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Taping blisters

michaelk

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
camino del norte 2015 and 2016
camino portugues (2017)
Hi
I've been reading/watching youtube re blister prevention by taping. I'd appreciate thoughts on Leukoplast and Hapla-Band tape. Also use/effectiveness of engo plasters. Have had bad blisters this year. Cheers
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I use Micropore (surgical paper tape https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W68DHE/?tag=casaivar02-20 ) to tape hot spots (before they become blisters) and also to keep gauze over drained blisters into place. Advantage it will not rip off the skin of your blister when removed as it is very gentle and also very pliable. Buen Camino, SY
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
@SabineP is correct, everybody can be allergic to everything, so check this first, but I also have to say that I am allergic to a lot of plasters but not Micropore, but YMMV (your mileage might vary). Buen Camino, SY
 
I can highly recommend ENGO patches, applied to the inside of your boots at the site of a hotspot ( not applied to the feet). They prevent friction - worked well for me this year.
 
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On the very low tech end of the spectrum, sheep's wool works wonders too, as prevention.
I collect it from hedgerows before the Camino but it can also be bought, I think, as 'walkers' wool'?
 
Forgive the dumb question if the answer should be obvious, but how do you use the sheep's wool?
 
Not a dumb question as I didn't have a clue either ! (Townie :oops:)
You put it on the hot spot BEFORE it becomes a blister. Your sock keeps it in place. I don't know why it works but it does...
Someone told me dancers used to use it too, before silicone etc was available...
Anyone else used it?
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Not a dumb question as I didn't have a clue either ! (Townie :oops:)
You put it on the hot spot BEFORE it becomes a blister. Your sock keeps it in place. I don't know why it works but it does...
Someone told me dancers used to use it too, before silicone etc was available...
Anyone else used it?
Sounds much cozier than tape or moleskin. Good tip! I will try it on training walks. Thank you!
 
Yes, best tried on training trips! That's what I did (as I was a bit dubious...).
Hope it works for you too :)
 
On the very low tech end of the spectrum, sheep's wool works wonders too, as prevention.
I collect it from hedgerows before the Camino but it can also be bought, I think, as 'walkers' wool'?
I've used it for two Caminos. I put it on areas and between toes that I think may rub, eg my big toe joint is prominent but not a bunion. Even after doing up the laces of my boots (with ankle support) I pack it down the sides of the boots. This reduces movement as I have a narrow heel, thereby reducing the chance of rubbing and blisters. Because it's reasonably cheap (a little goes a long way, and I can wash it and 'pull it' thinly to make it 'fluffy' again, not packed tight), I take extra to share with other pilgrims with blisters. It can go directly on to the skin, or over the socks but I find I prefer directly on the skin as the sock holds it in place. I firstly bought it cheap when trekking in NZ, but now find it in the trekking gear shops in Australia. It's available online too.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hi
I've been reading/watching youtube re blister prevention by taping. I'd appreciate thoughts on Leukoplast and Hapla-Band tape. Also use/effectiveness of engo plasters. Have had bad blisters this year. Cheers
Several grateful people, my wife included, used clean carded wool on hot spots and blisters. It is naturally antibacterial, easy to use and remove, soft and very light to carry enough for the whole camino with some to give away along the trail. You can buy it at yarn stores and pull off enough for the area you want to protect. It wraps nicely and holds in place when you put your wool socks over it.
 
I can highly recommend ENGO patches, applied to the inside of your boots at the site of a hotspot ( not applied to the feet). They prevent friction - worked well for me this year.
Engo worked for me too. Watch the video on the site to ensure proper application.
 
Hi
I've been reading/watching youtube re blister prevention by taping. I'd appreciate thoughts on Leukoplast and Hapla-Band tape. Also use/effectiveness of engo plasters. Have had bad blisters this year. Cheers
I used Rocktape Kinesiology Tape. I think it is the same or similar to Leukoplast. It stayed on my feet for days at a time and more comfortable than duct tape. I'm taking it again in March on the Portugues.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I swore by Compeed on hotspots and only got one pressure blister in two Camino's. The problem is people use it on blisters AFTER they have formed and it then rips off the skin and exposes the raw skin to infection. It's not not how it is supposed to be used. I applied it the moment I felt a hot spot form and it was most effective at protecting the area. The one (large) pressure blister I got on the lower edge of my heel lasted unburst for ten days before it got too large for my boot and I drained it with a sterile hypodermic syringe, swabbed it with iodine solution and then used normal Elastoplast (Leukoplast) to hold dressings in place with a large protective compeed on top to cushion the area. Worked for me but everyone has to find their own system.
 
