By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Blister Prevention, Management & Treatment
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wilderness Medicine > Blister Prevention, Management & Treatment
Wilderness Medicine

Blister Prevention, Management & Treatment

CWSonline
Last updated: February 11, 2013 11:08 am
CWSonline
Share
9 Min Read
SHARE

By Clifton Castleman, WEMT
 *Adapted from the Sierra Club’s Annual One Day Hike

Contents
What Causes Friction Blisters? How to Prevent Friction Blisters Early Treatment of Friction Blisters Treating Friction Blisters MYTH: Duct Tape Works Well

By Clifton Castleman, WEMT
 *Adapted from the Sierra Club’s Annual One Day Hike

Blisters are the number one foot ailment encountered by hikers – and they can turn the greatest hike into the most painful one. Blisters can be avoided by proper foot training; having the correct footwear and socks, and by early detection of possible problems. To help protect your feet, know the causes of blisters, how to prevent and treat them.

What Causes Friction Blisters?

HEAT
Heat is the number one reason for getting blisters. The heat responsible for causing blisters is mostly caused by the friction between your skin and the inner of your shoe or boot. Sand and gravel in your boot can increase friction which is why they also cause blisters.

More Read

Are You Tasty to a Mosquito?
Spider Season: The Brown Recluse
Stop The Bleeding!
50+ Uses of a Triangular Bandage
Rebranding Rural Medicine for Young Doctors

MOISTURE
Moist or wet feet from sweat or water are more susceptible to blisters as moisture softens your skin.

LOCALIZED AREA
When there a small portion of your foot or ankle rubs against a part of your shoe, your foot first responds by getting red and hot. This is called a Hot Spot. While not a blister, these are the body’s first sign of discomfort. If a hot spot is left untreated, the result is a painful blister which is either filled with clear mucus (the body’s own coolant fluid) or blood (blood blisters).

 

How to Prevent Friction Blisters

Preventing blisters boils down to countering the factors that cause them. In general, keeping your feet cool, dry, and free of sand will do the trick. Here are some tips on how to prevent blisters:

  • First of all, select footwear with a good fit that does not chafe your feet or have painful pressure points. Choose watertight but breathable footwear that gives the proper ventilation which will get rid of excess moisture. Look for fully gusseted tongs that keep sand and gravel outside of your boots.
  • Give your feet ample rest. If you feel that your feet might be moist or overheated, it might be wise to make some alterations to your hiking rhythm and take a longer rest where you take off your boots and socks. If you do so, you might want to change socks and dry the ones you had on. Having two pairs of socks used alternately is always a good idea to prevent Blisters.
  • If you decide to cool your feet in water (such as a stream), make sure to dry them off well before putting your socks and boots back on. When and if conditions allow, take off your boots and socks and walk with hiking sandals during breaks.

 

Early Treatment of Friction Blisters

Blisters develop over a period of time and often you can already feel one coming up. Early detection and treatment is the key to preventing full grown blisters. If you feel a sore place on your foot or irritation, do the following:

  • Take off your boots and hiking socks immediately and remove any sand or gravel from your feet.
  • Let your feet dry and cool down.
  • Cover the sore area with the Silk Tape, band-aids, blister pads or moleskin.

After hiking, remove the moleskin, tape, etc. and let the skin recover during the night. The next morning, you can judge for yourself to apply a new cover or not for your regular walking shoes. In general, take precautions and apply a cover even if the area is only moderately irritated.

 

Treating Friction Blisters

You essentially have two options of treating your foot blister; and depending on whether you’re planning on continuing the hike or dropping out, may affect your course of action. If you are continuing to hike, and the blisters are at the surface and filled with fluid, you may wish take a sterilized needle and pierce the blister in order to drain it.

Be sure to pierce the blister at the lowest point of gravity (the base of the blister) and gently roll your thumb from the top, down, forcing out the liquid like a tube of toothpaste. If the affected skin is still intact then do not remove it or tear it off. Instead, cover the drained blister with moleskin or better yet, one of the 2nd Skin Blister Pads, provided at the first aid tents at each support station.

If the affected area is ruptured and the blister is torn, be sure to clean it with an antiseptic such as triple-antibiotic ointment or bacitracin (both provided at the first aid stations). Keep the area clean in order to prevent infection.

If the blisters are buried deep under the surface of your skin and does not hold a lot of liquid then do NOT try to puncture them. Instead, just cover them with one of the items listed above.

 

MYTH: Duct Tape Works Well

Duct tape sticks well to itself and has absolutely NO give or elasticity to it whatsoever. This being said, many ODH hikers tape their ankles and the balls of their feet with duct tape, only to have it come loose while hiking, creating a HUGE and painful blister due to the fact that duct tape does not stick to virtually anything when wet – especially to skin when there’s a layer of sweat between the tape and skin.

Another common thing that we see unfortunately, are those folks who tape their feet and ankles circumferentially (meaning all the way around their feet). Again, the tape sticks well to itself but has NO give. These individuals know this and intend (as many have told us) to change the duct tape at every station. Here’s the problem with that: As you hike, especially for long distances, you get what is called “peripheral edema”, where your hands and feet start to swell.

By wrapping your feet and/or ankles with tape, you create compartment syndrome or essentially an unintentional tourniquet around that part of the body, slowly killing the tissue inside. When these participants took off their duct tape, their feet literally swelled up within seconds (like balloons) and not only did it hurt so much that they couldn’t put any weight on their feet and had to drop out of the race and explain to their friends and families why they were unable to continue, but also their feet became literally too big for their shoes!!
These are a few basic things you should know about blisters. It is not essential that you have adequate first aid knowledge, as we have an entire team of knowledgeable medical team volunteers in place to deal with any emergency; large or small – but we certainly recommend taking a wilderness first aid course if you are like me and love to spend time in the great out-of-doors.


If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them.

 

TAGGED:blistershiking
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Trench Foot – A Common Ailment of Hikers

January 31, 2013
woman with red lipstick smiling
Dental healthWilderness Medicine

7 Ways to Take Better Care of Sensitive Teeth

October 30, 2021

10 Myths About Outdoor Medicine – Debunked

January 13, 2012

The Coldest Journey: Q&A with Dr. Rob Lambert, Expedition Team Doctor

January 17, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?