How to Prevent Blisters With Athletic Tape

Getting blisters on your feet can pretty much ruin any walk, run or hike that you may be on. They hurt and only seem to get worse the further you go. Many times, they can leave you stranded somewhere if they become so bad you can't walk on them. This is a big problem, especially because they take so long to heal. The best option for most people that know that they get blisters is to tape them. Of course, you want to make sure that you have shoes that fit properly as well as good socks, but taping will also help.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• athletic tape
• a scissor (optional)

1. Determine the areas that you normally have blisters. Generally, people will get blisters in the same places over and over again. If it is at your toes, go to step 2; if it is your arches, go to step 3; and your heels or Achilles tendon, go to step 4.

2. Tape around each toe individually. Many times, people will get blisters on their toes from their toes rubbing together. Generally speaking, this is from shoes being too small, so check that as well. For long walks, you should have about the width of a finger between your toes and the end of the shoe/boot. While taping your toes, you may have to cut the tape in half width-wise since some of your toes are much shorter than the tape is wide. Only wrap once or twice around and ensure there are not bumps in the tape.

3. Tape around the middle of your foot and across your arch. Essentially, what is happening here is the bottom or side of the shoe is rubbing against your foot. Again, check the width of the shoe to make sure it fits properly. To tape the arch, you need to be careful because you don't want to restrict your movement. Point your toes and your foot up and gently tape around your foot, starting just behind the ball of your foot and working your way back to the heel. It should not be tight at all, and there should be no bumps or creases.

4. Place two pieces of tape next to each other on the bottom of your heel, starting at the Achilles tendon and going around toward the arch. Then add several bands of tape going around the bottom of the heel. Start on one side of the foot (right near where the ankle bone sticks out) and go around the bottom of the heel to the other side. Do this until you have covered the two pieces of tape you previously put down. For your Achilles tendon, do the same thing, just go high enough to cover the potential problems.

Tips & Warnings

• Find a friend to help you do this taping. Sometimes it can be difficult to tape your own feet, especially while flexing them. As mentioned, shoes are often the culprit, so once your current shoes are worn out, go to a good specialty store to get sized for the proper shoes for you.

References

• More Information on Preventing Blisters