My teen has walked her foot into a state - hideous pic

[Makinganewthinghappen]

My 16 year old has been doing her duke of Edinburgh and has come home like this on one foot.

We bandaged it round last night but it’s weeping today!

I am in two minds whether it needs actual medical attention at this point but I am terrible at deciding these things!

What do people think - leave it or ask gp?

I suspect previous posters saying not to use compeed took them off too early ripping the new skin off. They are amazing if you do it properly and let them fall off themselves.

I can't believe people are suggesting you'd walk another 12 miles on that to get a bloody certificate! (And I realise it's only the practice so not even for a bloody certificate).

@Rainbowshit

I suspect previous posters saying not to use compeed took them off too early ripping the new skin off. They are amazing if you do it properly and let them fall off themselves.

This

@TheSockMonster

A bit of a generalisation here, but I know many people with autism prefer looser shoes and I wondered if she wasn’t lacing her boots tightly enough? Loose boots create blisters.

A specialist walking shop will be able to assess her feet and the boots and advise. A softer synthetic boot might be better for her.

Exactly what I was thinking but didn’t like to say. My son with ASD can get horrible blisters just going to and from school (2 miles) and it’s partly because he doesn’t like his shoes tied too tightly and partly because (at 15) he still struggles with tying laces. We are currently having some luck with Sketchers but it’s a hit or a miss.

Good luck to your daughter and I hope her foot heals soon.

It’s been hot and Perspiration really encourages blisters as the skin softens with the moisture. I’d look at the socks. Are they made of a wicking material? She also might need to change them part way through. Are they the correct size or have they ‘bunched’ up in one area? If she has flat feet does she need an orthotic insole in the shoe? Most people do get blisters from d of e, I guess it’s just a case of maybe telling her to put a blister plaster on at the first sign of a blister or checking her feet when she’s on a break if she doesn’t feel much pain. You can also buy a spray which leaves a protective layer on the feet.

I wear something like these now and fine them much less likely to give me blisters

I've done all three of my D of E, albeit it 20 years ago now.
I think , though it could have changed due to covid, that even practice hikes need to be completed. Check with the leaders that the car ride will still count.

Re the boots, as previous posters have said she needs liner socks as well as hiking socks.
Whilst you say she has had the boots a while, how much wearing in have they actually had. Blisters are usually as the boots are too new and haven't moulded to the wearers foot shape or if they are well worn in, or due to them being too loose and rubbing (also see pp on the sock bunching).
If you are planning on getting new boots, do not get some and then send her on a hike, she will need to wear them for many hours first otherwise chances are blisters will happen again.

You can get walking trainers but usually aren't advised for terrain where it's somewhat uneven as you could go over on the ankle easier.

or have the boots become stiff after getting wet

Absolutely don't let her walk 12 miles with a blister like that. Even with different shoes she'll be in a lot of pain!

Decathlon is good for walking boots. They split them into different categories based on how far you are walking.

As PP have said, it’s difficult to recommend boots as it’s very individual - I found my latest boots relatively quickly but it took 3-4 hours and 4 different shops for DP to find some that were good for him. Bloody tedious watching him try on hundreds of pairs but worth it in the end to get some that suited his massive, weird, bony feet.

See if you can get her to a decent camping/hiking shop, the shop assistants are usually really knowledgeable and will tell you what you need to be looking out for to find a good fit.

My son has blistered feet after his work experience where he was wearing his walking boots and on his feet all day.
His boots are OK but had cheap thin insoles which had crumpled around his toes.
He didn't wear thick socks just his normal school ones.
He won't tight lace his boots - in fact he had them so loose he could pull his foot out without undoing them.

Also of course he knows everything and Mum knows nothing.

We are addressing the week to come with Compeed, some decent gel-type insoles, proper thicker socks and hopefully improved lacing up.

If the boots are the right size, then insoles/socks plus wearing in may help - another pair of new boots may be just as bad.

Lots of people suggesting Compeed.
They aren't that great for everyone.
I use them to prevent blisters developing on places where I know I am vulnerable to them.
However, once a blister develops, especially if it bursts, Compeed is a nightmare for me. Everything ends up red and itchy and ends up far worse and looks a bit like your daughter's foot. (And no I didn't rip them off too early...)
I personally wouldn't put Compeed on that foot in the state it is in now. I would use Melolin dressings with Micropore tape to hold it on.

I do regular long-distance treks of around 3 weeks. It's very unpleasant having to walk on feet like that (though mine have never been as bad as that) so you came up with a good solution with the leaders to let her ride in the car.
The boots and sock combination are wrong. I don't think the boots look good enough for that distance. As someone else has suggested you should go into a hiking shop and ask for advice and have the boots properly fitted.
I don't wear hiking socks any more as they made my feet blister. I just wear ordinary black socks inside a fairly tight boot. Not going to link to the boots I have as they are more suitable for high alpine hiking and very expensive but they have a nice soft lining.

