How To Cope With Blisters and Pressure Areas

New ski boots usually mean blisters or pressure points! Blisters are caused by rubbing - usually your foot against the hard ski boot and pressure areas are usually along the front of the shin. To minimise the chance of blisters, choose well-fitting boots and good quality seamless socks. Your foot should not have too much room to move about in your boot and if possible walk around your home in them for a few nights to see whether there is going to be a problem.

If you are unfortunate to have a blister, careful maintenance of the area is required - a blister left open in a nice hot ski boot for even one day can become infected.

Here are some tips for managing blisters

• Only burst the blister if it is causing pain and stopping your activities (bursting a blister unnecessarily can allow infection to set in!)
• If the blister bursts, apply some strapping over the area - this stops the area being rubbed further and the tightness of any strapping will help re-absorb any fluid. An excellent product that achieves this is called ‘compeed’ which is available from most chemists. If the blister has not burst of its own accord and is stopping your activities, you will need to relieve the internal pressure. To do this:

• Place a pin in some boiling water for a few minutes to ensure it is sterilised
• Carefully insert the pin into the side of the blister as close as possible to the normal skin.
• Do not squeeze it as this may hurt - the internal pressure should allow most of the fluid to escape.
• Ideally, bathe the area in salty water, dry and cover the area with a dry dressing such as gauze. Plasters can be used, but make sure that they are not left on too long.

Pressure areas can often be resolved or eased by using Orthopaedic felt. This is a sticky back felt which can be used to bridge the pressured area, transferring the rubbing pressure to the adjacent non painful areas while conveniently adhering to either your skin or the boot. Orthopaedic felt can be purchased from the practice and comes in 5 and 7 mm depths.

By Andrew Gladstone - State Registered Chiropodist