BLISTERS ARE BIGGEST ISSUE FOR LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS

According to Michael Scanlon, DPM, podiatrist and assistant professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UConn Health, the biggest issue for those running the UConn Half Marathon or other races is pressure blisters. These will happen during the race and most commonly are associated with poor-fitting shoes or the wrong kind of socks. While properly fitting shoes and socks don’t mean you will never get a blister, it will lessen the chances. 

 

Dr. Michael Scanlon

 

If you do get a blister, Dr. Scanlon recommends draining the blisters and wrapping to provide a little compression. You will need to drain every six to eight hours. Use a clean sharp needle with rubbing alcohol. Use the needle to prick the blister in several spots near the edge. Let the fluid drain but leave the overlying skin in place. Scanlon advises against deroofing the blister which removes the skin from the blister. A deroofed blister is more painful, more open to infection, and takes longer to heal. If this happens to your blister while running, you will want to use an antiseptic and keep the blister covered with a bandage.

 

Source: Jennifer Walker, UConn Today [5/17/23]

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News