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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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Most runners should not get blisters. There are those who are running in situations that make blisters very hard to avoid [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badwater_Ultramarathon Badwater] but for distances of 50 miles or less, blisters should not be an issue. I suffer from a skin condition called [[Epidermolysis Bullosa]] that makes my skin blister easily, so if I can run 100+ miles without blisters, you should be able to! There are a number of approaches to preventing blisters.
===Shoe Fit===A badly fitting shoe can cause blisters even with good [[Cadence]] and running form. When buying shoes, try them on when your feet are warm, preferably at the end of the day, and with the socks you will run in. You should generally choose your socks, and then buy your shoes to fit with those socks. Some socks are available in a variety of thicknesses, so you can tweak the fit with different socks. ====Loose Shoes====Your foot will slide around in a loose shoe and the pressure will tend to be in small areas, focusing the friction and shearing forces in hot spots. One test of shoe fit is to put your shoes on, but leave the laces completely loose and see if you can walk around without your heel coming out. A good fit will have the shoe fitting gently against your foot, but without any area of higher pressure or pinching. =====Changes in foot size=====Remember that losing or gaining body fat can change the size of your feet. Shoes that used to fit you perfectly may not longer fit the same. A more acute problem occurs on longer races when the feet swell up. Having spare shoes that are slightly larger, or thinner socks for later in a race can help with this problem. Of course, getting the fit right is hard, as you can't practice this until your feet are swollen, and different situations may produce differing levels of swelling.====Inflexible Shoes====An inflexible shoe will tend to pull away from your heal when you’re running, causing problems at the back of your heal. A good running shoe should be flexible and allow you to run with a natural form. I would recommend against trying to fix your running form with shoes, as this approach generally involves attempting to create a compensatory imbalance. ====Arch Support====The arch is a naturally strong structure, but arches are damaged by forces pushing up under their middles. This is particularly true of the arches of your feet; they are strongest when there is nothing pushing up under the arch. However, if you've worn shoes that push up under the arch for some time, this will weaken the arch. This is similar to having a limb in a cast; the cast supports the limb, but the limb weakens quickly. Therefore when you try to move to a shoe without arch support, it can be like taking a cast off a limb. Your foot will take time to strengthen and recover from using arch support. The other downside to arch support is the pressure can easily cause blisters. This is especially true of orthotics. ====Toe Box====Ideally, the toe box of your shoes should be big enough that your toes can’t touch the sides or top of the shoe. If the toe box is slightly too small, it is easy to cut away the material to prevent contact. I generally leave a bridge of material from the very front of the shoe to near the laces to keep the sole from flopping around too much and just cut away the sides of the toe box. ====Shoe quality====A bad seam or excess glue can cause a sharp edge that could tear up your skin. A shoe can fit correctly, but cause blisters due to manufacturing problems such as a bad seam. A shoe that bends in the wrong place can have a crease that causes a blister as well. Also, check that your insoles do not slip. Some double sided sticky tape between the shoe and the insole can prevent this. ===Socks===Even the best socks will not prevent blisters if you have bad running form or bad shoes. However, a bad sock will cause blisters on its own; it’s vital to avoid cotton socks, or cheap socks not made for running. If you are on a tight budget, try to get a sock with seamless construction and good wicking (moisture transport) properties such as Coolmax. See [[Blister Prevention and Socks]] for more details. ===Hydration===Dehydration can be a contributor to blisters, as the skin loses some of its tension ([http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/17223.htm skin turgor]) with significant dehydration. However, reduction in skin turgor is generally associated with 6-9% dehydration (excluding glycogen depletion water losses), at which point the dehydration itself should be more of a problem than the blisters. Hyponatremia is a dangerous condition and one of the symptoms is swelling of the hands and feet, which can cause black toenails or blisters. Read up on [[Practical Hydration]] and [[Hydration 101]].===Calluses===
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callus Calluses] are a sign of poor fitting shoes. A callus is a spot that is likely to turn into a blister with longer distances. You can file down a callus and keep is moisturized, but that is a symptomatic approach. The key is to fix the underlying problem, which is normally the fit of your shoes. Note that a callus is a spot that is thickening; the general thickening of the skin due to being barefoot does not tend to cause this problem. The key is to watch out for small areas or spots that have excessively thick skin.
