05 April 2012

Blister Care

What do you do when you get a blister?

When I used to row, I got blisters at every seasonal transition. In the spring when we went back out on the water after a winter of land training, the oar shredded my hands that were no longer appropriately callused. When summer's humidity kicked in...a new set of blisters appeared. As we headed back indoors in the late fall and winter, more time on the rowing machines meant different blisters and different calluses.

People often wonder why rowers don't wear gloves. Maybe rowers do nowadays, but back when I was rowing we never wore gloves. You lose your feel for the oar. And rowing is all about feel. Rowing with a hand covered with blisters is near impossible. You have to "take care" of them. The proper technique is necessary to avoid ripping or infection. If a blister rips, it is then an open wound. It is excruciating to put any pressure on an open wound. Sitting out practice time means your boat is without you. Going without you for too long necessitates replacement. Minimizing (or avoiding) time out of the boat was of tantamount concern.

I'm sharing with you the blister-popping method that I learned back in the day. I got the blister in question on Tuesday, popped it Wednesday, ellipticalled on it Wednesday night and ran on it this morning. This method is highly effective. Watch and learn :)



Addendum:  the additional peroxide use is somewhat overkill. Either peroxide or alcohol will work well.

Additional addendum:  cover with a bandaid to protect it from dirt for a few days.

Remember... happy feet = happy runners :)

13 comments:

  1. I was expecting all gooey eruptions on the video, and it's says it's private. Colour me disappointed. I generally don't think much about blisters. Usually by the time I see them it's way too late to do anything about them.

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    Replies
    1. Dang that private situation! I think I've fixed that now!

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    2. Flat! Popped! Clean! Though oozed would be a better word than popped, I suppose. I like watching the froth when using peroxide to clean wounds.

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  2. John Vonhof, the foot guru, suggests using a scalpel to make a larger hole so the blister doesn't refill, kind of fun.

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  3. Nice instruction:) I used to have a dog with diabetes so if I got a blister, I would use one of her (new) syringes and suck out all the blister water. Luckily I don't get them very often.

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  4. I only seem to notice them after I keep running and get a stabbing pain, you know, after it pops itself.

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  5. Would you believe I just watched this at the dinneer table waiting for husband to come home with. Our Chinese food? Knowing full well what it was a video of!

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  6. I love a good blister popping. It's almost as good as zit popping and sunburn peeling.

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  7. I have such nasty tough feet that I don't even notice blisters. They aren't painful because my skin is so thick.

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  8. I don't often get a blister but when I do, I MUST pop it. The nurse at the school I worked at was adamant that you didn't, but we all just ignored her.

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  9. I'm sorry my dear, I hate feet! I just couldn't bring myself to watch...now if you were popping a zit, I'd be hitting the replay button a few times in a row!

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  10. We have the latest technology solution to produce Purified Water and WFI water strictly according to GMP requirements, blister packing machine and we can undertake the installation and commissioning on site of the customer, even execute a turn-key project of pharmaceutical plant construction. We can optimize or upgrade the existed facilities like EMS/BMS, DTS, Capsule filling machine RABS etc., by profound cooperating with the world class famous brands like Emerson USA, PBS,M+W Zander etc.

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