New Shoes and Blisters

How often do you find when you buy new shoes you get blisters?  But how bad is that when its not you, but one of your children? It has happened to me only this week, which, considering I’m a podiatrist is pretty bad news.

New school shoes

How many of us parents bought our kids new shoes for school? As I write this at the start of the autumn term, I’m wondering how many parents are getting the same ear ache as me this week?

Getting their feet measured, and having the teenager argument/bribery conversation to persuade them to go for  the ‘sensible’ style was just the beginning. When they finally agreed, grudgingly to the brogue lace ups rather than the slip-ons they wanted we thought #Result! …..didn’t we?

End of school day one and they come home blaming you for their sore feet and blisters!!

“Mum, those shoes you made me get are hurting my feet !!”

Maybe like me you are a ‘mean’ mum that makes them walk the mile to school, after all, they need the aerobic exercise to stay fit and healthy don’t they?

Blisters

How bad do you feel when you look at their foot and realise, yes these carefully selected shoes still produced foot pain and a nasty blister (especially as this mother is a podiatrist!) Not good!

It just goes to show that even the experts cant get it right all the time.

What is the problem?

If you look at this picture and especially the angle that the heel counter comes in at the top, it is pointing inward towards the heel bone.

Not by much I grant you, but in a brand new stiff leather shoe, it is enough to cause pressure and friction. The back of the heel has become swollen and blistered.

How do I get back in the ‘good mum’ books?

 

Luckily with stuff I use in daily clinical practice:

• Tapefix spray (helps the tape to stay in place even if sweaty feet).
• Fleecyweb, to give a little bit of cushioning.
• Hypafix tape, to secure it all in place and stop it ‘rolling’ off.

I have covered a wide area of the heel with fleecy web and taped over and underneath as I don’t want the tape to start to roll off or rub in any new areas.  This did the trick and repeating this daily both prevented problems getting worse and facilitated the PE lessons.

I also lined the inside of the shoes with some kinesio sports tape to cover any seams and stitching ridges. That’s the purple stuff you can see at the back of the heel in the top picture, it comes in other colours, but mine is all purple!  Using a shoe horn to put the shoe on prevents this rolling off too.

If your kids are coming home complaining their new shoes hurt them, try this taping method until the leather starts to flex and soften a bit with wear, hopefully within a week.  If not, get in touch I’m sure we can help.

Till next time, hugz