Blisters are probably the most common injury that runners face. Often following a change in shoes or a longer or faster than normal run these seemingly small annoyances can be incredibly difficult to cure quickly and can be quite debilitating.

Avoiding Blisters

Blisters happen when something causes an abnormal amount of friction on a part of your skin that can't handle it. A fine line exists between a small, tolerable irritation and the formation of a blister. This treshold can be breached when running in a new pair of shoes that haven't been properly worn in or with your favorite shoes when you run a little farther than normal. If you're a beginning runner or haven't run in a while, it can happen because your skin hasn't yet built up toughness that will prevent such blisters in the future. Often runners have some of the ugliest feat around filled with calluses, but that ugliness will help protect you against the constant wear of running.

Treating Blisters

Most runners will eventually face a blister regardless of the care they take to avoid them. Blisters can go away quite quickly if they are properly cared for, but, unfortunately, can linger on for a long time and be quite dangerous if they're not. If you are in doubt about the severity of your blister, don't hesitate to see your doctor. Treating a blister helps reduce the pain caused by it, keeps the blister from getting bigger, and staves off infection. Most importantly properly caring for a blister will allow you to return to running more quickly.

If the skin covering your blister is no longer attached, then you should apply an antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin) and cover the area with a bandage. Blisters missing this protective layer of skin can take longer to heal because they are more sensitive and vulnerable to infection. The skin covering blisters protects the area, so if you're lucky enough to have it still there, don't try to remove it.

Assuming that your blister is still intack, the initial reaction for many is to pop it and pull off all of the nasty dead skin that's covering it, but that is only half right. As already mentioned, that skin, as stretched and ineffective as it may be, is all that's guarding the deeper layers of your skin from the germy world outside. And believe me, those shoes that you've been running in are pretty dirty. The final word: unless a doctor recommends otherwise (because the blister is particularly deep or he is worried about infection) keep the skin on.

On runners blisters are usually caused by excess friction and, therefore, tend to occur in places that are likely to receive additional friction in the future. Because of this, blisters on the feet should be popped to ensure that they are popped in a sterile environment. To treat your blister, have the following handy: a sterile pin, a bandage that can cover the area of the blister, some antibiotic cream (Neosporin) and a clean towel. To sterilize a pin, heat it until it is red hot with a match or lighter. After allowing the pin to cool, pop the blister and gently squeeze it to remove the fluid that has built up inside. If the inside of the blister is disconnected you may need to poke another hole in a different location on the blister to remove it all. Removing the fluid removes the added pressure on the affected area that serves to increase the friction to area, and, therefore, the size of the blister and your pain.

Next, dry the area with your towel and optionally apply Preparation H to dry the region and reduce swelling. Finally, apply Bacitracin or Neosporin liberally and cover the blister with the bandage. Many find that the neomysin in neosporin causes an allergic reaction and it is preferable to use bacitracin.

For small blisters this procedure will most likely only need to be done once. For bigger blisters, or blisters in particularly tough areas, you may need to repeat the above steps for several days. As with any injury, if the blister doesn't seem to be healing soon or if you're worried, let a qualified medical professional have a look.

External Links

• Avoiding and Treating Blisters (http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/12dec/blisters.htm) by Michael L. Ramsey, MD
• Neomycin Allergy Information (http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/neomycin-allergy.html)