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I am about to provide podiatry cover for a sporting event, anyone have any new or proven treatments or products for blisters?

Related threads:
How to prevent that blister?
Treatment of friction blisters with 2-octylcyanoacrylate
Sweaty cotton socks worst for causing blisters

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lottie

On a trip to the US and have been walking in LA (apparently not the done thing) in my cool sneakers and DVs . Of course I have blisters on my toes so can speak with some confidence. Also when I played soccer ( gave it up aged fifty and to to be honest the game gave up on me decades before) blisters were common enough and good reason to explain poor performances. All that aside the trick is to avoid them and one of the best methods is by wearing two pairs of socks. Dynamic friction arises between the material layers, and not on the skin surface. Once there have formed however strapping the skin allows friction (shear) to occur over the material and not the vulnerable skin. Reduced movement encourges fluids to be reabsorbed. Burst blisters are a bit of a challenge, especially during events and often the athelet will carry on (usually unaware of the extent of damage). Hypertonic footbaths are recommended.

Cameron (in Memphis with recovering blisters)

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Cameron Kippen, Podologist and Shoe Historian




Cameron Kippen

Can you detail some of the specifics of the event?

For a start with limited info to help reduce blisters occuring:

If there is only land based activities pretaping with fixomull/hyperfix/mefix seems to work well. Generally toes, heels and medial arch are the areas where most blistering will occur. I seemed to notice mostly heel and toes as the most common though. The paring back of any calloused areas pre-event can definitely reduce pressure and is potentially an areas of concern with its increased overload.

A good sock as discussed in other threads
Appropriate shoe fitting

If your wanting advice after blisters have occured during the event I'll get back to you soon...dinner is calling! Someone else might be able to help out

Hi lottie,

What a coincidence! We actually covered this topic at a Queensland Sports Podiatry Group (QSPG) meeting earlier this year... Blisters are a fairly common sighting in the QSPG tent post-race at events like the Bridge to Brisbane and Brisbane Marathon!

Unfortunately, we only ever see the participants after the race when the blisters have already occurred, and not everyone thinks to take precautions against blisters. It seems to be the ones who have brand new shoes (and haven't tried running in them yet) that suffer the worst!

The main guidelines that were outlined at our meeting:

For blisters that still have their "roof": irrigate or swab the blister and surrounds with chlorhexidine/alcowipes then use a sterile (of course) scalpel to lance the bottom corner of the blister. This allows drainage using gravity. Once the blister has drained, apply a liquid antiseptic, eg. Betadine, and cover with a sterile non stick film dressing.

For blisters that have burst or lost their "roof": irrigate the area with chlorhexidine solution and if the roof of the blister is displaced but still attached, carefully move it back to cover the blister floor (acts as a biological barrier and helps protect the wound), and apply antiseptic and sterile dressing. If the roof of the blister has come off completely, a protective dressing such as Allevyn (or similar, I think this is what we have in our group's First Aid Kit) can be used.

Deflective felt padding can be very useful to protect the blister site and reduce pain levels. It is a good idea to draw a rough outline of the blister on the outside of the dressing pad (before adhering it to the patient! :p ) so that you can use it as a reference point when you go to place the deflective padding after.

I hope this info helps a little... these are the main guidleines we use at here at QSPG events... but what do others do with their blister patients?

Regards

Donna :)

I swear by compeed

I have been involved in quite a few long distance walks and have found mefix et al is a good preventor. If you can avoid lancing the blister do so because it will heal faster - use felt/silicone/foam what ever to protect the blister. If you cannot avoid lancing then try and dry the blister out - I found Friars Balsm is good for this (stings like hell but works). Also ensure walkers have a fresh pair of socks and if possible a fresh pair of shoes daily. Everytime there is a break ie lunch/toilet stop, spray their feet with metho - believe me they will love that!
Hope this helps.
SJC