Feet Blisters When Hiking: Prevention and Treatment

If you commonly get blisters, you can tape those places in advance to reduce the chance of blisters occurring. In the long run through, you probably need better fitting footwear.

As soon as you feel a hot or sore spot on a foot, stop and investigate. If your socks are damp or matted with sweat - change them. If you stick with the same pair, turn them inside out and check for grit, grass seeds, bits of twig, rough seams or anything that might be rubbing.

Switching socks from foot to foot can make a difference too. Put a dressing on the hot spot - adhesive tape, micropore tape, moleskin or even duct tape will do. When you put your shoes back on, make sure you lace them tightly.

Slack lacing can allow your feet to move in your shoes or boots and rub against the sides. Sometimes though the problem is too-tight shoes, if your shoes feel tight and your feet are hot, let your feet air for awhile to cool them down and reduce any swelling.

Take the insoles out of your shoes to make room if necessary and don tighten the laces too much. If you have lighter weight footwear, hike in those instead.

Treating Blisters

When you get a blister - and most hikers do at some time - it needs treating. You’re probably still need to walk on it, unless you can sit around for several days or more until it’s healed. So it’s best to burst it and then cover it with a dressing. For this you will need a sterile needle.

If you don’t have one in your first aid kit, you can sterilize a sewing needle from your repair kit by holding it in a match or lighter flame. Here’s the basic process for treating a blister:

1. Wash the area around the blister and wipe with antiseptic.
2. Insert the sterile needle into the base or side of the blister.
3. Roll the needle over the blister so all the liquid is squeezed out, wiping it up with a piece of tissue. Squeeze out every drop or the blister will be very painful when you start walking again. If the blister is large or under hard skin, you might need several needle holes.
4. Once you’ve drained the blister, clean it with antiseptic, being careful not to break or move the loose skin covering it, as this protects the area while new skin forms.
5. Cover the blister with a gel that will cushion and help heal the blister, such as 2nd Skin or Compeed. You’ll need to tape 2nd Skin in place.

When you resume hiking, the blister will probably feel painful for the first few steps. If the pain doesn’t quickly ease off there is probably still some fluid in the blister. Squeeze it again and put on a new dressing.

Blisters heal most quickly in the open air, so if they’re really spoiling your hike, you could take a few days off and sit around with bare feet until they heal.

This post was published previously on BloggersBase: Health, Sports and Fitness.

Similar Posts:

• Taking Care of Your Feet During Hiking
• Best Hiking Boots - How To Pick Them
• Sunburn Skin During Your Adventure Hike - Prevention is Better Than Cure
• 3 Types of Footwear for Day Hikes
• Duct Tape - Ultimate Repair Tool Ever!