Severe heel / Achilles blisters

ghostchips

Hi everyone,
I've been hillwalking / hiking for a few years now and have been using a pair of Meindl's for the past 2ish years. I'm female btw. I find them excellent for ankle support, waterproof, general comfort, etc when I do my usual 4-6 hour walks but anything longer, especially uphill, and I get bad heel / achilles blisters. I'm sitting here now after doing 9 hours of tough hillwalking yesterday and both heels are red raw and weeping. Absolute agony :eek: And unfortunately, not for the first time. I wear Bridgedale socks, which I've never had a problem with, so don't think it's them. I've tried using those Compeed heel blister plasters, with mixed success. Taking them off can be agony with already tender, rubbed skin.
It's frustrating as hell. I love these long, tough walks but I'll be out of action now for a week at least whilst friends I walked with yesterday will be good to go again tomorrow.
Some have suggested putting lots of Vaseline on my heels before setting off (haven't tried this yet!), others have said my boots might not suit me (could have Salomon-shaped feet instead), maybe I'm just prone to blisters and that's that.
Has anyone overcome this issue? I'd have no problem whatsoever forking out a lot of money for better-suited boots if it came to it.
Can anyone recommend a particular brand? I'd like to stick to a leather pair, and I need a stiff sole for the type of rough terrain I walk in. My current Meindl's felt perfect when I tried them on before buying so I'm worried I could encounter the same problem again buying new boots. I had a 40 euro pair of boots for years prior to this, which gave me no problem walking 7-8 hours a day for 5 or 6 days straight!
Any help / advice most welcome - thanks!

stampydmonkey

Did you ever try 1000mile socks or similar? Using them for years mountain running and never get blisters.

Might be worth a shot

Alun

My wife bought a pair of Meindl boots about a year ago, after years of wearing a different brand, Hanwag. She had very similar problems as you did, and we suspect it was all down to the excessive amount of foam padding around the heel / achilles area. We happened to be in the UK at a high end boot retailer buying a pair of Alt Berg boots for myself, and she asked if they'd take a look at them for her while we were there (I had a full afternoon boot fitting appointment!). They put a lot of work into steam stretching the area around the heel for her, squishing the foam in that area as well creating more room in the heel area, and thankfully the problem is now a thing of the past.

One thing they did mention is that some manufacturers' ladies boots seem to be made to fit, shall we say, more "ladylike" feet than many female hillwalkers have, and that if the size you want is actually available in the mens' sizes, to go for them instead.

I don't know if any of the shops here do custom boot stretching/fitting but it might be worth a try.

P.S. I noticed you mentioned Salomon ... I know personally of at least two people, both women, who've had some serious achilles problems with Salomon boots, for the same reason, very tight foam achilles support.

Elvisjuice

Alun wrote: »

My wife bought a pair of Meindl boots about a year ago, after years of wearing a different brand, Hanwag. She had very similar problems as you did, and we suspect it was all down to the excessive amount of foam padding around the heel / achilles area. We happened to be in the UK at a high end boot retailer buying a pair of Alt Berg boots for myself, and she asked if they'd take a look at them for her while we were there (I had a full afternoon boot fitting appointment!). They put a lot of work into steam stretching the area around the heel for her, squishing the foam in that area as well creating more room in the heel area, and thankfully the problem is now a thing of the past.

One thing they did mention is that some manufacturers' ladies boots seem to be made to fit, shall we say, more "ladylike" feet than many female hillwalkers have, and that if the size you want is actually available in the mens' sizes, to go for them instead.

I don't know if any of the shops here do custom boot stretching/fitting but it might be worth a try.

P.S. I noticed you mentioned Salomon ... I know personally of at least two people, both women, who've had some serious achilles problems with Salomon boots, for the same reason, very tight foam achilles support.

yep heel on Salomon's is very tight , what alt-bergs did you purchase ?

Alun

Elvisjuice wrote: »

yep heel on Salomon's is very tight , what alt-bergs did you purchase ?

I was originally planning on getting the Tethera, but in the end got the Nordkapp instead. It's made on a slightly different last to the Tethera which apparently suited my foot shape better. Very much recommended, but there's nowhere in Ireland you can get them so it means a trip over to the UK. Luckily we were on a week's walking holiday in the Yorkshire Dales, and there's an Alt Berg premier retailer, Whalley Warm and Dry not too far away which gave me the chance to get them, do a few days walking and take them back fro a few final tweaks before returning home. They pretty much do boots and not much else apart from Paramo clothing.

http://www.whalleyoutdoor.co.uk/boot-fitting-service/

One small suggestion, tie a simple over under knot in the laces where they go from the top of the sole into the ankle support and pull that tight before lacing up the rest, locks the heel in a little more. Maybe try some insole as well, to fill out that area a bit more and reduce any movement.

Esel

[Deleted User] wrote: »

One small suggestion, tie a simple over under knot in the laces where they go from the top of the sole into the ankle support and pull that tight before lacing up the rest, locks the heel in a little more. Maybe try some insole as well, to fill out that area a bit more and reduce any movement.

