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They work. I use Swede-O brand. You will need to add lubricant (I use silicone) at the friction points of the brace, and don't tighten the boot laces too much; it may cause pain even if tight laces do not cause blisters.The only sure ankle support for medically indicated need are ankle braces which can fit inside of the shoe.
I enjoyed your information about ankle support. I have a weak left ankle and for years wore boots which reached above the ankle. On long hikes, I would twist my ankle several times a day,when my foot rolled over,stepping on uneven ground. When I went to low cut shoes,my ankles must have gotten stronger,as I have not twisted my ankle in years. I think encasing your ankle in a rigid boot is not the way to go.Blisters are a product of friction.... often referred to as shear force friction. The skin of your foot, and the sock that is in contact with that area of skin, are sliding and rubbing together.
Strategies for the prevention of shear force friction have changed and matured over recent years.
- A properly fitting shoe. In brief, it needs to be long enough and wide enough to accomodate any insoles, orthotics, metatarsal pads, etc, PLUS the socks that you will be wearing, PLUS the increased pressure on the feet from wearing a loaded pack.
- Light padded Merino wool sock designed for walking or backpacking, or the same type of sock in a good synthetic blend. A heavy pad on a sock allows potentially more movement against the skin, takes longer to air out, and takes longer to dry when washed.
- A sock fit that is snug. Not excruciatingly tight. You want the shear force to be between the sock and the interior of the shoe, not the sock and the skin. A snug fitting sock will help to make that happen
- Allow the sock to move a bit in the shoe. By keeping the shoes a bit looser on the feet, the sock will take the brunt of the shear force. If a shoe is tied snug, then that forces the foot to move more in the sock, which means the sock and skin are absorbing the shear force. An exception occurs on long downhill grades; the shoes need to be tied tight enough to keep your toes from hitting the front of the shoe which can cause injury and trauma to the nail bed and toe joints.
- While there are foot lubricants, from Body Glide and Hiker's Goo to plain old vaseline, the have a fairly short viable working span as the material rubs of the skin and is absorbed by the socks. For prophylactic protection from shear force friction, a long lasting barrier is the better option. The placement of tapes, like Leukotape P, or moleskin-type products, if adhered correctly, will last the whole day. You clean off the area of application with a bit of alcohol to remove grease, dirt, and body oils; cut a piece of your chosen barrier material to fit the area you want protected; be sure to cut rounded corners rather than square in order to help the material from rolling up away from the skin; place the barrier on the area, taking care to not handle the adhesive; spent a bit of time rubbing the material to create friction so that the adhesive will heat up and adhere more firmly; at the end of the day, remove the barrier and use some alcohol to wipe the area that was covered.
As to the thought about boots and ankle support:
First, unless there are medical issues, the ankle is best protected with exercise and use, where the ankle is allowed to use uneven surfaces, exercise, and balancing on one foot in order to build strength and endurance and lessen susceptibility to injurious fatigue.
The only sure ankle support for medically indicated need are ankle braces which can fit inside of the shoe. Despite anecdotal evidence and subjective opinion to the contrary, research has repeatedly shown that boots do not provide the level of stiffness and the shear rigidity needed to keep ankles free from injury.
They can, in fact, exacerbate the risk of injury. A foot in a boot is sitting higher off the ground than when in a shoe because the outer and midsoles are much thicker and built up. Additionally, the outer sole of boots are trimmed closer to shell of the boot, meaning that the outer sole has a fairly narrow profile. Both of these factors have been shown to have a higher risk of the footwear 'rolling' when stepping on an unstable surface or piece of debris like loose rocks or uneven surfaces.
As the boot begins to roll, the boot carries the foot with it, the higher material of the boot above the ankle exerts more force against the foot to make it roll with the boot. That material is not stiff enough to keep from flexing, which means that your ankle is going to start bending as the roll of the boot continues. And because the foot is higher off the ground inside the boot, the ankle can be forced into a more significant bending.
Another factor about boots that helps lead to injury is their weight. The heavier the weight that the foot and lower legs need to lift, the more stress and fatigue the ankles and supporting structures are exposed to. Such weakens the ability of the ankle structures to maintain resiliency.
Trail shoes and trail runners, on the other hand, do the opposite when confronted with the same type of uneven surface or debris. The outer and midsoles are much closer to the ground. They are also wider than the shoe making for a contact point with the ground that is more stable. Their much lighter weight keeps ankle structures from fatiguing.
Now here is the thing researchers found as most significant: A foot in a shoe that is kept a bit loose can compensate, to a large degree, when the shoe starts to roll off of an uneven surface. As the shoe rolls, the foot tends to slip around the shoe. In other words, the shoe moves around the foot for the most part, so the ankle won't immediately bend out of place with the shoe. This allows the wearer of the shoe to have enough time to react to the rolling and twisting shoe to keep the ankle from injurious strain.
