how can you get rid of blisters... fast?

[AlphaCharlie]

The past weekend we did a 1hr 15min long ruck march (not terribly long, but still far none-the-less) and my ruck wasn‘t balanced super well so I have some pretty mean blisters on my heel. i‘m a bit gimped, but we‘re going to aldershot next weekend and I don‘t want to have blisters in the field... so how can you get rid of fairly bad blisters in 5 days?

I have some epsom salt... i‘ve heard if you soak your feet in it every day for a week they get nice and tough? I also have some bandages but the last thing I want is to get a blad blister in the field.

Also, i‘m going to an orthopedic clinic on friday.. will having fitted insoles make a big difference?

thanks.

 

[Padraig OCinnead]

Friars Balsam has been used by many troops while on the Nijmegen marches and they were able to complete the following days march.

Administering it is the tricky part. It can do some good if applied directly onto the blister but we found that if squirted directly into the blister it worked fastest but with most discomfort in the short term. Perhaps 15-30 minutes then the pain goes away. By the next morning you‘re good to go. Get a buddy to do it for you cause you‘ll lose your nerve by the second blister.

All advice is non-professional since I am but a RadOp.

Slainte,

Goodluck

 

[fusilier955]

What I personally do is just try to keep my feet as dry as possible in the days following the formation of a blister, that way it will tend to dry up the liquid inside the blister faster. I dont recomend poping them, that just causes (at least for me) the seperated first layer to come off in chunks and expose the tender layers underneath. I find using bandages traps moisture and the blister heals slower, and when you are in the feild change your socks alot to keep them dry, and use the foot powder you can get through the system.

 

[AlphaCharlie]

Foot powder? I have a bottle of Gold Bond powder... would that work?

Also, are blisters formed due to moisture or friction in the boot?

 

[GrahamD]

I posted somewhere on here before about band aid brand blister bandages.

They work extremely well at covering and protecting blisters. They stay on really well in most situations (I‘ve found) except for swimming. The only that fell off on me was while I was swimming the other day. They seem to say on quite well in the shower though.

 

[AlphaCharlie]

Originally posted by GrahamD:
[qb] I posted somewhere on here before about band aid brand blister bandages.

They work extremely well at covering and protecting blisters. They stay on really well in most situations (I‘ve found) except for swimming. The only that fell off on me was while I was swimming the other day. They seem to say on quite well in the shower though. [/qb]

Thanks. My mom bought some Elastoplat things, but i‘ll look for the blister specific ones.

 

[GhostRecce]

blisters can be caused by both, friction and moisture. just keep ur feet dry and i‘d imagine since your doing your BMQ you have new boots which doesn‘t help since there not broken in

but other than that sounds like ur having fun heh

 

[combat_medic]

Padraig OCinnead is right about the Friars Balsam (aka Compound Benzoin Tincture). It works, but has got to be one of the most painful substances known to man. When injected into a blister that has been drained, it will help the skin dry out the blister and settle down to normal. But, applying that stuff on an open wound will hurt like the end of the world... mostly because the stuff has a high content of alcohol. I‘ve seen grown men cry like babies when they‘ve had that stuff put on them.

As for prevention, lots of foot powder, good insoles, and a good polypropylene liner sock right against your feet will do wonders!

 

[AlphaCharlie]

Originally posted by combat_medic:
[qb]
As for prevention, lots of foot powder, good insoles, and a good polypropylene liner sock right against your feet will do wonders! [/qb]

Can you explain these poly-whachawhoosit socks?

 

[Ex Ranger Instructor]

They are liner socks designed to wick moisture away from your feet so as to prevent the blisters caused by moisture. They seem to work well for most people. I have found that they cause more problems than they solve, due to the fact that they are slippery, and they cause my feet to move around inside my boots, thereby causing friction blisters. That‘s just me though, and the polypro liners seem to work for everyone else.

 

[combat_medic]

Go to the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Halifax:

1550 Granville St, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1Z7 (between Blowers St and Sackville St)

And ask for these: Liner Socks

Polypropylene (pronounced paw-lee-pro-pill-een) will help to draw moisture away from your feet and into your outer sock. This will keep your feet dry. In addition, they have a very smooth surface which will reduce the friciton inside your boots. Both of these properties will reduce blistering.

By using these socks, plus some foot powder, insoles and common sense, I‘ve never had a blister in my 5+ years in *touch wood*.

 

[alan_li_13]

What‘s Friar‘s Balsam? Is that some kind of home remedy or something i can get at the shoppers drug mart?

 

[combat_medic]

Friar‘s Balsam is not something that‘s extremely common. Your pharmacy might have some, but if they don‘t, you could speak to the pharmacist who might be able to order some for you. NOTE; I am not advising you use this, especially if you‘re just a cadet. I can‘t emphasize enough that stuff is CRAZY painful, and I wouldn‘t recommend it for someone unless they‘re either

a) tough as nails
b) stupid as heck
or
c) going to be marching a LONG time without stopping, without much rest and without the possibility of seeing medical help. Something like Nijmegen or Cambrian or SAS selection comes to mind.

 

[alan_li_13]

Lol, i see.

I‘m none of the three. Its just that my feet blister easily too.

 

[Armymedic]

You can‘t get rid of them

first off: prevention, but its too late for that now...

second: keep the baby skin covered with the elastoplast tape (round the edges, no corners), soak with epsoms salts 30 min a day in the evening, and find a set of sock that work. The combinations are endless, but I do know that if your boots aren‘t broken in or you sock slip, then youre getting blisters.

The Friars balsam is good for immediate relief and recovery for marching the next day, but after a day or so its too late. Also as Cbt medic explained I wouldn‘t give friars balsam to my worst enemy unless they specifically request it because it is (trust me I have tried it) peel-you-off-the-ceiling painful.

 

[AlphaCharlie]

Originally posted by combat_medic:
[qb] Go to the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Halifax:

1550 Granville St, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1Z7 (between Blowers St and Sackville St)

And ask for these: Liner Socks

Polypropylene (pronounced paw-lee-pro-pill-een) will help to draw moisture away from your feet and into your outer sock. This will keep your feet dry. In addition, they have a very smooth surface which will reduce the friciton inside your boots. Both of these properties will reduce blistering.

By using these socks, plus some foot powder, insoles and common sense, I‘ve never had a blister in my 5+ years in *touch wood*. [/qb]

So if I wore these socks and then my issue wool socks over it would I be set to go?

 

[combat_medic]

AlphaCharlie: Well, your feet will probably still hurt from the previous blisters, but basic prevention will certainly make your life a lot easier, and make it harder to get them back. The socks will help you a lot.

Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Marauder]

Just drive through the pain. If the worst pain you have is from blisters on your dogs, you‘ll survive.

 

[Infanteer]

Just drive through the pain. If the worst pain you have is from blisters on your dogs, you‘ll survive

Ask Gate-Gaurd about that; I watched half of his foot come off in his boot, but he made the march....

FIDO

 

[spenco]

These are on the clothe the soldier website, the army version of the liner socks. Why would you have to buy them on you‘re own? Don‘t you get issued these?

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/Chief_Land_Staff/Clothe_the_soldier/hab/2/2621_e.asp