@Makinganewthinghappen

My 16 year old has been doing her duke of Edinburgh and has come home like this on one foot.

We bandaged it round last night but it’s weeping today!

I am in two minds whether it needs actual medical attention at this point but I am terrible at deciding these things!

What do people think - leave it or ask gp?

I ended up looking similar after a charity event! I think it'll be fine with a bit of rest.

Locally we have treatment rooms. That can do dressings. And if needed will swab the foot to check for infection. It might be worth checking if you have anything similar and booking an appointment- you dont need a GP referral.

Looks like the foot will need regular dressing for a while.

DD had peeling awful sight on soles of her feet after... bronze practice? One of the DoE events. It healed by itself. I recall it as much more awful looking than what OP is showing.

Just keep her off her feet and air the foot, that will heal on its own.

Always wear two pairs of socks on long walks to avoid blisters. The second pair absorbs friction from the shoe.

Poor kid :(

Compeed is great on unburst blisters, but not on burst. Let it dry out and heal.

Definitely look at new footwear - a decent outdoors shop will know how to fit them, and should have a small bridge or other sort of slope that you should walk up and down as part of the fitting. Also, on their websites, they often have guides on what to look out for when fitting.

Try different brands, as some will suit different footshapes better than others. Also, if you can, try to shop for them in the afternoon, as feet are likely to be a bit bigger than first thing (they swell a bit in the day, or a lot on hot days for some people.)

Wear them in as much as possible - I used to wear mine round the house and to the shops before going on an actual walk, and then I built up from short walks to longer ones. Also, used to use surgical spirit to help harden the feet up, but definitely make sure the blister has healed first, else the pain will be bad! Socks are important - I'm another who used thin silk socks, then thick walking socks. It's worth getting really good socks - walking socks come with extra padding in the areas most likely to rub, and you can expect to spend £10-£20 on a good brand. But again, the best style/brand/yarn might depend on your foot.

Look after your feet - they're about the most important body part for a DofE expedition. It's worth spending money on good footwear, though that doesn't automatically mean the most expensive boots are the best.

Hydrocolloid dressings are perfectly fine for an open blister and wet healing means less itching as it heals.

My feet look like this a lot, but then I'm a fell runner
I would honestly have no issue with letting her go on and do the walk, but with the suggestions made by other pps so she's not in much pain. In future, softer shoes may be much better than walking boots. And some people swear by twinskin socks.

I got my half marathon PB with one foot in this state, and it never occurred to me not to run. I think those of us who regularly do long distance endurance exercise have a different concept of "normal"!

And tbh those walking boots look awful, so I'm not too surprised at the state of her feet.
I do long distance stuff a lot, and find you can't go wrong with inov8 fell/trail shoes. But if you want something sturdier, honestly the Decathlon mid range ones (the £35 ones) are brilliant, and much comfier than the traditional sturdy boots.

Apart from the other suggestions (ie, not Hi Tec cheap boots, get a size larger than usual to allow for swelling and proper anti blister socks), if she's got flat feet, she really needs insoles, as part of the issue could be movement from her foot collapsing sideways and putting pressure on the wrong rough bits of the cheap footwear.

To get seen quickly, a private Podiatrist appointment will make it possible for her to have appropriate insoles, they'll encourage her to accept that discomfort is important to take notice of before it becomes pain or an injury (sometimes you need an 'expert' to tell people things, rather than just Mum) and then, after a period of gradually increasing the time of wearing the orthotics/insoles to gradually get used to them, her weight will be properly distributed over her feet and the mechanics of walking will be improved to the extent that blisters or other injuries are far less likely.

To give an example, whilst my actual shoe size is under a 6, I have a size 8 in running shoes and a particularly wide toebox, as that allows space for my foot to spread under load/swell after a long time on them and my orthotics to fit in. I've not had any blisters, redness or soreness since I sized up, but beforehand, I would regularly cover sections of my feet with dressings knowing that they would be rubbed sore fairly quickly and red raw if I got wet feet and had to keep on going.

If you can't stretch to Podiatry, I'd suggest that you take DD to a specialist running shop where they can measure her feet, make recommendations for trail or fell running shoes and possibly gait analysis where they can show her/you what needs to be corrected or allowed for.

When she does need to do the main walk, I'd also suggest that she prepares for it by putting white adhesive dressings over her foot beforehand - the giant white plaster style are really good for providing a protective surface and stay put until they need to come off again - and include the sides of her little toes and possibly the ball of her foot as well. It may seem like overkill, but it's so important to pay attention when there's something wrong immediately, rather than wait until there are giant sores or socks filled with blood.

For next time...two pairs of socks and put Vaseline on feet first. It really works.