I love running more than my feet do. At last count I’ve sacrificed five toenails, had dozens of blisters and picked up a nagging intermittent joint injury along the way. (April’s London Marathon claimed two nails and bruised several more.)
Typically, I’ve brushed these injuries off as the inevitable price of endurance sports, but Denzil Trebilcock, a podiatrist at the Gait and Posture Centre in London’s Harley Street, says it needn’t be this way. “We’ve had patients who have suffered for a long period say, ‘I didn’t realise exercise could be comfortable,’” he says. “People don’t think they have much agency over their feet. They’re always overlooked.”
Trebilcock is also the principal podiatrist for The Royal Ballet, where he teaches students good foot hygiene. “If you can get the really basic things right you can eliminate a significant proportion of the common problems,” he says. That means making sure to wash between the toes every day and giving them time to dry before putting on socks. