Blisters caused by toe socks??

[trecile]

I'm on the Norte right now, and the last few days I've been wearing my hiking sandals with Injinji toe socks. I tape the bass of my feet every day because that's where I tend to get hot spots.

My second toe on my left foot was starting to feel a little different, but that's not unusual for me because I have neuropathy in my feet, and the left is worse than the right.

However, when I checked I found a blister right between my big toe and second toe at the base. The only thing that I can think of is that it was caused by the sock rubbing there between my toes, irritating it like the toes post on a flip flop.

So it will be back to my Wright Socks, and I think I'll put a bit of lamb's wool between the toes.

Anyone ever heard of this happening?

 

[davebugg]

I'm on the Norte right now, and the last few days I've been wearing my hiking sandals with Injinji toe socks. I tape the bass of my feet every day because that's where I tend to get hot spots.

My second toe on my left foot was starting to feel a little different, but that's not unusual for me because I have neuropathy in my feet, and the left is worse than the right.

However, when I checked I found a blister right between my big toe and second toe at the base. The only thing that I can think of is that it was caused by the sock rubbing there between my toes, irritating it like the toes post on a flip flop.

So it will be back to my Wright Socks, and I think I'll put a bit of lamb's wool between the toes.

Anyone ever heard of this happening?

It does happen; there have been some who have experienced similar concerns with Injinji. I have a suspicion that one's individual anatomy at those toe junctures is responsible for that type of blistering. The wool is a great idea.

 

[Anamiri]

I have issues with toe socks. Last year each person in our Oxfam Trailwalk team was sent a free pair of Injinji socks as a promotion they were doing with Oxfam.
I hated mine, wore them for half a day, and then had to give them away.
I've never had a blister on my toes before.
My toes are all nice and straight, no kinks or overlapping, just didn't like fabric between them.
But the recipient was happy enough to have two pairs.

 

[trecile]

And today I was just thinking how well the sandals and toe socks were working out. I'm going to stick with the sandals and just change out the socks.

This blister is rather weird. It's not red and sore, I hardly knew it was there until I checked. It's just a small bulging area. I'll leave it intact, as it's not tender at all.

 

[davebugg]

And today I was just thinking how well the sandals and toe socks were working out. I'm going to stick with the sandals and just change out the socks.

This blister is rather weird. It's not red and sore, I hardly knew it was there until I checked. It's just a small bulging area. I'll leave it intact, as it's not tender at all.

Oh, well, it doesn't sound like much damage was done. Keep an eye on the blister; if the area becomes reddened or tender, it could be from a bacterial infection. If so, then drain and cleanse with an antiseptic cleanser (betadine, iodine), and then apply a bit of topical antibiotic ointment. Repeat the cleaning and antibiotic a few times during the day during rest breaks, and then after showering before bed.

 

[trecile]

Oh, well, it doesn't sound like much damage was done. Keep an eye on the blister; if the area becomes reddened or tender, it could be from a bacterial infection. If so, then drain and cleanse with an antiseptic cleanser (betadine, iodine), and then apply a bit of topical antibiotic ointment. Repeat the cleaning and antibiotic a few times during the day during rest breaks, and then after showering before bed.

Thanks. Right now, the skin is intact, so I don't anticipate any problems. I've brought along a couple of sterile individually wrapped sharp tick remover blades that I can use to open and drain it if necessary.

 

[intrepidtraveler]

And today I was just thinking how well the sandals and toe socks were working out. I'm going to stick with the sandals and just change out the socks.

This blister is rather weird. It's not red and sore, I hardly knew it was there until I checked. It's just a small bulging area. I'll leave it intact, as it's not tender at all.

I found that with the Injinji's the inside seam on the toes could be problematic. What worked for me was to turn them inside out and be sure to use Foot Glide- no more problems.

 

[Saint Mike II]

I've been wearing the Injini Toe Socks for the past 3 or 4 years and have (I believe) save myself from any toe associated complaints. I have worn them "inside out" as well as "inside in" and even wet. I appreciate that others may experience "problems" but I intend to continue to wear mine. Cheers

 

[edandjoan]

And they do have wool injinji socks. Works great with trail shoes. And probably Sandels. The lighter weigh is great for running shoes.

 

[Camino Chris]

I purchased a pair of Injinji toe socks for my recent camino as a "just in case" back up item in addition to my trusty Wigwams I've worn on three other caminos with success. I wore the Injinji's just once as I really disliked the added time it takes to put them on (toe by toe x 10!) and removing them end of day when my feet were a bit damp from sweat it was a nuscience to peel them off. Just my opinion based on my own experience.

