Foot Care Basics For Hiking And Backpacking
Posted by Dr Maasi J Smith at 5/31/2010 1:00 PM 
Categories: Sports Foot Health, General Foot Health
Tags: mybadfeet feet hiking foot pain Dr Maasi J Smith arch pain hikers foot pain
Categories: Sports Foot Health, General Foot Health
Tags: mybadfeet feet hiking foot pain Dr Maasi J Smith arch pain hikers foot pain
Hiking is a very enjoyable activity, but tough on your feet. Over long distances, you put a tremendous amount of stress on the joints and muscles in your feet. Proper foot care helps to reduce the effects of this stress, which can leads to a range of foot disorders.
The most common problems that plague hikers’ feet are blisters, ingrown toenails, calluses and plantar fasciitis. To get the most out of your hiking experience, you’ve got to make sure your feet are strong and healthy. These foot care tips from MyBadFeet.com will protect your feet during your next hiking adventure.
7 Basic Foot Care Tips for Hikers and Backpackers
1. Apply a good lubricant on your feet before you go hiking.
The very best are full of healing ingredients such as silicone, antifriction polymers, and pain-relieving benzocaine. Rubbing on a lubricant keeps your feet safe from problems that can arise from friction such as blisters and callouses.
2. Dust on powder.
It’s a good alternative to lubricants. Powders are really good at absorbing moisture from the skin surface of your feet to reduce friction between them and your socks. Dry skin is more resistant to blister formation than moist skin.
3. Wear properly fitting footwear.
This is an important foot care basic, although many of us ignore it. Proper-fitting shoes should have a roomy toe box, a good outer sole, a good heel counter (the back of the shoe around your heel), and a quality insole. These features keep your feet in the proper posture, and improves your comfort when you’re hiking.
4. Wear skin tougheners.
Skin tougheners - such as tincture of benzoin - work in three ways to benefit hikers and backpackers: They dry out, toughen, and protect the skin of your feet. Toughening the skin of your feet conditions them for the stress of hiking. (By the way, walking or running barefoot also toughens the outer layer of your feet too.)
5. Tape your feet.
Taping is another effective way to reduce friction between your feet and socks. There are some specific ways to tape toes, heals, balls and bottoms of the feet, which you can learn about at MyBadFeet.com. If you develop a reaction to a particular tape, try another brand.
6. Change socks frequently.
Take a few minutes along your route to switch to clean socks to keep your feet as dry as possible. Wearing the same socks for a long time makes your feet sweat excessively. Also, constant sweating softens the skin of your feet, making them more prone to blisters. Keep blisters away with a quick sock change.
7. Drink enough water.
Swollen feet are common problems during long-distance hiking. Your feet sweat excessively during this time, so it’s important that you drink lots of water. This will help your feet to retain the level of water in the skin cells that they need when you’re hiking.
8. Adjust your shoelaces.
This is one of the easiest foot care strategies you can use to be more comfortable when you’re hiking. Loosening your shoelaces helps to relieve frictional pressure over your instep.
Use these foot care tips to protect your feet when you go hiking or backpacking to make your outdoor adventures even more enjoyable than before.
The most common problems that plague hikers’ feet are blisters, ingrown toenails, calluses and plantar fasciitis. To get the most out of your hiking experience, you’ve got to make sure your feet are strong and healthy. These foot care tips from MyBadFeet.com will protect your feet during your next hiking adventure.
7 Basic Foot Care Tips for Hikers and Backpackers
1. Apply a good lubricant on your feet before you go hiking.
The very best are full of healing ingredients such as silicone, antifriction polymers, and pain-relieving benzocaine. Rubbing on a lubricant keeps your feet safe from problems that can arise from friction such as blisters and callouses.
2. Dust on powder.
It’s a good alternative to lubricants. Powders are really good at absorbing moisture from the skin surface of your feet to reduce friction between them and your socks. Dry skin is more resistant to blister formation than moist skin.
3. Wear properly fitting footwear.
This is an important foot care basic, although many of us ignore it. Proper-fitting shoes should have a roomy toe box, a good outer sole, a good heel counter (the back of the shoe around your heel), and a quality insole. These features keep your feet in the proper posture, and improves your comfort when you’re hiking.
4. Wear skin tougheners.
Skin tougheners - such as tincture of benzoin - work in three ways to benefit hikers and backpackers: They dry out, toughen, and protect the skin of your feet. Toughening the skin of your feet conditions them for the stress of hiking. (By the way, walking or running barefoot also toughens the outer layer of your feet too.)
5. Tape your feet.
Taping is another effective way to reduce friction between your feet and socks. There are some specific ways to tape toes, heals, balls and bottoms of the feet, which you can learn about at MyBadFeet.com. If you develop a reaction to a particular tape, try another brand.
6. Change socks frequently.
Take a few minutes along your route to switch to clean socks to keep your feet as dry as possible. Wearing the same socks for a long time makes your feet sweat excessively. Also, constant sweating softens the skin of your feet, making them more prone to blisters. Keep blisters away with a quick sock change.
7. Drink enough water.
Swollen feet are common problems during long-distance hiking. Your feet sweat excessively during this time, so it’s important that you drink lots of water. This will help your feet to retain the level of water in the skin cells that they need when you’re hiking.
8. Adjust your shoelaces.
This is one of the easiest foot care strategies you can use to be more comfortable when you’re hiking. Loosening your shoelaces helps to relieve frictional pressure over your instep.
Use these foot care tips to protect your feet when you go hiking or backpacking to make your outdoor adventures even more enjoyable than before.
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