Feet. Magdalen Court School

Transcription

1 Magdalen Curt Schl Feet These are the vain f sme f my walkers, yu can eliminate r reduce the severity & number f blisters, in the wrse cases I've seen feet falling t bits n Ten Trs, hrrific & unnecessary. It will take me 44,000 paces t walk the Abbts' Way rute & fr the 35mile Ten Trs, the children will d a lt mre, if yur feet fail, yu will be in a lt f unnecessary pain & may have t drp ut r wrse miss the event cmpletin deadline. Blisters are caused by all 3 f these tgether: 1. Frictin (ften felt as ht spts n yur feet) 2. Misture 3. Heat Take away ne f these & in thery yu will nt get blisters. What causes blisters? Blisters ccur when feet get ht & sweaty, making scks stick t the feet. The sck and ft then rub against each ther and the inside f the she causing a frictin burns. As the uter layer f skin separates frm the inner layers the space between fills with lymph fluid t prtect the area, like a small balln. They are a cmmn prblem with athletes wearing in new shes as well as athletes r walkers wh take part in exceptinally lng events such as marathns r lng hill walks. Blisters d nt need t be a part f sprting life and can be prevented r greatly reduced. Sme peples feet are as tugh as nails & they seem never t get prblems, but thers & mst children fall in this bracket, have a dispsitin t blisters & require a lt f care, preparatin & experimentatin & mney t find ut what wrks best fr them. We must d all we can t help them with their feet, therwise they are preparing t fail. cz Page: 1

2 Magdalen Curt Schl 1. D the BOOTS fit well (GOLDEN RULE NUMBER ONE) Everybdy has different feet, s different brands suit different peple, try n lts. I like Mrland Rambler yu can take the bts away fr 2 weeks, walk arund the huse & if yu dn t like them, change them. The staff knws what they are talking abut, nt my experience in Millets & Blacks. Mdern bts need hardly any breaking in. Lighter bts are better, each unce lighter = 1mile further walked fr the same effrt in a day. But cmfrt is key. Take yur insle ut & place yur heal in the depressin n it, n part f yur ft shuld be larger than the insle & yur tes shuld have 1/2" t 1" f free space in frnt f them. What is the insle like? des it cradle/cup the heel prvide arch supprt Is the arch supprt in the right place fr yur ft? A lt f bts have pr quality insles, I use 'SuperFeet' expensive, 30, but they wrk fr me Check the seams inside t ensure nne are rugh r uncmfrtable n yur ft. They shuld have a Vibram type sle They shuld cme up ver yur ankle. Trying bts n: D this at the end f the day, yur feet swell thrughut the day. Take yur wn walking scks t wear. D thse laces up tight, the heel needs t be held int the bt & shuld nt mve abut. Yu shuld be able t wiggles thse pinkies thugh! Parents rarely d laces up tight enugh & children defiantly dn't. If yur heel mves abut in the bt yu Will get blisters. Tie a duble knt in the laces. tying a single bw & then a secnd bw seems t wrk really well Check yur ftprint, & fit custm ft-beds if necessary. In bare feet, wet yur ft, & walk acrss a hard flr, yur ft will leave an imprint, which tells yu a lt abut yur feet. Lking at ld shes & where they have wrn als yields lts f infrmatin. Yu may well find, yur first purchase is nt the right ne & yu need t get a 2 nd r 3 rd pair, expensive I knw. Remember children grw at an exrbitant rate, they usually need a new pair each year. cz Page: 2

3 Magdalen Curt Schl 2. SOCKS (GOLDEN RULE NUMBER TWO) Make sure they are f the highest quality, Clmax, SmartWl, SealSkinz & 'Thusand Mile' are a few gd makes They must be specialist hiking scks, trekking scks are even better. They must g past the tp f yur bt (are yu listening girls, n ankle scks), this bit abve the bt, wicks away misture frm yur ft & allws it t evaprate int the air n seams t rub n yur ft N cttn scks, a MUST Wear 2 pairs f scks, a thin inner sck & a specialist uter sck, that is what 'Thusand Mile' scks are. It wrks fr sme. Dry scks are a must, nce yur feet get wet, they will almst certainly blister why nt pack a spare pare if yu always get wet feet, try 'SealSkinz' scks they are water prf, but still push water ut frm yur ft. 3. Gaiters are great at keeping ut prickles & water, use them. Once yu are n tracks & rads, take them ff & let yur lwer leg breath. 4. If yu knw yu have prblems n yur feet, tape them up befre the event Use the minimum f tape. Dn't tape arund the whle ft Type f tape: 'Duck Tape' wrks really well, Dn't use a cpy, make sure it's 'Duck Tape' 'Secnd skin' wrks fine 'Micr pre' can wrk t Mleskin Blister plasters are efficient & I wuld recmmended carrying a few Rund f all edges arund the tape ends Dn't verlap tape Use a adherent t help the tape stick t yur feet: Tincture f Benzin Mueller Tuffner Clear Adherent Spray Rubbing alchl Pwder yur ft after taping t eliminate any sticky bits shwing. cz Page: 3

