FIXING YOUR FEET E-zine - Patching Blisters, Feet Questions, and more

FIXING YOUR FEET E-zine

Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2008
John Vonhof, Footwork Publications
Copyright, January 2008, All rights reserved

THIS ISSUE IN SUMMARY
This issue has an editorial on Patching Blisters – Then and Now, and an article on Thinking Through Feet Questions. It also has two feet related products, reader feedback, a Bad Feet photo of a blister at the base of the little toe, and a piece on the SPOT Satellite Messenger.

PURPOSE
The Fixing Your Feet E-zine is published monthly to inform and educate athletes and non-athletes about proper foot care skills and techniques, provide tips on foot care, review foot care products, and highlight problems people have with their feet.

EDITORIAL: PATCHING BLISTERS – THEN AND NOW
Years ago, around 1985, I ran my first Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Then I had a second finish and a third, and finally a DNF at Rucky Chucky. I still remember my first time. My feet hurt from a blister on the ball of one foot. I made it to Rucky Chucky and crossed the river. My drop bag had clean shoes and socks. As I pulled off my wet socks and socks, I realized the blister needed patching. My recollection is that there was a podiatrist across the river and he offered to help. The patch he applied was the standard back then. Clean and pop the blister, add a layer of Vaseline, cover it with a piece of gauze with moleskin over the top. Did it work? Yes, in that I was able to finish in 26:32 and change. And No, in that it was extremely uncomfortable and made every step hurt.
     That old patch was bulky and uncomfortable. It introduced something new and large into my shoe and changed the way my foot fit in my shoe. It also changed my gait. I knew there was a better way.
     Over the years, blister care has evolved as products were introduced. We had Spenco’s 2nd Skin, which is still around and still one of the most popular patches. Then there was Compeed, which took several names as it went from company to company, Blister Block, and a host of similar knock-offs.
     For years, I used a lot of 2nd Skin. I like the sticky stuff and bought it by the 300 count jar. I noticed however, that as I took the old 2nd Skin and tape off to apply another patch, the skin underneath had really macerated. This made it difficult to apply a new patch. This is most important for runners and walkers in ultras, and adventure racers in multi-day events. These athletes, whose feet had been protected, were, in my view, now open to more problems.
     So, in the past years, I have moved away from 2nd Skin to a very basic system. I clean around the blister, drain it, and then apply a dab of zinc oxide. Over the top goes a strip of Kinesio-Tex tape. This system put a very thin strip of tape on the foot, which is virtually un-noticeable to the athlete.
     I have not seen or been told of problems with this system. Times have changed. If I am working a single day event, an Avon Walk, or a 50-Miler, a nice Spenco Sports Blister patch or 2nd Skin works well. But for any multiday event, or long ultra, I will use my system until I find something better. If you have any ideas, or want to share your favorite blister patch, please send me an email.

FIXING YOUR FEET, 4th EDITION
The 4th edition of Fixing Your Feet can be ordered through my FixingYourFeet.com web site, ZombieRunner.com, or Amazon.com. Completely updated, it has three new chapters and lots of new sections. The retail price is $18.95 but most sites, including mine, have it at a reduced rate.

SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER
Please take a moment and forward this issue to a friend or two and encourage them to subscribe.

FOOTCARE PRODUCTS
Gorilla Tape – This tape has been out for a while now and it is time to mention it in my newsletter. Have you seen it? Gorilla Tape can be found in most hardware stores. The ads call it “The Toughest on the Planet Earth.” In a comparison to duct tape, Gorilla Tape was stickier in sopping wet and freezing conditions – when duct tape typically began to wrinkle and peel. The reason is Gorilla Tape’s thicker than usual layer of adhesive.  It has a weather resistant shell.
     A while back, I took a look at the tape and found it thick and very, very sticky. The thickness of the tape makes it hard to mold and shape. Now, the question I’m asking is whether any of you have tried it on skin – namely your feet? The tape is thick so I don’t see it working well on most parts of the foot but I wonder how it would fare on the bottom of the foot? If you struggle with blister problems on the bottoms of your feet, this might be worth a test. Of course, you have to buy a whole roll. Let me know if you have tried Gorilla Tape.

Gear Guide – My copy of Backpacker magazine arrived a few days ago. The March issue is their 2008 Gear Guide and is chock full of stuff that makes an outdoors person drool. If you are a backpacker, fastpacker, adventure racer, trail runner, or just like gear, get this issue. Sections cover packs, tents, boots and shoes, sleeping bags, jacket shells, navigation, headlamps, trekking poles, hydration, and more. I enjoy reading about the news boots and shoes and socks, and see all the manufacturer’s ads.

