Feet Care

[ninjapuppet]

I found some really useful information whilst browsing around the web about John Vonhof, a proclaimed expert in footcare.

Theres alot of good info here which even my brother ( a podiatrist) was unaware of!
The fact that he was even unaware of some of the treatment made me think the info had gotta be pretty good, so i bought his book and i gotta say, most of the info is already on those pages, but the book goes into good detail on management.

http://www.fixingyourfeet.com/Steps-to-Happy-Feet.html

[davehenderson]

My feet thankyou for this link

[mikethepike]

I thought to just highlight this topic again because it is so important if extended walking is to be enjoyable. Three days into a recent extended walk in Tassie, I wondered why my companion was dropping back a bit but I didn't think to enquire. He finally told me that he needed to take off his boots and when he did, I was alarmed to see the raw skin on the back of both his heels. Fortunately I was carrying the right stuff to put things in order - larger Primapore sticky dressings with a 55x35mm pad. (The feet need to be perfectly dry to affect a good adhesion and we also put wide elasterplast over them for extea surity and protection.}
Apart from making sure new footware is worn in before going on extended walks, the lesson is to speak up as soon as you feel any soreness in your feet as early intervention is the key thing. And of course the lesson for a trip leader is to not assume that anyone lagging back is just a bit weary, but to ask. I felt a bit guilty I didn't do so but I think I've learnt.

[north-north-west]

Apart from making sure new footwear is worn in before going on extended walks fits, the lesson is to speak up as soon as you feel any soreness ...

Fixed

[mikethepike]

Thanks NNW. You're right but it's sometimes a subtle point I think. Getting the right size boot is the first thing to get right of course. My background is with leather boots though (these have a longer lifespan than Goretex boots in the Flinders Ranges) and with these, a bit of wearing in is highly recommended before their first extended walk, even with the right fitting.

[jose]

I think most of us have found that boots which feel very comfortable in the shop and around the neighbourhood can feel quite different after walking for some hours up and down mountains and on different terrain. It is very difficult to know if you have well fitting boots till you are 'out there'.
I bought new boots in May last year and wore them on 3 extended walks and on several day walks with no sign of blisters or discomfort. Then in February I went on a 15 day walk with a very heavy pack, temperatures were up in the 30's and I started to have problems with blisters between my toes. In succession I used moleskin,vaseline and various other blister applications and strapping which usually eases the problem but the blisters persisted and became increasingly painful and bleeding. I didn't know how I was going to be able to continue on the walk.
Finally I wrapped each affected toe with strips of glad wrap (I carry my muesli portions in glad wrap) and from then onwards they started to be less painful and, although it took a few weeks for them to heal properly, I was able to complete my walk feeling better each day.
It just goes to show that for some people it is not as simple as it sounds to get good fitting boots - even after 9 months of comfortable wearing.

[north-north-west]

It just goes to show that for some people it is not as simple as it sounds to get good fitting boots - even after 9 months of comfortable wearing.

Of this I am well aware, as it's taken me some 50-odd years to find a pair of boots that really fits. Which is why I tend to push this point so much. If it's possible to get boots that fit my weird feet comfortably, then almost anyone can get proper-fitting boots - it just takes a lot of trial and error and hunting around (and, often, money) to do so.