Feet help - blister avoidance.

[Rick Huggins]

Try to avoid Tink Benz at all costs

[David]

I have large feet and new boots always caused blisters until worn in. I found that filling them with boiling water and letting them cool so the hot leather did not burn you would help them stretch to fit your feet. but you then had wet boots to wear all day
until they dried into your foot shape. Andy has already said dont put them near any heat to dry them they will set hard.

David

[Andy the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Jen S

Andy, what's a jar of Bulling Rings?

Jen

It helps keep the shi**e was out of the KIWI boot polish, which helps to get the extra shine on ya toe caps ....

If some offers to Spray them with car paint ,,, tell them to Foxtrot Romeo Oscar..

same goes for straw hat die, mr Kleen etc etc

[Conor]

Lots of good advice given so far, I would say get good fitting socks, always have a spare pair and try to keep them dry as poss. Don't know how many long strolls you'll be taking but I would say trying to change the socks and air/dry your feet will help.

Bring some second skin, if it does blister then its a life saver.

[Josie]

Hi Jen

The boots might have been well worn in, but to somebody else's foot shape. I get awful blisters. Rick (frogman) mentioned zinc oxide tape - you don't want the pink stuff that you get in Boots and other chemists but the white stuff which isn't so easy to get hold of. The forces medics always have the white stuff, and my physio had the white stuff from the nhs but didn't know where to get it. I buy mine in a local sports shop.

I blister easily and got really bad blisters from marching on a ta weekend. The blisters had bled and my heel was really badly cut. I had no sympathy from the sgts but once they saw my blood soaked feet, they mellowed a little. Putting my boots back on that morning was awful and painful! It took ages to heel, perversely but I've not had any problems with that heel since.

I would suggest going to see a podiatrist now and get your feet checked out before you start. They should be able to sort your feet out and have any callouses etc cut them off. On my ta recruits course I got tendonitis (there's an long awful name for it which I won't bore you with now) which meant that I was in agony for months before I finally went to the doctor. This was because I pronate (think that's the right one) and all the marching inflammed my tendon. I had an x-ray incase I had a fracture but that was ruled out so went to see a podiatrist. I now wear custom made othortics in my trainers and boots which are a godsend. I can tell when they wear out as my shins and knees hurt when I run.

Good luck with both the navy and the blisters.

Josie

Jen,

Try and get hold of some "Neats" Foot Oil (Tradename). Either paint it onto your boots and let it soak in or even better pour it into your boots and let them really soak.

It softens the leather and greatly reduces the agony of tabbing in a new pair of boots.

Stinks to high heaven and boots won't "Bull" ever again so keep it away from your drill boots.

Good luck, Steve

[gasman]

Blisters occur from rubbing, and are made worse if your feet are wet. I find the two sock idea works for me - but make sure you use a breathable liner sock - fabric such as coolmax - which will wick sweat away from your skin. Cotton is comfortable initially but holds water which will lead to problems.

Another fantastic idea from the hill walkers is to put better in-soles into your boots. Most shops sell "super-feet" which are firmer than normal in-soles and prevent over-pronation and collapsed arches. Also they have a cupped heel section which helps to lock your foot in place - if your foot is not moving in the boot, it can't rub.

If your feet still slip around in the boot with these in-soles then you need to decrease the volume with, for example, tongue depressors - a pad which slips under the laces.

Go to a good outdoors shop (not millets, or anywhere staffed by spotty adolescents) and ask for advice there.

Sean

[PrettyFishies]

Jen

From where you describe the blisters appearing it sounds as if you might have fallen arches (flat feet). This causes over-pronation of the ankles and the weight bearing through the joints and feet is then wrong. You shouldn't really get blisters on the ball of your foot unless there are incorrect biomechanical factors at work.

You may find it interesting to visit a podiatrist who does feet and ankle biomechanics, they should be able to tell you very quickly if over-pronation is an attributing factor. I over-pronate and on long distance/endurance stuff I had pretty bad shin splints and blisters a lot when I was younger. Over time uncorrected over-pronation and faulty foot biomechanics can cause many other problems if not corrected but amazingly it's very common and yet often overlooked.