Yes, there are people who get ankle injuries in trail shoes and trail runners. But those injuries are less frequent and less severe, on an average, than with a foot encased in an above the ankle hiking boot.
As I stated above, there will be any number of folks that, with no predisposing medical conditions, will state anecdotal evidence along the lines that they, or a friend, or other family members, et al, were saved by above the ankle boots. Subjective opinion is like that.But objective evidence begs to differ on the best way of protecting ankles from injury.
Engo patches worked well last year for my friend.Dave has given plenty of good advice about reducing friction on the foot but the blister prevention blog article below tells about a product, a Teflon patch, that reduces the friction between the sock and shoe at the areas where your blisters happen.
https://www.blisterprevention.com.au/blister-blog/engo-blister-prevention-patches
Dave has given plenty of good advice about reducing friction on the foot but the blister prevention blog article below tells about a product, a Teflon patch, that reduces the friction between the sock and shoe at the areas where your blisters happen.
https://www.blisterprevention.com.au/blister-blog/engo-blister-prevention-patches
Blisters aren't necessarily a function of sock/skin friction per se. They can be a function of our anatomy/mechanics and hundreds and hundreds of steps. I.e., if someone has a toe that rolls under another a bit and every step pinches it there, multiply that by hundreds of steps, a blister will form. So sometimes the cure is addressing the mechanical/anatomical issue. i.e., prevent the toe from rolling/pinching under there.
Well, it's not rare on my feet.That's true, but it is relatively rare in the whole blister scheme of thingsIt does point out the importance of not letting uncomfortable or unusual feelings with one's feet go unattended; it is something that makes paying attention to one's feet vital when walking long distances.
Blisters are a product of friction.... often referred to as shear force friction. The skin of your foot, and the sock that is in contact with that area of skin, are sliding and rubbing together.
Strategies for the prevention of shear force friction have changed and matured over recent years.
- A properly fitting shoe. In brief, it needs to be long enough and wide enough to accomodate any insoles, orthotics, metatarsal pads, etc, PLUS the socks that you will be wearing, PLUS the increased pressure on the feet from wearing a loaded pack.
- Light padded Merino wool sock designed for walking or backpacking, or the same type of sock in a good synthetic blend. A heavy pad on a sock allows potentially more movement against the skin, takes longer to air out, and takes longer to dry when washed.
- A sock fit that is snug. Not excruciatingly tight. You want the shear force to be between the sock and the interior of the shoe, not the sock and the skin. A snug fitting sock will help to make that happen
- Allow the sock to move a bit in the shoe. By keeping the shoes a bit looser on the feet, the sock will take the brunt of the shear force. If a shoe is tied snug, then that forces the foot to move more in the sock, which means the sock and skin are absorbing the shear force. An exception occurs on long downhill grades; the shoes need to be tied tight enough to keep your toes from hitting the front of the shoe which can cause injury and trauma to the nail bed and toe joints.
- While there are foot lubricants, from Body Glide and Hiker's Goo to plain old vaseline, the have a fairly short viable working span as the material rubs of the skin and is absorbed by the socks. For prophylactic protection from shear force friction, a long lasting barrier is the better option. The placement of tapes, like Leukotape P, or moleskin-type products, if adhered correctly, will last the whole day. You clean off the area of application with a bit of alcohol to remove grease, dirt, and body oils; cut a piece of your chosen barrier material to fit the area you want protected; be sure to cut rounded corners rather than square in order to help the material from rolling up away from the skin; place the barrier on the area, taking care to not handle the adhesive; spent a bit of time rubbing the material to create friction so that the adhesive will heat up and adhere more firmly; at the end of the day, remove the barrier and use some alcohol to wipe the area that was covered.
As to the thought about boots and ankle support:
First, unless there are medical issues, the ankle is best protected with exercise and use, where the ankle is allowed to use uneven surfaces, exercise, and balancing on one foot in order to build strength and endurance and lessen susceptibility to injurious fatigue.
The only sure ankle support for medically indicated need are ankle braces which can fit inside of the shoe. Despite anecdotal evidence and subjective opinion to the contrary, research has repeatedly shown that boots do not provide the level of stiffness and the shear rigidity needed to keep ankles free from injury.
They can, in fact, exacerbate the risk of injury. A foot in a boot is sitting higher off the ground than when in a shoe because the outer and midsoles are much thicker and built up. Additionally, the outer sole of boots are trimmed closer to shell of the boot, meaning that the outer sole has a fairly narrow profile. Both of these factors have been shown to have a higher risk of the footwear 'rolling' when stepping on an unstable surface or piece of debris like loose rocks or uneven surfaces.
As the boot begins to roll, the boot carries the foot with it, the higher material of the boot above the ankle exerts more force against the foot to make it roll with the boot. That material is not stiff enough to keep from flexing, which means that your ankle is going to start bending as the roll of the boot continues. And because the foot is higher off the ground inside the boot, the ankle can be forced into a more significant bending.
