08:07
Creek Dancer-- I didn't see 32oz Gatorade on the trail. The first people I saw--at Dogwood Shelter--just happened to be from right here in Manteo. We could only laugh that we went all that way and ran into people who live within a mile ouf our house. The only others we saw were 13 really big guys who came into camp just after dark.

My blisters are pretty much healed up at this point. Just one little one that the roof came off of this morning. I read a great deal on that Fixing your feet website. Went online and bought some Kinesio tape and already tried it out for other feet issues. Awesome stuff. Breathes, sticks like a champ and even stays on after it gets wet multiple times. I'm set for my next hike--which just happens to be next weekend near Waynesboro with the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club. I'm taking it with me this week too, not to hike, but spending the week volunteering at camp-clean-up week at NC Lions Camp Dogwood for the blind/visually impared in Sherrills Ford.

--Michelle

Monkeywrench
04-22-2012, 09:23
About the duck tape, how?? Just put a piece of it over the hot spot? How big?? Wouldn't I slide in the sock even more??

Yes, just put a big piece of duct tape over the hot spot. Blisters are caused by localized heat from friction between the skin and whatever it is rubbing on. Putting the duct tape over the hot spot causes the rubbing to be between the tape and the sock (or whatever), rather than your skin and the sock.

It's a work-around to use when there is something wrong about your socks & shoes, but it is better to have properly fitting socks and shoes and conditioned feet. Walk a lot to condition your feet. Walk in your trail shoes. Walk up and down hills. Walk over uneven ground. Walk short distances. Walk long distances.

Find somebody who has been out hiking for a few weeks and ask them to show you their feet. Their skin will be tough and they will have thick pads on the soles, heels and other pressure points of their feet.

leaftye
04-22-2012, 12:04
That brings up another point. Don't grind, sand or do whatever is done to your feet to make tough thick skin thin...which I assume is part of what's done during a pedicure. Your skin gets thick in certain spots for a reason. If you go more than a week or so between longish walks, you'll want to keep your feet moisturized so that the skin doesn't dry up and peel off.