RUGBY COACH<
It will be interesting to see how you get on, with there being two of you. Any serious challenge of this nature is more difficult when not done solo. Time can be easilly lost when one is feeling good but the other is not, opinion differ and one can disuade the other when both are tired. I wish you all the best anyway.
Dave.

it depends what you class as a hard material, like I said it may work for some people, but leaving it on is no good if you want your blister to heal, I would advice removing it at night to allow air to get to the foot so the blisters dry up. if you leave it over a blister then wound healing will be delayed, I always asperate my blisters, although not recomended from a medical point of view due to the risk of infection. but trufully all blisters can be prevented, but it requires specilist knoledge, good boots and foot care.

No medical expert me, but I too have always been one for asperating my blisters overnight.

My 3rd time of posting on this web over the years but still worth a read I think http://www.badwater.com/training/blisters.html

That seems sensible advice, some of if is common sence like powdering your feet, but like I said blisters are better being prevented in the first place, good fitting boots and socks are a must and keeping your feet dry as posible is also important.

But what realy causes blisters is the way the foot works, this can only be corected by a podiatrist who will mesure the amount of pronation you may have and make an othotic to provent it so your foot works in what is called a subtalar neutral position. although it is difficult to explain unless you understand pathomechanics of the foot. but it will basically stop your foot making too much movement over to the right side as you walk, it is this accesive movement that caused my blisters on my left foot, infact if you take your boots and look at them you may see abnormal wear marks this is an indication your foot is not working around its neutral position, you can also see the boot may be misshaped and leaning to one side. rememeber you only get blisters due to intermitant presure that is caused by rubbing in your boots and the only thing that causes this is your foot placing abnormal presure inside your boot as you walk, also may be combined with your feet being inside a incorect fitting boot or your skins tissue viability is not healthy or effected by moisture. other factors could be the forces put on your feet such as body weight and rucksack weight, your foot size in cordination with this also plays an important factor, the bigger the feet the more presure distibution, hence my son has size eleven feet does not pronate and has normal weight, he did not get one blister.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Hi Mike!
Good post! Interesting.

Mark, have you read Ray Jardine's 'Beyond Backpacking' in the section 'Footcare' he says we all carry the fungus that is responsible for Athletes Foot - it only becomes AF when the fungus develops unchecked and is present naturally to prevent the build-up of too much callus (the fungus feeds on dead skin). The more air around the feet = more callus build-up. Less air to feet = more fungus and less callus (and possiblility of Athletes Foot developing)
Having read Jardine, I'm trying to get more air to the feet (they were very soft round ball of foot), but having read Mike's link I'm thinking now that I don't wan't to build up too much callus as blisters developing under callus can be much worse...
any thoughts as a pro in the field?
cheers
lwm

Hi mick

I take it you mean air as in what we breath and not the space in the boot?

callus is a natural defence of the skin. it is called hyperkertosis. the epidermis has four main layers the last layer is made up off dead skin cells that have flatened out. they genraly fall of after completing a 28 day cycle, trycoptom rubon fungus can live on your skin, but will only thrive in damp dark moist areas of the foot. Air has nothing to do with callus build up, this is caused by the bodys having to produce more skin to give protection againt the rubbing friction in your shoe.


fungus has nothing to do with callus and infact the medical term for athletes foot is called tinea pedis, its a latin word for ring worm of the foot, tinea pedis lives of the keritin in the dead skin but only in moist dead skin and not the hard callus you descibe. Yes it is most likly found on your skin, but it only grows unchecked is the enviroment is right for it dark moist sweaty feet.

I would not realy read these this of books, as most of my reading comes from science jounals that are backed by research evidence. but some of the thing you quote from the book I have never come across in any form in a medical books or jounals, but that does not prove what he is saying is wrong or right, but you need to see what background the author has regarding medical knoledge before taking for gospal what he has writen.

for your feet I would advice callus is a good thing for walking as it offers protection, but if you feel it is getting out of control then use a pumice stone to reduce it. for the fungus use a powder every day on your feet, change your socks and air your boots by removing the insole at night, fugus can also be found living inside your boots so make sure they are kept dry.

Blimey!
Fascinating, in a way I never thought feet could be!
I wipe my feet with surgical spirit once or twice a day to toughen up the skin. Is that a good idea or a bad one? (I should point out that it seems to work well for me, and it seems to clear up any traces of athlete's foot.
I look forward to learning more, if anyone can help.

yes surgical spirit is fine to dry the skin, it has a cooling effect and is good for sweaty feet, carry on with it if it works for you.

Also as we age are feet sweat less and the skin on the feet becomes less viable due to the lack of sweat, the sweat has urea in it that help to keep the skin flexable and viable, as long as your skin does not develop fiscures, little cracks, especialy around the heals you should be ok using surgical spirit. If you have dry skin I would not recomend you use it.

Mark