I tape my heels everyday with zinc tape sometimes it's the brown version sometimes the white one (white is very sticky and can stay on for two days or more and even survives showers). I also tape each big toe plus the next toe and Vaseline everything else after the taping. It takes 10-15 minutes each morning but is well worth it. The last one or two hours of the day I switch out of boots to sandals (and keep my socks on). On arrival at accommodation I spend 45minutes tending to my feet- I remove all tape massage them and soak in hot water in bidet or sink or bowl. Then moisturise or apply ibuprofen gel.
 
I've used 'Hiker's Wool' on my last two caminos. The kind guys that sell in from Germany gave me an extra packet for sharing when I told them I was walking the Camino. It is great for cushioning an area and for isolating toes.
This year my feet became soaked when I was walking through very wet undergrowth (off Camino) and didn't have spare socks with me because I was walking a circular trip and had left most of my pack contents back at base. Luckily I had spare insoles but was very worried about walking the remaining 12 kms without socks in wet boots. I remembered the hiker's wool I had tucked in my pack and wrapped it around my toes and hoped for the best. I arrived back blister free. I wouldn't be without it.
image.jpeg
 
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I swore by Compeed on hotspots and only got one pressure blister in two Camino's. The problem is people use it on blisters AFTER they have formed and it then rips off the skin and exposes the raw skin to infection. It's not not how it is supposed to be used. I applied it the moment I felt a hot spot form and it was most effective at protecting the area. The one (large) pressure blister I got on the lower edge of my heel lasted unburst for ten days before it got too large for my boot and I drained it with a sterile hypodermic syringe, swabbed it with iodine solution and then used normal Elastoplast (Leukoplast) to hold dressings in place with a large protective compeed on top to cushion the area. Worked for me but everyone has to find their own system.

Mmm I saw this but heeded the info from others who did put compeed in existing blister .... Then I put a stick on shock absorber .... But didn't like the look now I have arrived at Siana so have soaked off ... And it took soaking ... Lucky the skin did not come off ... So now I have put a few bandaids that have non stick lining .... Short day tomorrow will see what happens
 
The trick with Compeed is to let them fall off of their own accord or to soak them off. I love the sheep wool idea. I will remember that.
 
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On the very low tech end of the spectrum, sheep's wool works wonders too, as prevention.
I collect it from hedgerows before the Camino but it can also be bought, I think, as 'walkers' wool'?

I 100% agree that lambs wool is the answer....the absolute best is pure merino lambs wool from New Zealand
Used it 6 yrs ago on the full Camino Frances from SJPdP to Santiago
Using it right now on Portuesse Camino
Any sign of a hot spot stop immediately , position the wool over the hot spot
Any carry on!
Mike
 
On the very low tech end of the spectrum, sheep's wool works wonders too, as prevention.
I collect it from hedgerows before the Camino but it can also be bought, I think, as 'walkers' wool'?

Can this be bought on the Camino ? ... Currently in Siana

Thanks
Anne
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
ha ha hahaha .. lovely phrase to use .. "threads" a friend sent me a photo of her blisters with threads through them it looked horroble .. I have always used a sterlised needle (I always have one with me) release the fluid and then use a pad of tissue and sticky plaster and leukopore or Micropore to secure in place - works for me
 
I used tape on my camino from SJPdp to Santiago having read the articles in the paper. It is cheaper to buy it on the camino than at Boots in the UK. Having said that you need some to start off with. Just put it over the balls and heels of your feet and then put on a thin pair of socks and a thick pair of socks. I had one small blister the whole trip.
 
Can this be bought on the Camino ? ... Currently in Siana

Prior to my first Camino I had read somewhere on this forum about collecting sleep's wool from fences along the way. I did so, and used it on hotspots. Obviously it won't be perfectly clean (even after picking the bits of twig out of it and washing it) and should definitely not be used on broken skin, but can be used on a hotspot, or between some tape. I have also used hikers' wool under my insoles as extra cushioning for the balls of my feet.

I also found gel-lined toe tubes to be an excellent blister preventative. I always seem to get blisters under the tip of my fourth toes and for the last two caminos have put on toe sleeves at the start of every day, and as a result have never suffered this problem again. Each tube will last a full Camino.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I use micropore for prevention, taping up areas I know are vulnerable. I also carry and use sheep's wool to protect hot spots, taping it in place the minute the rubbing begins and take action immediately. I carry extra to distribute to others I meet on the way as I know how good it is.
 
Sheeps wool padding is sold at every dance store. As in ballet. Dancers use it in toe shoes. It might be cheaper than having it shipped from New Zelaand.

.....and at dance supply shops it comes in pretty colours.... just saying.
 
Sheeps wool padding is sold at every dance store. As in ballet. Dancers use it in toe shoes. It might be cheaper than having it shipped from New Zelaand.

.....and at dance supply shops it comes in pretty colours.... just saying.
I bought the wool cheaply from Amazon.
 
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