4 Magdalen Curt Schl 5. Sme ther ideas recmmended by endurance athletes: 1. Antiperspirant wrks well fr thse with sweaty feet, an adult will prduce 1 pint f sweat frm their feet in a day frm 250,000 sweat glands, gd quality scks & bts will evaprate this away frm the ft. 2. Talcum pwder r Myclin Pwder r similar can help reduce ht spts by lubricating the ft & helping keep it dry 6. Preventing blisters, tips: Get gd/wnderful bts fr YOUR feet Purchase sublime hiking scks x2 Check ut thse insles, are they right fr yu? Walk-in yur new bts Get rid f calluses Clip yur tenails shrt Keep yur feet dry & when they get wet, change yur scks. Tughen yur feet by walking arund bare ft Tape up prblem areas befre the event. Take up running Lk after yur bts & Scks 1. Clean them after yur walks. 2. Dry them away frm direct surces f heat. 3. Reprf them when dry 4. Lve yur bts & dream abut yur scks. The Chinese tea ceremny fr yur feet 1. Prepare yur feet, clip, clean, tape etc 2. Inspect, remve any trace f freign matter frm, feet, scks & bts 3. Rll yur scks n 4. Put yur bts n, ensure n ruffles, take time with the tngues. 5. Lace up yur bts frm the very bttm eyes t the very tp, ensure they are firm & tied f fr the duratin f the walk. 6. Fit yur gaiters, get them as lw n yur bt as pssible. Rain trusers shuld have zips up t the knee r even better t the waist, s yu dn t have t take yur bts & gaiters ff t take them n & ff, which can be many, many times thrugh the day. Rain trusers cause frictin n yur legs & make walking difficult, but d allw yu t persist when the rain is lashing, withut fear f hypthermia. When yu feel a ht spt, STOP, treat it early, a piece f Duck Tape can, cure the prblem if caught in time, it will nly get wrse if yu dn t stp. cz Page: 4

5 Magdalen Curt Schl 7. Keep yur feet dry: Walk wise! Avid thse bgs & steams. Wherever pssible change scks regularly and use ft pwder t help keep them dry T keep yur feet extra dry, yu may want t try sprinkling a sweatabsrbing ft pwder in yur scks befre yu put them n, r simply apply an antiperspirant that cntains aluminium chlrhydrate r aluminium chlride t the sles f yur feet t minimize sweating and decrease misture 8. Keep yur backpack weight as lw as pssible. 9. Hw can the athlete treat a blister? If the blister has nt burst then it may be necessary t make a small hle at the edge with a sterilised pin r needle, particularly if the blister is n a weight bearing surface. A pin can be sterilized by passing it thrugh a flame. D nt drain a bld filled blister. Drain the fluid but leave as much f the skin as pssible cvering the wund. This is an imprtant prtective layer fr the underlying skin and will help t prevent infectin. Clean the blister with a sterilising wipe. Cver the wund with a secnd skin - take the time t apply it crrectly. Fr additinal security apply tape ver tp. Unfrtunately it will take at least a frtnight t heel. 10. Blister treatment at hme If they are bad g t the NHS walk in centre, they have sme great creams & tapes. If yu want t harden it quickly fr the next walk, get surgical spirit under the dead skin f the blister, but it is excruciatingly painful. D what yu can but limp with pride if it happens. This shrt inf sheet was prduced frm: Fixing yur Feet Preventin & treatments fr Athletes By Jhn Vnhf Wilderness Press ISBN: X Yu can brrw my cpy if yu want. A 340 page bible n feet! Gd bedtime reading.. References: cz Page: 5