 

[txema]

I use toe socks but not Injinji ones. In my opinion, Knitido is a good alternative. My next ones will be Mont Bell: I can see and touch a merino wool ones these days in the Camino and they seems very nice.

 

[VNwalking]

I tried the toe socks just once and gave them away, with a similar experience as yours; clearly they are not for everyone's feet. Lambs wool and paper tape are my go-to toe protection; they work perfectly.

 

[spagirl]

I have very curled under toes so I ordered a pair of injini toe sock liners.
I now only wear them on one foot as they bother the other. One side must cure more???

 

[Carol06]

I love Injinji toe socks. I had a hot spot between my little toe and the next toe, and originally thought it was a blister, but it never developed into one. I wrapped the little toe in fine tape every morning and had no further problems. I would not walk without my toe socks, but just take care of that one little toe. Probably just the shape of my feet.

 

[KiwiBrownz]

I'm on the Norte right now, and the last few days I've been wearing my hiking sandals with Injinji toe socks. I tape the bass of my feet every day because that's where I tend to get hot spots.

My second toe on my left foot was starting to feel a little different, but that's not unusual for me because I have neuropathy in my feet, and the left is worse than the right.

However, when I checked I found a blister right between my big toe and second toe at the base. The only thing that I can think of is that it was caused by the sock rubbing there between my toes, irritating it like the toes post on a flip flop.

So it will be back to my Wright Socks, and I think I'll put a bit of lamb's wool between the toes.

Anyone ever heard of this happening?

Use tape and wool. toe socks are a marketing gimmick. I wore a pair on a prep hike and it took too long to repair the toe blisters. I wear possum and merino and have not had a blister on my two caminos. It is all about doing what works for you. On the camino your feet are your vehicle of transport and need daily care and attention.

 

[brian560]

I've been wearing the Onjini Toe Socks for the past 3 or 4 years and have (I believe) save myself from any toe associated complaints. I have worn them "inside out" as well as "inside in" and even wet. I appreciate that others may experience "problems" but I intend to continue to wear mine. Cheers

I wore their toesock liners for about 3000 kms with no problems at all. I wear thinnish socks over the liners.

 

[OzAnnie]

when I checked I found a blister right between my big toe and second toe at the base.

Hi Trecile
Just a thought from me. Check that it is not a ‘corn’ developing in that spot.
I had never had corns before my 2016 Le Puy walk when I stopped at Sjpdp.
I had thought at first it was a blister between right 4th toe and little toe, but later when it kept getting more tender, another pilgrim with me looked she could make out it was a corn. Advice was to use corn pads. DONT do that. A lot of them eat away good skin. I found walking too painful after that and took myself to San Sebastián to rest and get treatment at a clinic. I couldn’t put my covered in shoes on for a long time. I returned to oz earlier after purchasing a new flight rtn ticket. Expensive. I regularly see a podiatrist at home now and have it checked. She advised me it is best for them to check and treat. It’s a difficult spot for us to even ‘see’ the damage.
Good luck and hope it’s not a corn though.
Buen Camino.
Annie

 

[trecile]

Hi Trecile
Just a thought from me. Check that it is not a ‘corn’ developing in that spot.
I had never had corns before my 2016 Le Puy walk when I stopped at Sjpdp.
I had thought at first it was a blister between right 4th toe and little toe, but later when it kept getting more tender, another pilgrim with me looked she could make out it was a corn. Advice was to use corn pads. DONT do that. A lot of them eat away good skin. I found walking too painful after that and took myself to San Sebastián to rest and get treatment at a clinic. I couldn’t put my covered in shoes on for a long time. I returned to oz earlier after purchasing a new flight rtn ticket. Expensive. I regularly see a podiatrist at home now and have it checked. She advised me it is best for them to check and treat. It’s a difficult spot for us to even ‘see’ the damage.
Good luck and hope it’s not a corn though.
Buen Camino.
Annie

No, it's not a corn. I could tell that it's a blister with fluid in it. It isn't painful at all, and there is zero pressure on it when I'm walking. And I walked over 30 km both yesterday and today. Yesterday mostly in the rain. It's starting to decrease in size now. It looks like most of the fluid has been reabsorbed.

 

[John Crawford Howell]

I wore Injinji's as part of my "evening wear" along with my thonged extremely light weight Crocs. I never hiked with them. I used a silk liner, medium weight Smart Wool socks, and trail runners for hiking. Zero blisters. The down side of putting on Injinji's every evening after showering is getting the correct toe into the correct hole. Didn't know I had so many toes all wanting to get into the same toe hole always at the same time. ;-)

 

[snowwhite1962]

I love my Injinji toe socks and hiked with them in Nepal without any issues albeit I wasn't doing the kinds of distances I was on the Camino. So when it came to walking the Camino I naturally turned to toes socks but found they were irritating me at the base between the toes. I was lucky that it didn't blister but it got really annoying so would only wear them for the morning and change them at lunchtime.