* Hydropel helps prevent the skin absorbing moisture and is particularly useful in wet conditions. It does lubricate slightly, but its water repelling powers are its prime attraction.
* SportsShield is similar to Hydropel, both being based on a silicone lubricant (dimethicone). SportsShield is available as a roll on and towelette, whereas Hydropel is dispensed from a toothpaste like tube. SportsShield goes on much easier than Hydropel and results in less friction, but less water repelling as well.
* Vaseline is cheap and can be used in large quantities. This can provide good lubrication, but tends to keep the skin quite moist. It also makes it harder to attach tape if this is required later.
* Aquaphor is quite similar to Vaseline. Though it has different ingredients, I have not found a significant practical difference as a foot lubricant.
* Bodyglide is one of the original products purposefully marketed as a sports lubricant. While effective, it does not seem to last very well, nor does it reduce the friction as much as other products.
===Powders===
Like lubricants, powders can reduce the friction between your feet and your socks. While powders do not keep your feet warmer or wetter in the way lubricants do, the powder does tend to clump up when damp. These clumps of powder can then lead to blisters.
==== Types of Powders ====
Here is a partial list of some of the options
* Blister Shield powder is Teflon, which I found helps a bit, but tends to form clumps when wet.
* Zeasorb powder absorbs six times its weight in water, which sounds effective, but water is heavy and powder is light. To absorb the level of sweat put out by a runner, a lot of powder is required, which I've found to be impractical.
See [http://www.zombierunner.com/store/categories/foot_care/powders/ Powders] and [http://www.zombierunner.com/store/categories/foot_care/lubricants/ Lubricants].
== Maceration =Taping===Maceration occurs when Like the other desperate measures, taping can reduce the friction between your sock and your feet. Unlike lubricants and powders, taping can help absorb some of the shearing force, though this depends on the particular tape used. A flexible tape will just transmit the shearing force to your skin becomes soaked with water, but an inflexible tape can absorb and spread the shearing force. Typically the There are several downsides to taping* Taping will keep your skin has a wrinkled warmer and pale appearancewetter. This depends on the tape, but thicker tapes and tapes that are waterproof are worse. Duct tape is softenedespecially bad and will cause the underlying skin to become saturated as it holds the sweat against the skin. * The tape can crease, causing ridges that create extra pressure and blisters. Maceration Again, duct tape is likely particularly bad for this. * If the tape works loose, it can bunch up and cause a blister. Occasionally the tape can migrate around your foot and cause a blister in an unexpected and unpleasant new area. * Should you get a blister under the tape, it can be quite painful to lead remove the tape to determine the extent of the problem. (I’ve seen a number of cases where are runner was convinced they had a blister, but the skin was fine.)For more details see [[Taping]].==Preventing reoccurring blisters==This section is intended to provide specific guidance for blisters in specific places on your feet. ===Blisters between toes===Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Buy shoes with a wider toe box so that your toes are not pushed together.* Cut open the toe box so that your toes are not pushed together. * Wear Injinji socks. * Use a small amount of lubricant between your toes.* Tape the toes to prevent them rubbing together.Note that if you get a blister where your toes join together, it is possible to tape this area, but it’s tricky. Cut a strip of tape, and can be hard then cut the sides so the tape has an hourglass shape. The narrow strip goes between the toes, with the wider section attaching to the top and bottom of your foot. An adhesive promoter is highly recommended on the wider sections of the tape! ===Blisters on the tips of the toes===Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Have someone check your running form to make sure your feet are landing softly with the correct paw-back. Listen to avoid the sound your feet make when they land for a scraping sound as well as the sensation of your foot pushing forward in your shoe at the point of landing. This is a sign that you are not pawing-back. * If the problem is occurring on hilly courses, make sure your downhill running form is right. Your foot should land and be in wet or hotfirm contact before your foot starts to act as a brake. * Check your shoes are tied correctly and that the pressure on your feet to slide forward is taken by the area under the laces rather than allowing your feet to slide forward and your toes to hit the end. * Check your shoes are not creasing at the toe box and pressing against the tips of your toes. * Buy shoes with a longer toe box so that your toes do not reach the end.