Do you often find yourself dealing with heel edge blisters? These painful blisters can be caused by cramped shoes, feet sliding, rough edges and new shoes that haven’t been worn in yet. As the name suggests, blisters appear around the heel, like a horse shoe.

CSSM Podiatrist Paula Alarcon has put together three effective strategies to help you prevent these troublesome blisters and keep your feet comfortable.

 

Reduce Heel Cup Pressure 

Insole Care:

•              Check your insole’s heel cup for creases, folds, or rough edges and replace if necessary.

•              Trim any contours on the insole that don’t match your heel shape using scissors.

•              Consider using a flat comfort (neoprene) insole to minimise blister and callous formation.

Orthotic Adjustments:

•              Address a thick or warped heel cup with adjustments from a podiatrist.

•              Prevent orthotic slipping by applying double-sided tape and ensuring proper positioning.

 

Taping techniques 

•              Reduce shear distortions by taping your heel with rigid sports tape.

•              Use Fixomull stretch first, followed by rigid tape, and another layer of Fixomull for added protection.

 

Optimal Cushioning

•              Wear socks to act as an additional layer of protection for blister prevention.

•              Add felt padding to the shoe for extra cushioning and to create a low-friction junction point.

 

 

Conclusion

Heel edge blisters require attention, and by using these strategies it may provide you with some relief:

  1. Reduce pressure from insole or orthotic heel cup.
  2. Tape your heel for additional support.
  3. Cushion the blister-prone heel edge for maximum comfort.

Don’t let heel edge blisters slow you down. Implement these strategies and confidently step towards a blister-free experience. For more tips and further advice, visit one of our podiatrists.

 

About the author

CSSM Podiatrist Paula Alarcon’s sporting background has provided her with a particular interest in the recovery and management of foot and ankle injuries.

Joining CSSM, Paula says she enjoys being able to work with a great variety of health professionals allowing patients to have a more holistic approach as well as contributing to her own learning process by exchanging opinions and ideas from other practitioners.

While Paula believes Podiatry enables her to choose her own pathway from rehabilitation of the foot and ankle, biomechanics, running gait analysis to skin conditions, she hopes to specialise in the rehabilitation of injuries and sports Podiatry.