Blisters are a thing of the past

You’ve begun training for the Mumbai Marathon or have decided to go running on a regular basis every morning. You wake up early, eat the right food, buy the perfect running gear and gear yourself up towards getting in perfect condition…only to be foiled at the very last minute by the smallest but most persistently dreadful menace any athlete can possibly encounter-a blister.

These tiny, red faced devils pop up most commonly on your feet, making it extremely difficult to walk, let alone run for miles. Are blisters causing you to hobble about painfully and curse your love for fitness? Look no further than Live Your Sport’s guide to getting rid of and preventing these little killjoys.

Blisters: A basic guide

Let’s start from the beginning. What are blisters?

We know they’re annoying and painful, but how are they even caused? These small, reddish bumps result from constant friction against your foot. Sweat is the main culprit, along with ill-fitting socks and wrongly sized shoes. Try as you might, they most certainly do pop up if you have been running long and hard frequently.

But what can you even do to prevent them? Many people will tell you to man up and deal with them. “Cover them up with a band aid and don’t think about them” is the standard piece of advice that one gets. But this is very possibly the worst thing you can do. Blisters are filled with pus when infected and cause a lot of localized pain and burning sensation. Rupture of even one of them can cause any number of harmful skin infections, ranging from secondary impetigo to cellulitis or even sepsis, a potentially life threatening disease. Diabetic athletes often suffer from diabetic neuropathy, a condition where blisters frequently appear on their feet. Basically, when it comes to handling blisters, proceed with caution.

Breaking free from blisters

First, we need to know how to deal with an onset of blisters and tackle them to make sure they disappear in time. Here’s what you can do to treat blisters:

• Apply a moleskin bandage to the problem area before putting on socks.
• Use an antiseptic cream such as Soframycin to apply a thin coating to the pus filled boil immediately after you wash your feet after a run at home.
• If your blister is large and requires you to cover it up with a big bandage, make sure you use plenty of gauze on it to allow it to breathe.
• If your blister is small enough, do not pop it and allow it to get infected. The pus that oozes out is a cesspool of disease. If it is large and throbbing and painful and doesn’t subside in four or five days, seek medical attention immediately, especially if it is oozing yellow or green pus.
• If the doctor advises popping it, go to a clinic and make sure they use a sterilized needle. It is inadvisable to tamper with blisters at home as our environment, however clean, is seldom sterile.

Blister prevention comes next. It’s all very well treating existing blisters but we’d rather minimize the pain and the wear and tear of body tissue and prevent them from coming on again. With the right amount of attention and care, blisters can be a thing of the past. Some basic preventive measures include:

• investing in a good pair of well-fitting shoes that don’t pinch your feet. Pick a pair that’s perfect for you from here http://www.liveyoursport.com/running-shoes/.
• wearing two pairs of socks to minimize friction between your foot and the shoe
• picking sweat absorbent, breathable socks made of nylon or wool blends
• dusting your feet with a basic fungal preventive powder or cream prior to putting on your socks. AbZorb is a good example of an antifungal, antibacterial dusting powder which is easily available at most chemists. It contains Clotrimazole and prevents severe infections
• cleaning your feet regularly and washing them every night before bed with soap and water, especially between your toes, this is where bacteria collects the most.
• soaking your feet in a warm water bath with a handful of salt thrown in. This will help prevent infection and reduce foot pain. Add in a pinch of turmeric to kill the problem bacteria before it gets a chance to manifest.

For more tips and tricks, check out http://www.everydayhealth.com/foot-health-pictures/healing-home-cures-for-blisters.aspx and for a medical perspective, take a look at http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/291.

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