 

[La Rubia]

The Injini toe socks worked great for me in 2016 - after 2015's blisters I did a whole lot more research/prep as to what would work. My feet are fairly loose-boned, and my little toes tend to slide under the 2nd toes, which of course causes rubbing. The toe socks cured that. I'll be wearing them again this year.

 

[Mel Camino]

I'm another vote against Injinji toe socks. Maybe my pinky toes are small, but the fabric bunched under them and caused a long, thin blister that made a "seam" in my skin. They didn't hurt much but were a nuisance. They're great for many, but not for all.

 

[Janbrovold]

On three Caminos, the ONLY blister I ever had was the day I tried toe socks. I had heard that people loved them, but my feet didn’t!

 

[ChipFrazier]

I got a small blister on the bottom of my second toe on my left foot using running socks while training for a marathon. So, I tried Injinji toe socks, and they allowed the blister to heal. However, in addition to the previously mentioned hassle of putting them on and taking them off when wet, I got runner's toe on my left big toe--much more painful than a blister! My assessment was that the pressure on the afflicted toe was too great and bruised the nail bed. I use regular socks thereafter and have no further problems with runner's toes.

 

[trecile]

On three Caminos, the ONLY blister I ever had was the day I tried toe socks. I had heard that people loved them, but my feet didn’t!

This was only my second blister on 2.5 Caminos. The other one was on the side of my toe, so I thought that the toe socks would prevent that from happening again. I didn't think about them causing a blister!

 

[Walking Julie]

I'm on the Norte right now, and the last few days I've been wearing my hiking sandals with Injinji toe socks. I tape the bass of my feet every day because that's where I tend to get hot spots.

My second toe on my left foot was starting to feel a little different, but that's not unusual for me because I have neuropathy in my feet, and the left is worse than the right.

However, when I checked I found a blister right between my big toe and second toe at the base. The only thing that I can think of is that it was caused by the sock rubbing there between my toes, irritating it like the toes post on a flip flop.

So it will be back to my Wright Socks, and I think I'll put a bit of lamb's wool between the toes.

Anyone ever heard of this happening?

Yes. I wore mine only 1 day and got a blister. I Tossed them out. It was 1 of the only 4 blisters I got walking avrerage 22 Miles a day for 29 days. I swear by my Salomon shoes.

 

[trecile]

Yes. I wore mine only 1 day and got a blister. I Tossed them out. It was 1 of the only 4 blisters I got walking avrerage 22 Miles a day for 29 days. I swear by my Salomon shoes.

If you insist on wearing them you need plenty of anti blister preventative measures. My suggestion is to determine where you get hot spots and put some Omnifix or Hypafix on those areas every day. The tape will raje the friction rather than your skin.
That said, I think that it's a bad Idea to wear shoes that are a problem before you even step foot on the Camino

 

[Walking Julie]

If you insist on wearing them you need plenty of anti blister preventative measures. My suggestion is to determine where you get hot spots and put some Omnifix or Hypafix on those areas every day. The tape will raje the friction rather than your skin.
That said, I think that it's a bad Idea to wear shoes that are a problem before you even step foot on the Camino

I think you miss understood me. I only had 4 blisters my ENTIRE walk. One was due to those particular socks. And I completely agree about boots/shoes. That is why I was almost completely blister free. I tried other boots and no matter how much “breaking in” walking I did, I always got blisters. Then I discovered Solomons. no more blisters. They are the right shoe for MY feet.

 

[trecile]

I think you miss understood me. I only had 4 blisters my ENTIRE walk. One was due to those particular socks. And I completely agree about boots/shoes. That is why I was almost completely blister free. I tried other boots and no matter how much “breaking in” walking I did, I always got blisters. Then I discovered Solomons. no more blisters. They are the right shoe for MY feet.

I'm sorry. I responded to the wrong post.
I meant to respond to a post about wearing shoes that made someone's feet hot on their practice hikes.

 

[Nezabudka]

Toe socks were not the best option for me either. I still had blisters popping up at the bottom of my pinkies. So, for me the solution was Japanese socks (with only the big toe in separate pocket) and silicone protectors for pinkies.

 

[trecile]

A friend who is on the Camino right now texted me yesterday to ask what to do about a blister that she got in the exact same place between the toes as I had - even on the left foot like me. It turns out that she was wearing toe socks too!

I ended up just leaving it alone - it wasn't bothering me because I wasn't putting any pressure on it. It ended up just deflating, and going away.