Going Green – A lot of us value companies who make an effort to go “green.” By using recycled products and/or making recyclable products, these companies help our planet. In the March issue of Backpacker, mentioned above, is a list of the most responsible outdoor companies trying to be green. Sock manufacturers with a good green report card include: Fox River, Smartwool, and Teko. Some of the shoe/boot companies include: Chaco, GoLite, Hi-Tec, Keen, L.L. Bean, Lafuma, La Sportiva, Merrell,  New balance, Nike, Sole, Teva, The North Face, Timberland, Vasque, Vibram, and Zamberlan USA. Get the magazine if you want to read what they’re doing to help save the planet.

ARTICLE: THINKING THROUGH FEET QUESTIONS
I get some interesting emails. Most ask for help for specific foot problems. Take this one.

Kathleen wrote, “I have emailed before and asked for suggestions and have taken a few. I went out and got the Kinesio-Tex tape to use as a second layer but still I seem to get blisters. I have attached two photos of a blister I got this morning when I was out doing about 10km. This is a common spot where I seem to get blisters. You can kind of see the outlines of a slightly smaller blister I had there about a month ago. I got that blister in spite of taping. I was almost finished the walk when I could feel a hot spot. I thought the tape had moved and was rubbing but it was perfectly in place. 
      I didn't know if it would be a good idea to put tape around this area but am lost. I would love to figure out how to get rid of this chronic problem. I use a variety of wicking socks and it seems to happen in a couple of different makes of shoes. I am a heavier person so I don't know if that factors into anything.
     Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. I know my foot looks like it is in need of a pedicure. I had one a month ago and I asked them to take most of the callus off but they wouldn't go that deep and obviously I am not going to get one for a couple of days to prevent infection."

I wrote back to Kathleen, “I have a few questions.
1.    Do you blister in the same spot on both feet?
2.    Are you wearing walking shoes or running shoes?
3.    Are the shoes wide enough in the mid-foot?
4.    Are you using the standard insoles that came with the shoes?
5.    How do your arches feet in the shoes?
6.    How long have you been blistering like this?

The idea here is to think through all the possible questions you can about the problem presented. Think about the foot and footwear, fit and all its factors, and how everything around the foot is interrelated. List as many questions as you can and then answer them. With your answers, you will usually find a solution – or two. Sometimes your first solution will correct, other times it may be your second or even third solution. In the process of getting to the correct solution, you learned more than you knew when you started. That’s the point.
     Not every foot question is easy. The better questions really make you think.

READER FEEDBACK
Rod wrote in response to the December issue’s article on Zamberlan boots, “I have seen a few advertisements claiming ‘perfect fit’ footwear, and I do not believe ANY manufacturer can claim to fit everyone. I have wide feet, and as it happens Scarpa Attack boots fit me well, but mostly American manufacturers make wider fittings than Italian. Even a manufacturer making different models for different export markets cannot claim to fit immigrants, unless of course they make a range of width fittings - as New Balance do in many models.
     I also have a Haglunds Deformity, a bony lump on my heel due to bad shoes when I was younger, and some manufacturers (including Scarpa Attack) are fine but others cause me huge problems. Fortunately someone tipped me off long ago about plastic heel cups, which can be softened and remoulded using boiling water, keeping the shoe in a plastic bag to avoid damaging it. So my experience tells me that your article is misleading, and although Zamberlan may be an excellent company, to claim a "perfect fit" for all customers is simply not possible.
     The web page referenced stated: This issue has an in-depth article, A Prime Example of Fit – Zamberlan Footwear, about how a footwear company has made their fit the best possible.
     Then, describing your own experience, you wrote: The boots were size 11 and they fit perfectly. My feet slid in and the lacing was just right. They fit correctly without lacing, an important part of the overall fit.
     There is an implication from all this that Zamberlan boots are a particularly good fit in general. I have not tested Zamberlan boots, and I am willing to give them a trial, but I would really like to see boot manufacturers move to a range of width fittings. If you are in dialogue with them, perhaps you could suggest it? Possibly the best concept is ski boots, some of which offer heat-moulded inners (which I have not tested either) to give an individual fit.”