* Cut open the toe box so that your toes do not reach the end. * Wear Injinji socks (unlikely to help, humid conditionsbut worth a try). * Tape the ends of your toes. If you are not also wearing Injinji socks, it is best to tape all of your toes so that tape does not rub on the next toe. ===Blisters under toe nails===I've found don’t have any toe nails due to my [[Epidermolysis Bullosa|skin condition]], so this is not practical experience. Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Have someone check your running form to make sure your feet are landing softly with the correct paw-back. Listen to the sound your feet make when they land for a scraping sound as well as the sensation of your foot pushing forward in your shoe at the point of landing. This is a sign that Hydropel can help delay maceration; apply liberally you are not pawing-back. * If the problem is occurring on hilly courses, make sure your downhill running form is right. Your foot should land and be in firm contact before your foot starts to act as a brake. * Trim your toes nails so they are short. I’m told that a pedicure before a big race is a good idea.* File down the race starts edge of your toe nails so that the edge is rounded rather than flat. * Check your shoes are tied correctly and spend some time rubbing that on downhill sections any pressure on your feet to slide forward it into taken by the area under the laces rather than allowing your feet to slide forward and your toes to hit the end. * Buy shoes with a longer toe box so that your toes do not reach the skin end.* Cut open the toe box so that your toes do not reach the end. * Wear Injinji socks. * Tape your toes over the nails. If you are not also wearing Injinji socks, it is is absorbedbest to tape all of your toes so that tape does not rub on the next toe.
== [[Taping]] =Blisters under the arch===If you Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Don’t have serious problemsshoes with arch support!===Blisters under the ball of the foot===This is probably the worst place for blisters, as it can help is the key load bearing part of your foot. Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Have someone check your running form to cover make sure your feet are landing softly with the area with tapecorrect paw-back. Listen to the sound your feet make when they land for a scraping sound as well as the sensation of your foot pushing forward in your shoe at the point of landing. Many people recommend duct tape, but it does This is a sign that you are not breathepawing-back. * If the problem is occurring on hilly courses, make sure your downhill running form is right. Your foot should land and be in firm contact before your foot starts to act as a brake. ===Blisters under the adhesive is heel of the foot===Suggested fixes (in order of preference)* Have someone check your running form to make sure you are not very strong when wet for a protracted periodheel striking. I have found Micropore with tincture of benzoin* If the problem is occurring on hilly courses, which make sure your downhill running form is an adhesive promoterright. For You are more details see [[Taping]]likely to heel strike on a steep downhill than on the flat.
===Blisters on the sides of the forefoot===
Suggested fixes (in order of preference)
* Check your shoes are the right size; a loose shoe can rub on the sides of your feet.
* If the problem is occurring on hilly courses, make sure your downhill running form is right. Your foot should land and be in firm contact before your foot starts to act as a brake.
* Check your shoes are tied correctly and that on downhill sections any pressure on your feet to slide forward it taken by the area under the laces rather than allowing your feet to slide forward and cause the sides of the forefoot to rub.
* Watch where you’re placing your feet on trails. If you land with the edge of your foot on a rock, your foot can twist in your shoe, putting a huge shearing force on the skin at the sides of your feet.
===Blisters on the back or sides of the heel===
Suggested fixes (in order of preference)
* Check your shoes are the right size; a loose shoe can rub on the back of your heel.
* Make sure your shoes are not inflexible. As your foot bends when you run, an inflexible shoe will try to slide down your heel, causing blisters.
== Skin Toughening ==
See [[Toughening Feet]]
