DermHelpCentral

Paper Tape Can Prevent friction Blisters

I learned this 40 years ago on Kauai from the, then, track coach, David "Duke" Wellington.  It took a scientific study to prove what athletes and coaches have known for decades!!

Almost everyone who regularly trains or competes in any sport has experienced blisters. A new study* provides the first reliable, field-tested evidence about how to prevent blisters during prolonged exercise. It found that the tape had reduced the incidence of blisters by at least 40 percent.

he process is simple. Cut or tear a single narrow strip of the paper tape and wrap it over whichever part of your foot has been prone to blisters. For most people, the toes and ankle are the spots most vulnerable to blisters.  NY Times Article.

*Paper Tape Prevents Foot Blisters: A Randomized Prevention Trial Assessing Paper Tape in Endurance Distances II (Pre-TAPED II).
Lipman GS, Clin J Sport Med. 2016 Apr 11.
Abstract
RESULTS: One hundred six (83%) participants developed 117 blisters, with treatment success in 98 (77%) runners. Paper tape reduced blisters by 40% (P < 0.01, 95% confidence interval, 28-52) with a number needed to treat of 1.31. Most of the study participants had 1 blister (78%), with most common locations on the toes (n = 58, 50%) and heel (n = 27, 23%), with 94 (80%) blisters occurring by the end of stage 2. Treatment success was associated with earlier stages [odds ratio (OR), 74.9, P < 0.01] and time spent running (OR, 0.66, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Paper tape was found to prevent both the incidence and frequency of foot blisters in runners.

Infections and the Gym

by Jane Brody, NY Times, August 3, 2010

"When you go to the gym, do you wash your hands before and after using the equipment? Bring your own regularly cleaned mat for floor exercises? Shower with antibacterial soap and put on clean clothes immediately after your workout? Use only your own towels, razors, bar soap, water bottles?"

In these days when so many of us exercise in gyms outside of our homes there is risk of acquiring skin infections. Jane Brody's column "Be Sure Exercise Is All You Get at the Gym" is well-worth reading as it gives good advice on how to avoid many of these problems.