I wrote back to Rod, “Thanks for your comments. I just re-read my article and found several sentences that read: ‘In all fairness, I must say I looked at these and thought they were to narrow, but they fit perfectly. Coming up above the ankle, they gave fantastic ankle support.’ ‘The boots were size 11 and they fit perfectly.’
     I will edit the article and add ‘me’ to the above sentences. I don't believe I was misleading in the article. The aim was to show how a footwear company can make high quality, good boots by focusing on several basics of fit. Zamberlan does not claim a ‘perfect fit’ and I did not try to make that impression.”

I appreciate Rod’s comments. I will strive to be careful in how I portray products. I stand by what I said about Zamberlan boots. For me they are a perfect fit. Knowing a bit about ski boots, I also appreciate Rod’s suggestions that footwear companies learn from them to make running shoes and hiking boots with heat-moulded liners.

Reader feedback to this E-zine and its articles is welcome and encouraged. Please email any foot care ideas or tips that you have tried and would like to share with others, or ideas for an article for the ezine.

PEACE OF MIND WITH SPOT
Do you ever go exploring in the great big outdoors, run trails for hours on end, thru hike, fastpack, adventure race, or maybe bushwhack cross country? If so, there are probably times when you thought you were lost or even injured, and knew family and friends were worried. I have the toy for you. It’s the SPOT Satellite Messenger.
     SPOT give you four alert options: alert 9-1-1 and dispatch an emergency response, check-in with contacts via email, request help, and track location and progress.
     This thing is small, weighing in at 7.4 ounces and measuring 4.4 by 2.8 inches. I bet you are wondering about battery life. Check this out. With 2 AA 1.5V lithium batteries; under normal usage a full battery charge should meet or exceed the following: Power on, unused: Approx. 1 year; SPOTcasting tracking mode: Approx. 14 days; 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days; and SPOTcheck OK/√: 1900 messages. It also floats in water and is waterproof to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.
     SPOT sends your GPS coordinates to a GEOS Emergency Response Center every five minutes, allowing you to keep moving if necessary. Emergency responders are then updated with your last known location. Because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works virtually anywhere. All it needs is a clear view of the sky. Importantly, it works where cell phone don’t!
     SPOT sells for $170.00 and there are several service plans based on your needs. Basic satellite coverage is $99.00 a year. For $49.00 more, a Tracking Option allows for tracking with Google maps. The GEOS Search & Rescue Benefit is $7.95/yr USD (if purchased at initial activation. $150.00 afterwards) and provides up to $100,000 of additional search and rescue resources, including helicopter extraction around the world and reimbursement benefits – underwritten by Lloyd’s of London – for any emergency service expenses incurred.

BAD FEET PHOTOS
My bad feet photo this month is from Badwater 2006. The runner has completed about 46 miles to get the medical station at Stovepipe Wells. With is shoes removed, he tells me he had pre-taped both feet. The tape he used was Elastikon.  The left foot is an exact duplicate to his right foot. He used Micropore paper tape at the edges of the Elastikon and both tapes had held well.
     The problem was that each foot had a blister in exactly the same spot. As you can see in the photo, it’s at the base of the little toe. It cause might have been from the foot being pinched in the shoe’s toebox. Or it could have been started at the exposed skin and the edge of the tape – because the tape stops too far short of the base of the toes. I would have ended the tape just short of the toes, and then placed a figure eight patch from top to bottom between the toes in two or three places. As I recall, I drained the blister and applied a spot patch over the blistered area. I was not about to undo all his tape and cause even more problems removing the sticky Elastikon.

Just think; your feet could be featured in this e-zine for everyone to see! Submit your photo or short story by email or snail mail. Stories should be no longer than 250 words. Send them to me by email.

WRITE AN AMAZON REVIEW FOR A FREE COPY OF HAPPY FEET
Those of you with the 4th edition can get a free copy of my booklet, Happy Feet: Foot Care Advice for Walkers and Travelers. Click on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to go to the book’s page—and write a review of the 4th edition. Then send me an email telling me which site the review is on and your snail mail address. I will mail you a free copy of this 36-page booklet. Use it yourself, or give it to someone else. The booklet is described below and has a $5.00 value. Sorry, but because of postage, this offer is good only in the U.S and Canada.

MY HAPPY FEET BLOG
If you like to stay informed about foot care issues and information - on a more regular basis than this monthly newsletter, check out my blog, Happy Feet: Expert Foot Care Advice for People Who Love Their Feet. This is different from this ezine. The Happy Feet blog will have a new short topic every week. 

GOT A STORY TO SHARE?
I am always on the look out for stories to share about their adventures with some type of connection to feet. If you have something to share, please send me an email.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
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