I've been having a problem with blisters forming on my feet for a while now, at least the past six months, possibly the past year (I honestly can't remember). I'm pretty sure they're caused by all the walking I do. In a given day, I do at least 45 minutes to an hour of unavoidable walking, on top of whatever extra walking I do that day, which can easily drive it up to two hours or more in a day. The blisters went away over the summer, when I was doing way more bicycling than walking to get places, but now that I'm back in the city for school and walking again, they've come back with a vengeance. Right now the worst one is on the fold in the skin under the top joint on my left big toe (it popped recently, without me needing to prod at it or anything, just from normal wear and tear, and when I look under it, there's another one under it that has also popped). They tend to form in that space under my big toes, as well as around the side of my foot. I don't know how much my shoes have to do with these blisters, as I remember that when I got new shoes a while ago, that seemed to only aggravate the blisters more. I tend to wear my shoes down a lot before I replace them, rubbing the tread under the ball of my foot all the way off until that part of the bottom is totally smooth, and only then replacing them (I'd spend a fortune on shoes if I replaced them more often). I do remember that when I got new shoes another time and stopped tying the laces as tightly, that seemed to help, but loosing the laces on my current shoes doesn't seem to have helped my current blisters. I tried doubling up on socks today at my dad's suggestion, and though it helped, my blisters still hurt by the end of the day. A friend of mine has a theory that this happens because my sneakers are hiking sneakers, which might not be designed for urban territory (which is where I do my walking). She might be on to something, as this is the model of shoe I use, which I started buying because the sole is apparently supposed to be long lasting (not on these feet, although it does last longer than other shoes do). Anyone have any suggestions or ideas of ways to stop the blisters?
Wear socks that fit properly and don't move around on your foot (but also aren't too tight), and that are made of material that wicks moisture away from your skin. You can also use a foot powder or corn starch to absorb moisture--sprinkle it in your socks. They also make lubricants for preventing blisters and chafing, like Body Glide and Band Aid Friction Block. (I use something like this when I am not wearing sensible shoes.)
Usually blisters and callouses form on the feet in response to repeated pressure on the same area. This is often because there is a portion of the shoe that doesn't properly fit against the foot- this can be a bump/edge on the interior surface of the shoe or it can be a section of the shoe that moves in a way to shear the skin that it rubs against. There's a few of things that you can try- Feel around on the interior of the shoe to see if there is something irregular that is causing unequal pressure on the foot. Remove the cheap foam insole from the shoe and replace it with an orthotic insole. If you search on Amazon, there are several brands of professional grade insoles like PowerStep and Spenco. Use a running sock that has additional padding and a cotton-synthetic blend that reduces shear against the skin. There are corn pads that are available in pharmacies that you can place over the area that is blistering. The pad reduces direct pressure on the area and prevents any shear that may be causing blistering.