A better way is to loop the laces tightly around the last hook on the 'shoe' section by going in from the top of the hook and out the bottom. I was told years ago that this was how they were designed to be laced.

It really achieves a snug fit and allows the upper ankle section to be tensioned independently of the foot section.

CardinalJ

Sounds like your heel is moving around too much as said. Have a look at this.

Neady83

Hi ghostchips, plus one to tying your boots the way the posters above have suggested, it restricts movement in the heel.

I'm also female and wear meindls, they're a great boot but I have the same problem as you with blisters. I've tried everything and am reluctant to chance from Meindls as I've never been wet or cold in them.

The solution I've come up with is to put two compeed heel plasters on each heel before a long hike (covering the thin skin), I tape them on with KT tape. The plasters are expensive but you can buy packs of 30 or 40 on ebay for about €10. You can get packs of KT tape in Aldi every now and then. The KT tape keeps the compeed in place and it comes off easily after a shower. I haven't had a blister since I started doing this.

blackvalley

Neady83 wrote: »

Hi ghostchips, plus one to tying your boots the way the posters above have suggested, it restricts movement in the heel.

I'm also female and wear meindls, they're a great boot but I have the same problem as you with blisters. I've tried everything and am reluctant to chance from Meindls as I've never been wet or cold in them.

The solution I've come up with is to put two compeed heel plasters on each heel before a long hike (covering the thin skin), I tape them on with KT tape. The plasters are expensive but you can buy packs of 30 or 40 on ebay for about €10. You can get packs of KT tape in Aldi every now and then. The KT tape keeps the compeed in place and it comes off easily after a shower. I haven't had a blister since I started doing this.

Very good advice .Even the KT tape alone will help .As will common or garden silver duct tape . ( try a small patch first in case you are allergic )
The OP mentions severe pain while removing compeed plasters !. In my experience i would NEVER remove a plaster from an existing blister but simply leave it in place until the blister heals and plaster falls off .
Best of luck.:)

ghostchips

Thanks to everyone for your replies, some great suggestions there. Those youtube videos on lacing up your boots to help prevent blisters are particularly interesting.
Like you, Neady83, I'm reluctant to move away from the Meindl brand because they're such a great sturdy waterproof boot. I suspect I'm just prone to these horrible blisters and need to really focus on prevention in future. I get small "normal" blisters on my toes after very long walks but they never bother me, it's these angry weepy deroofed ones on my heels / achilles that I need to prevent happening again. I've been reading a lot about different prevention methods - 2 pairs of socks, use of Vaseline, lacing boots up differently, taping / strapping before setting off, using lamb's wool, etc. so I suppose it's just a case of seeing what works best for me.
Thanks again for your help

ThisRegard

You say you're reluctant to move away, but if you're getting what you call 'normal' blisters after a long walk, and your heel/achilles issues, maybe you should start thinking about something else? Sometimes certain shoes, which may be great for others, just don't work for you and cause the issues you're getting.

EndaHonesty

ghostchips wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I've been hillwalking / hiking for a few years now and have been using a pair of Meindl's for the past 2ish years. I'm female btw. I find them excellent for ankle support, waterproof, general comfort, etc when I do my usual 4-6 hour walks but anything longer, especially uphill, and I get bad heel / achilles blisters. I'm sitting here now after doing 9 hours of tough hillwalking yesterday and both heels are red raw and weeping. Absolute agony :eek: And unfortunately, not for the first time. I wear Bridgedale socks, which I've never had a problem with, so don't think it's them. I've tried using those Compeed heel blister plasters, with mixed success. Taking them off can be agony with already tender, rubbed skin.
It's frustrating as hell. I love these long, tough walks but I'll be out of action now for a week at least whilst friends I walked with yesterday will be good to go again tomorrow.
Some have suggested putting lots of Vaseline on my heels before setting off (haven't tried this yet!), others have said my boots might not suit me (could have Salomon-shaped feet instead), maybe I'm just prone to blisters and that's that.
Has anyone overcome this issue? I'd have no problem whatsoever forking out a lot of money for better-suited boots if it came to it.
Can anyone recommend a particular brand? I'd like to stick to a leather pair, and I need a stiff sole for the type of rough terrain I walk in. My current Meindl's felt perfect when I tried them on before buying so I'm worried I could encounter the same problem again buying new boots. I had a 40 euro pair of boots for years prior to this, which gave me no problem walking 7-8 hours a day for 5 or 6 days straight!
Any help / advice most welcome - thanks!

The simplest way of preventing blisters is 2 pairs of good quality walking socks.

I used to get blisters on long walks too, I tried all the tapes, plasters, lubes & lacing techniques but nothing really worked.
I now use 2 pairs of Bridgedale socks and that has fixed the problem for me.

Lex Luthor

We would put duct tape on the players heels if they came to matches with new boots that hadn't been broken in

Its excellent for preventing blisters as it keeps the skin together and takes the wear of the shoe/boot against it

Cheaper than any plasters....try it...!!!