Forums >Health and Nutrition>Desperate for help with blisters!
Last weekend, I ran 15 terrific miles and when I was finished, I noticed that some blisters had developed on the insides of my big toes (between the big toe and the next toe over). I drained them, patched them up, and ran 5 miles on Monday only for them to get a lot worse. I consulted my running friends who reccommended a few things. I decided to try one and ran 5.5 miles on Tuesday only to have a blister the size of a marble on one of my toes. I decided to skip Thursday's run and went to the drug store instead where I bought tons of stuff including moleskin, sports tape, and various blister bandages and some friction reducer. This morning, both blisters were fully drained and I was walking without pain. My scheduled run was 16 miles and I patched up my toes and went for it. I finished the run feeling pretty good but when I took off my shoes, it was a mess!
The blister on my left toe was so huge that it actually had pushed back the bandage and sports tape. The one on the right toe wasn't much smaller. I have a photo but I can't seem to upload it. Anyway, I drained them as best I could, slobbed some antibacterial ointment on them, and wrapped them with some sterile gauze. They are in an awkward spot, being between my toes about where the nail is.
Obviously I won't be running for a few days but I am trying to train for my first marathon and am desperate to find a way to conquer this! I am open to any and all advice. This is a step-back week for me so I can afford to take it easy and I obviously don't want any serious complications to arise from this. But I really don't want blisters to derail my marathon hopes.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Give 2Toms BlisterShield powder a try. That stuff prevented me from getting blisters during a lot of longer runs and races.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Hawt and sexy
I'm touching your pants.
I've read about the socks in other forums. Have they worked for you?
I plan to go to my local running store tomorrow with my current pair of shoes and see what they suggested. Someone at my church suggested an ingrown toenail that only acts up when I run longer than half marathon distance. Is that really a possibility?
Needless to say, I won't be running this week.
PS - How did you get the picture to post?
#RunEveryDay
Do you know why you are suddenly getting blisters? Have you changed shoes or socks? Part of dealing with them is going to be dealing with the cause so you aren't blistered all the time.
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
Inside of your toes sounds like they are being pushed together too much. maybe your shoes are too small - either length-wise or width-wise. Some shoes are a lot wider than others in the toe area... you need to try lots of different ones that feel good,
Thank you for the replies. I went to my doctor and one blister had a minor infection. I'm on an antibiotic for it and will be missing two scheduled races. (Including a Thanksgiving Day half marathon which pains me to pass on.)
My plan to see a podiatrist regarding my nails (which have had a fungus for 2 years anyway) and be re-fitted for running shoes at the local running shop. I've worn this make/model of shoe for the last few years and this is the first time I've had serious problems. I've also used the same socks for the last 3 years with no issues. So all I can think is that it's the recent increase in mileage beyon 13 miles.
I know that I might need to forfeit my marathon plans. It will depend on how quickly these blisters heal and I can solve the underlying problem. Any further feedback is appreciated.
Look at alternative methods of lacing if the width of the shoe is a problem.
Use copious amounts of vaseline between your toes and on the outside of the socks.
Give it time. Your skin will harden and adapt. Stick at it kid.
I wonder this, too...which would explain why you're not having issues at shorter mileage. As you run longer your feet swell more. Do your shoes come in widths? Perhaps a wider size would eliminate your issues, but keep you in the same shoe model that you like.
When I get blisters it is the same place you do ... on my big toes where they rub against the second toe. I don't bother draining them at all, I just keep running. The skin there is so hardened that it's really just a minor inconvenience for me. They drain themselves and then I just cut off the skin. Very little discomfort for me. For long runs or races I put on moleskin which sticks much, much better than bandaids and lasts the entire race. If you run enough you will get to where you don't get so many blisters and the ones you do get will be pretty much non-issues.
I have pretty wide forefoot so I think most traditional shoes push my toes together. I bought a pair of Altra Instinct shoes and really they fit my forefoot like a glove and they do seem to help with this pushing of the toes together. You may want to try a pair but the caveat is that they are minimalistic shoes with ZERO heel-to-toe drop. Your calves/hamstrings may not like that if you're not used to racing flats.
I recently got four blisters when I laced my shoes too loose because of a minor tendinitis on the tops of my feet. I knew I'd get blisters, but figured that tendinitis would be worse.
If your shoes fit well, except for being too tight in the toe area, another option is to make more room using a knife:
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh546/jrmichler/Running/PB170232.jpg
I agree with pr100, zoom-zoom, and kencamet. My blister strategy is drain it after you first notice it. If it repeats a second day, cut a hole in it and let it drain and air out. I don't seal up my blisters as that seems to make things worse. When you have an open and painful blister remanent you might have to take a day or two off but I've never had a problem after I cut it off.
I am guessing the root cause of your blisters has to do with your shoes.
I always had blisters on the tips of my second and third toes on both feet. My normal running shoes were a 1/2 size bigger than my regular shoes but I got them a full size bigger to give my toes extra room. Be careful with your socks and my suggestion is lots of body glide. I rub that all over my toes before I put on my socks and now hardly get any blisters at all and when I do they are small.
not bad for mile 25
I've read about the socks in other forums. Have they worked for you? PS - How did you get the picture to post?
I wear Injinji toe socks. They're much thinner and less cool than the ones willamona shows, but in theory they should help. I can't attest to that directly because I wear Vibrams. Good luck eliminating the blisters. When I had them, they tended to seem worse at first, but cleared up quickly once I tracked down the cause.
To answer your second question, pictures are not hosted here on the RA forums - you have to upload your pic to a hosting site such as http://tinypic.com/, copy their URL, click the Insert/Edit Image tree icon, and paste the URL into the field that appears.
HTH
Loves the outdoors
I wear Injinji toe socks. They're much thinner and less cool than the ones willamona shows, but in theory they should help. I can't attest to that directly because I wear Vibrams. Good luck eliminating the blisters. When I had them, they tended to seem worse at first, but cleared up quickly once I tracked down the cause. To answer your second question, pictures are not hosted here on the RA forums - you have to upload your pic to a hosting site such as http://tinypic.com/, copy their URL, click the Insert/Edit Image tree icon, and paste the URL into the field that appears. HTH
I wear injinji toe socks as well. I've eliminated all blisters with them and have converted my husband to them as well. I won't run in anything else now.
One day I decided I wanted to become a runner, so I did.