This thread is mostly so I can put up a few pictures for Roger Caffin regarding a blister problem I had. But all are welcome to post on the subject!


Sorry for the terrible photos. I couldn't find my camera/computer cord, so we get cell phone pictures! Roger, the black circle is where the blister was on my right foot. The mark is about the same size and shape of the actual blister. The left foot was a mirror image of this.

Edited by T.L. on 02/24/2010 17:54:05 MST.

Hi Travis

Yeah, cell phone images, but no matter. Enough to see.

What I can see is the insole with a solid edge right around the heel region. The heel of the insole doesn't look very wide, but your heels do look wide to me.

I would say that the heavy edge on the insole right where you get the blister is responsible. That's not a smooth feathered edge which is going to blend in nicely to the rest of the shoe - it's a solid lumpy edge. Been there, felt that.

If I am wrong, and the edge really is smooth to the wall, then a bit strange how they look. I've been wrong plenty of times before! :-)

Are these the original insoles, or some after-market ones? I ask, because I don't often see original insoles which have such a lumpy edge. They are generally smoother. But after-market stuff is often poorly matched to the shoes.

Biased, bigoted and whatever opinion follows (I am good at those). Why would the shoe manufacturer spend all that effort in making the shoe only to ship it with a crappy insole? Would you do this? It makes no sense to me. By and large, I find after-market insoles are no better, and are sometimes worse, than what is supplied with the shoe. Worse, because they don't fit the shoe properly.

That does NOT mean that some people might not get a benefit from a genuine orthotic insole designed and fitted by a podiatrist. Those are a different case. What it means is that the mass-market stuff is just a wallet exercise by the vendors, imho.

Ok, what to do? If these are after-market insoles and you have the originals, swap them back, and test. If they are the originals - change shoe brands.

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 02/24/2010 22:38:00 MST.

Thanks for the insight Roger.

Yes, they are the original New Balance insoles. They're not terribly "lumpy" as it may seem in the picture, but the lip of the insole does not create a "seamless" transition to the shoe wall. There is a bit of a, well, lip.

This is helpful, since I know what to look for when buying shoes! That and buying at least a half size up.

Hi Travis

> hey are the original New Balance insoles
Now that is really weird! I have never had that problem with NB shoes myself. What model?

You could play games with fitting other insoles from other shoes, to see whether any of them have a smooth edge. If that works, then you could maybe play games with a very sharp razor blade ...

One word of caution. A lump is not good. But an inner sole which is too narrow is equally bad. You don't want a groove around the edge from a too-narrow heel.

Cheers

Do some trail runs in them. The lighter side of blisters is that if you leave the skin there, they become hard and turn into calluses. Once you've got super-thick skin on your heel youre all set!

Roger: "a genuine orthotic insole designed and fitted by a pediatrician"

Do you perchance mean podiatrist? Most pediatricians don't work with folks over 18 and usually refer out foot problems. :-)

Hi Mary

Eerrkk!
Cringe!
Thanks, edited!

Cheers

OH, I forgot. I had previously hiked in these on a trip that lasted 3 days longer and many more miles without a hitch. But, that trip was on much softer woodland floors. That's why I was questioning the softness of the sole.