Hiking is fun! From day trips to thru-hiking, it’s great to get outdoors and surround yourself in nature. But things get less fun, quickly, when hiking blisters plague your feet. They’re the likely injury you’ll have to contend with.
More than an insignificant annoyance, here’s why it’s important to prevent blisters hiking.
How common are hiking blisters anyway?
Let’s take a look at some research:
- 29% of long distance hikers in Vermont¹
- 48% during a 21km cross-country hike²
- 73% of Oxfam Trailwalker 100km participants in Sydney 2011³
- 74% of hikers in Spain who walked at least 20km in 5 days 7
- 95% of college students on a 580km road hike⁴
Wow, they’re some pretty scary numbers!
Let’s put this into perspective
Researchers⁵ have found that foot blisters were:
- Twice as common as acute joint pain
- 3 times as common as back pain
- 3 times as common as Achilles tendon pain
- 3 times as common as cramps
- 4 times as common as tendinitis
- 6 times more common than ankle sprains
Why you need to prevent blisters hiking
Foot blisters actually make you 50% more likely to experience an additional training-related injury!⁶ They make you change your walking style – because they’re painful and because you’re trying to make them not get worse.
Wrapping up
Foot blisters are so common they tend to not be taken seriously, even when they’re exceptionally painful and limiting. And from what these statistics show, hikers should be especially prepared! But they’re often not. In fact, an alarming number accept blisters as an inevitable part of their hike.
If you get a blister out hiking, do you know how to treat it… properly?
Check you know how to treat your blisters correctly on your next hike
References
- Gardner TB and Hill DR. 2002. Illness and injury among long-distance hikers on the long trail, Vermont. Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. 13: 131-134.
- Knapik JJ, Reynolds K and Barson J. 1998. Influence of an antiperspirant on foot blister incidence during cross-country hiking. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 39(2): 202-206.
- Oxfam Trailwalker, Sydney 2011
- Choi S-C, Min Y-G, Lee I-S, Youn G-H, Kang B-R, Jung Y-S, Cho J-P and Kim G-W. 2013. Injuries associated with the 580km university student grand voluntary road march: focus on foot injuries. Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Journal of Korean Medical Science. 28: 1814-1821.
- Boulware DR, Forgey WW, Martin WJ. 2003. Medical risks of wilderness hiking. American Journal of Medicine. 114(4): 288-293.
- Bush RA, Brodine SK and Shaffer RA. 2000. The association of blisters with musculoskeletal injuries in male marine recruits. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Vol 90 No 4: 194-198
- Chicharro-Luna E, Martínez-Nova A, Ortega-Ávila AB, Requena-Martínez A, Gijón-Noguerón G. Prevalence and risk factors associated with the formation of dermal lesions on the foot during hiking. J Tissue Viability. 2020;29(3):218-223. doi:10.1016/j.jtv.2020.04.002
Advanced Blister Kit
Advanced Blister Kit allows you to pack light while providing medical-grade blister protection. Give your blisters advanced first aid.
About The Author
Rebecca Rushton BSc(Pod)
Podiatrist, blister prone ex-hockey player, foot blister thought-leader, author and educator. Can’t cook. Loves test cricket.
Advanced Blister Kit
Advanced Blister Kit allows you to pack light while providing medical-grade blister protection. Give your blisters advanced first aid.
Thank thank you, Rebecca, for your very informative videos and information about blisters. I will be leaving for a elk hunt in the Rocky Mountains in the US a week from this Thursday. I am breaking in a new pair of hunting boots. While breaking them in I have experienced hotspots on my outside right foot and a blister on my heel. For hunting boots do you recommend the Engo heel patch or would it be better to find the Engo rectangular patch and cut it to fit?
Thanks Again,
Morgan Sharp
Hey Morgan :) Thanks for the extra detail on your phone message too.
I’d recommend the Rectangle ENGO Patches for boots when the irritation is at the back of the heel and upwards towards the achilles tendon. The rectangles just make it easier to know you’re covering the right area, compared to the Heel Patches. Witht he rectangles, I like to round the corners a little more than they already are so they’re more like a huge oval. That way, there’s less chance of creases.
For the hotspots on the outside of your foot, I’m not quite sure where these are (feel free to provide more info), but be sure to use the two-patch technique if they’re edge blisters. You use the large or small ovals for this: http://www.blister-prevention.com/edge-blister/