Blister Hell from running ..... Any tips???

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jam3114
jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys
Just wondering if anyone had any tips to help heal blisters? I ran my first 10k on Monday and have a huge blister on my arch. I suffer with fallen arches and wear a support so I guess over the last 2k it was starting to hurt. There is no fluid just what seems like stretched skin and very red underneath. I took Tuesday off and went back yesterday and today but no joy.

Yesterday I bandaged it and today I use a special hydrocolloid dressing for blisters but it still felt like my skin was being torn and I had to stop. I'm trying to train for another 10k at start of June and don't want to lose the bit of fitness I have gained.

I know I should stay off it for a couple of days but if anyone had any suggestions to heal it quicker I'd be grateful - skin not broken and today's dressing came off so back to square one.

Replies

  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    Friend of mine is a ballet dancer and a doctor. This is her proven solution:


    Take a sterilized needle and pop onehole at the edge left or right not front or back, where it hits the new skin. THEN soak your foot in a sink of hot water and half a bottle of ALUM from the spice section..Do the soaks three times a day- it will pickle your skin and heal well. I used to do that when I was dancing and the toe shoes caused blisters and I had to dance the next day- it works like a dream. Or try it with epsom salt but use the alum first!
  • texastae1010
    texastae1010 Posts: 165
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    Mole Skin you can get it at any pharmacy or walmart type place...seriously I thought this was crazy but my Husband is military and this is what they use for blisters...I had gotten a horrible blister when we were on vacation one on each foot and I wanted the blister bandaids and he was like no so we did one his way and one my way and the mole skin won...didn't feel it or anything...if you just feel it coming on or see a baby blister just cut it out and stick in...if you have a blister you cut it to the size of the blister well a little bit bigger and then cut out a circle for the blister and put it around it....he just pops the blister and puts one of those circles around it I will clean the area and then put gauze and then mole skin around it just like the blister and some people use the gauze and a full piece of mole skin over the open blister but that hurt mine so much ...hope this helps (he also does this for his marathons and 10k's etc)
  • reeldancer
    reeldancer Posts: 156 Member
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    i like the previous post (i was a dancer too).

    in the meantime can you swim? or do something else to maintain the endurance you have while your foot rests?

    finally for your next race try running with two pairs of socks on. that helps me - the friction is between the two socks rather than between your foot and the sock.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    Mole skin and thick socks... put vaseline on the blister and that will let the sock slide easier without causing friction.
  • LarryPGH
    LarryPGH Posts: 349 Member
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    finally for your next race try running with two pairs of socks on. that helps me - the friction is between the two socks rather than between your foot and the sock.

    wow... that brings back memories! I used to race when I was in H.S., and I totally forgot that I used to always wear two pairs of socks!

    (I wonder which works better -- the "old-fashioned" two pairs way, or those new performance socks for runners?)
  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
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    finally for your next race try running with two pairs of socks on. that helps me - the friction is between the two socks rather than between your foot and the sock.

    I don't get blisters running (yet - the longest I've ever run is 3 miles), but I do a 20-mile charity walk every year, and for that, I prevent blisters by rubbing vaseline onto my feet before I put on my socks. It's a little icky & you have to wash your hands afterwards, but it works like a dream! The walk organizers keep tubs of it at all their first aid stations too, so I wonder if it might help heal an established blister too?
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
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    Mole skin with duct tape over it. That's what my dh does when he gets a blister from ruck marches.
  • kdsmith
    kdsmith Posts: 250
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    finally for your next race try running with two pairs of socks on. that helps me - the friction is between the two socks rather than between your foot and the sock.

    wow... that brings back memories! I used to race when I was in H.S., and I totally forgot that I used to always wear two pairs of socks!

    (I wonder which works better -- the "old-fashioned" two pairs way, or those new performance socks for runners?)

    Performance socks wins for sure!! I used to get terrible blisters until I bought a pair.
  • wanderingpilgrim
    wanderingpilgrim Posts: 109 Member
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    Yup- definitely Moleskin...you can buy it at any supermarket or Pharmacy for about $3. Follow the instructions on the package...it works like a dream!
  • jam3114
    jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
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    Thanks everyone - must go searching for Moleskin & some of those socks - can't be dealing with these blisters everytime I run a 10k:smile:
  • Purple_Orchid_87
    Purple_Orchid_87 Posts: 517 Member
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    magnesium sulphate paste 9available from any pharmacy for less than £3
    cover the blister with the paste, cover with a dressing, change every 8-12 hours - after 3-5 days the blister will have dried out, and then it's a case of waiting for the dead skin to come away
    the paste works by drawing liquid out of the blister through the skin - no need to pop the blister as this can lead to infection, especially on feet as they are often covered with socks and then in a shoe that isnt always perfectly clean inside

    this has worked great for me - went from so much pain that i couldnt walk (the blister was covering the entirity of the heel of my foot) to being able to walk relatively pain free within 1 day, and the blister was dried out completely within 3 days - was a very large and pus filled blister

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