Another factor about boots that helps lead to injury is their weight. The heavier the weight that the foot and lower legs need to lift, the more stress and fatigue the ankles and supporting structures are exposed to. Such weakens the ability of the ankle structures to maintain resiliency.
Trail shoes and trail runners, on the other hand, do the opposite when confronted with the same type of uneven surface or debris. The outer and midsoles are much closer to the ground. They are also wider than the shoe making for a contact point with the ground that is more stable. Their much lighter weight keeps ankle structures from fatiguing.
Now here is the thing researchers found as most significant: A foot in a shoe that is kept a bit loose can compensate, to a large degree, when the shoe starts to roll off of an uneven surface. As the shoe rolls, the foot tends to slip around the shoe. In other words, the shoe moves around the foot for the most part, so the ankle won't immediately bend out of place with the shoe. This allows the wearer of the shoe to have enough time to react to the rolling and twisting shoe to keep the ankle from injurious strain.
Yes, there are people who get ankle injuries in trail shoes and trail runners. But those injuries are less frequent and less severe, on an average, than with a foot encased in an above the ankle hiking boot.
As I stated above, there will be any number of folks that, with no predisposing medical conditions, will state anecdotal evidence along the lines that they, or a friend, or other family members, et al, were saved by above the ankle boots. Subjective opinion is like that.But objective evidence begs to differ on the best way of protecting ankles from injury.
I have had excellent results wearing nylon sock liners with thicker socks. Works similar to "1000 Mile Socks". I would change into a dry pair mid-day.
Hello,
I've searched several "blister" posts, but I can't find the answer to my specific blister question and I'm hoping someone out there might have a suggestion.
I tend to get blisters on the pad of my foot: front, a bit below my second and third toes. Even after a long walk on paths around my town (training for my Camino) the area feels tender. During my last Camino, I struggled with blisters in that area for nearly the entire walk.
I have decided to go with boots instead of trainers, but now I'm even questioning that decision. Last time I used Salomon light-weight trail shoes and I've upgraded to something a bit more stable. They're comfortable and give me more ankle support.
It seems everyone has a different opinion.
I'm not sure if the boots or the socks are the problem....
I would appreciate advice anyone can give me about how to prevent blisters in that area.
Thank you,
Lynne
Compede is the best! Blisters form from friction and wetness. I walked with compede on my hotspots, athletic socks, and hiking sandals for 80% of my Camino; the rest in hiking trainers. The sandals let my feet breathe so they were never sweaty. By the end of my Camino, I only used sandals and socks as my feet toughened up.Masterful replies. Tried my best, but still have some whoppers. With Compede, bought here in Portugal , I walk on unhindered. And, they make a Compede patch especially for the area you have sensitivity in.
Compeed is designed to heal broken blisters. You can find better and cheaper products for prevention, hot spots and unbroken blisters.Compede is the best! Blisters form from friction and wetness. I walked with compede on my hotspots, athletic socks, and hiking sandals for 80% of my Camino; the rest in hiking trainers. The sandals let my feet breathe so they were never sweaty. By the end of my Camino, I only used sandals and socks as my feet toughened up.
I agree. Compeed is quite expensive to use as a preventative.Compeed is designed to heal broken blisters. You can find better and cheaper products for prevention, hot spots and unbroken blisters.
Such as???You can find better and cheaper products for prevention, hot spots and unbroken blisters.
Hi Lynne. Without seeing your foot/feet and footwear it is difficult to tell .. but, you have a specific point that fails each time, just behind the middle toes, and I am wondering if your footwear is too narrow and causing that area to crease together, or even bulge at that point, and if you have a long big toe then that could be being pushed inwards causing the same effect ... is a possibility. It isn't the way you walk .. too hard, etc .. as that would give the blisters or tenderness on the ball of the foot.
If you remove your laces and put them back starting, say, from the third set of holes then you will still be able to lace up comfortably but the front of your footwear will open up and flex more - this may ease things, worth a try. I have had great success on Camino getting pilgrims to do this.
Also, have you tried walking in wide sandals for a day or so to see if it still happens? With your problem I would go the opposite direction to closing the feet up in boots and move to good quality trekking sandals, wide ones (and no socks). Although possibly the ugliest footwear in the world Keen Newport H2 trekking sandals are very good.
Another thing I would try is to do those practise walks without your pack for a couple of days and see if it still happens. If it doesn't then whatever the foot/footwear problem you may have, as in above, it is exacerbated by extra weight on the feet.
A positive is that you know it will happen and you know exactly where, so if you cannot remove the problem then put a good patch on that area before even starting walking.
Buen Camino!
Such as???
Compede, socks, and sandals worked like a charm for me.
Thanks for responding to the question for me Dave. The site upgrade really crippled me for posting long responses.
Probably not cheap but another thing that could help some prevent blisters are socks where the pair has a sock fitted for the left foot and another for the right (they exist.) This can make the toe box roomier. This might be worth a try for someone who might otherwise discard an otherwise good pair of boots.
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