Blister Care

Blister Care

* Always consult a medical professional for any type of illness or injury.

We are not medical professionals and offer our opinions as "veterans" of the sport only.

Medical professionals are the best at assessing the extent and proper treatment of wounds. If in doubt, get medical care.

Blisters form as a result of heat, moisture and friction. Skaters who are new to the sport typically develop blisters because they are not used to wearing speed skates. Sometimes they can occur with "seasoned" skaters if their boots are too small or if they sweat a lot.

Unless there is an infection, skaters should be able to continue skating if they have blisters. This, of course, is a personal decision, but if you look at the champions, they have developed ways to treat their blisters and continue skating... the choice is yours. Personally, I don't let blisters dictate my training schedule... I treat them and continue training.

How To Treat Blisters

You've just finished practice and you realize you have blisters... here's what you can do: Blisters should be drained leaving the cover of the blister in tact. Clean the blister with peroxide then apply an antibiotic such as Neosporin. The area should be protected with a non-stick bandage with mild compression. Ice to "hot spots" can be soothing and reduce the thermal damage to the surrounding area. If you work or go to school, you may want to wear 2 pairs of socks to ease the pain when walking. In the evening, you should pull the dressings and sleep with the blisters exposed to the air so they will dry out.

You're getting ready to skate but you still have blisters that are sore... here's what you can do. I would suggest putting a band aid (purchase a band aid that sticks well when wet) over the blister, wrapping the area tight with sports tape, wearing a very thin sock and using powder in your boot to help reduce the friction.

To prevent blisters... wear a form-fitting boot. If you must wear a stock boot, do your best to mold the boot to your foot. Even then, each time before I skated I would wrap the "hot spots" (areas you generally get blisters) with sports tape, wear a pair of thin athletic socks, powder the inside of my boot and keep the boot as tight as possible without interfering with my circulation.

If the area around the blister begins to swell or get red, you may have an infection. You should stop skating and treat the area and allow it to completely heal before skating again. I'm sure there are many other opinions on how to take care of your blisters... these have worked best for me.

Coach Steve