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Associated Press are reporting: Sweaty cotton socks worst for causing blisters
Updated Wed. Feb. 22 2006 10:03 PM ET
Quote:
ST. LOUIS — Sweaty socks made from 100 per cent cotton are the worst when it comes to causing nagging blisters, according to research conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
A study by biological engineering students released Tuesday tested 10 popular brands of athletic socks and separated the good from the bad with a device that measured moisture and friction, which causes blisters.
But physicians say there's no reason to get your cotton socks in a bunch, unless your feet are regularly active and you are prone to blisters.
The findings showed that a sock's material matters most, not brand or price, said John Viator, the assistant professor who advised the research students.
All-cotton socks are most likely to cause blisters on sweaty feet, according to research data, while nylon socks performed the best. Socks that were a cotton-synthetic blend scored somewhere between the two.
The study is useful not just for athletes, but for diabetics with circulation problems and people who wear prosthetics, Viator said.
"The uniqueness of this study is they took a wide variety of socks and examined different levels of moisture," Viator said.
Similar studies have examined friction and footwear, Viator said, but the University of Missouri study took previous research a step further.
Students developed a device that used a motor to rub a piece of Plexiglas holding the sock against a platform, then calculated the "coefficient of friction," or amount of friction it produced.
The measuring was done in a humidity chamber that could adjust the amount of moisture or sweat exposed on the socks.
In the coming weeks, Markus Smiley and fellow biological engineering students plan to take the research to its final and possibly most unpleasant step.
They'll measure the sweat on different socks worn by intramural basketball players after an hour of activity to determine the amount of moisture an average foot produces.
"It seems disgusting and I'm not too excited about it," Smiley said. "But it's going to let us know how significant our data for moisture is compared to real life."
The study was sponsored by Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc. in Blaine, Minn. The company specializes in parts for orthotics and prosthetics.
Tamarack spokesman Adam Erickson said his company was most interested in friction management and that the students' findings were consistent with their expectations.
A survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association found that 29 per cent of consumers buy socks made for specific activities like running, hiking or skiing.
"Being aware of the sock's material is something that we typically tell patients to do," said Dr. Jim Christina, a podiatrist and spokesman for the APMA.
Christina said podiatrists have had a basic understanding of how different fibers react to feet sweat and were not surprised by the study results.
"Really, it depends, if you're not on your feet all day, cotton socks are fine," he said. "But it's those special instances that you want to pay more attention to what you wear."
Christina said diabetics often have trouble detecting foot blisters because poor circulation dulls the awareness of problems.
Definitely no surprise there. In the early 90's, Backpacker magazine compared a variety of hiking socks and found that 100% cotton socks are 7x more likely to cause blisters.
__________________
Edward Yip
York Foot And And Ankle Clinic
15423 Yonge St
Aurora, ON, Canada
L4G 1P1
905-713-2546
For years we podiatrists(myself included) have told our patients to wear white,cotton socks.Then I read that cotton holds in excess moisture and can actually aggravate conditions such as blisters,hyperhidrosis and evev T.pedis.Now,when a patient presents with one of these maladies,I advise him/her to wear a white polyester sock.This type of sock will be more efficient in dispersing moisture.
Sweaty cotton socks worst for causing blisters
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