Chiropody

A blister is caused by friction or trauma.  It is essentially a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin.  This fluid is often clear (serous fluid/blood plasma) but can also be blood and/or pus depending on the level of trauma and if there is any infection present.  The fluid fills the space made between layers of damaged skin, and tries to cushion the tissue beneath it and protect if from further damage.

Theoretically a blister can develop anywhere on the human body, but in reality the feet are the most common location they are found, primarily due to the cumulative repetitive motions we perform on a daily basis within varying types of footwear.  Blisters form more readily in warm moist environments (sweaty feet) and this coupled with inappropriate footwear is likely to be the main reason sportsmen and women can suffer the greatest.

Generally most blisters eventually resolve of their own accord – however this is dependant on there being no further aggravating frictional forces present (not always easy to achieve when training for that marathon).  Bursting a blister is discouraged, as doing so will introduce a portal of entry for infection and expose the fragile and tender underlying tissues. Better practice is to allow the fluid to reabsorb over time and the top layer of skin will eventually dry up and flake away exposing the healed skin beneath it. 

However draining fluid from a blister can sometimes significantly improve comfort levels; our Chiropodists can make one small hole in the roof of the blister, (with a sterile needle), gently drain all fluid and then cover up with a clean non-stick dressing such as Melolin. Monitoring closely and daily salt water rinses may be beneficial for several days following this procedure.

Of course prevention is better than cure, but if you speak to any sports person or runner you will soon realise that sadly there is not a single solution for everyone.  Often it takes a bit of trial and error to find the right method to prevent blisters for you.  Below is a general list of some things to consider that have been reported to be of benefit in blister prevention. (It should be said that whilst certain individuals will benefit from one or a combination of these things, it is also possible they could actually worsen blistering in others).

• Footwear (running shoes 0.5 to 1.0 sizes bigger than normal shoe size and adequately ‘broken in’)
• Hosiery (Moisture absorbing socks, dual layered/blister socks, wearing 2 pairs of socks)
• Applying an astringent such as surgical spirit to the feet daily to ‘toughen them up’
• Using Vaseline over vulnerable areas before activity
• Applying Tape (Micropore) or Blister Plasters (e.g. Compeed) to vulnerable areas before activity