Runner’s aid, new way to prevent blisters from forming

Runners are notorious for spending huge amount of money in pursuit of their fitness hobby, but new research is showing there is a way to prevent the runners’ nemesis, namely the blisters that form when the shoes rub against the skin.

A story in the New York Times says Dr. Grant S. Lipman, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, was the leader of a study that found the use of inexpensive paper tape, found in almost every drug store and a staple of first aid kits, can help long distance runners ward off the painful blisters.

Blisters form when something is rubbing against the outer layer of the skin, causing friction and resulting in the layers of skin separating.  If the friction continues, fluid forms between the layers and that causes the blister, which almost everyone has experienced at some point in time.

Active people, particularly runners, have tried all types of methods to prevent blisters from forming, from using lotion, petroleum jelly, and specialized patches on the feet, but nothing seemed to work efficiently.

Dr. Lipman said he had heard anecdotal evidence from marathon runners about wrapping paper tape around the foot to prevent blisters, but he wanted to build a scientific case to support the theory.  He sought out runners in a 2014 ultra-marathon, in which runners trekked across parts of Jordan, Madagascar and the Gobi and Atacama deserts, and asked them if they would consider using the tape as part of his research.

Almost 130 accepted his request, including men and women.  Dr. Lipman’s team wrapped the areas of the runners’ feet where they were most prone to blister, and used the unwrapped part as a control for the test.

After 200 miles and six stages of the run, almost all runners had at least one blister, and the overwhelming majority had occurred on the unwrapped parts of the foot.  The researchers concluded the tape had reduced the number of blisters occurring by 40 percent.

The tape was now without issues of its own, however, as it needed to be reapplied quite often, which required the runners to remove their shoes and re-wrap, before continuing the race.  Still may runners said they would continue to use the tape as a tool for preventing blisters in other races, according to Dr. Lipman.

The findings from the research were published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.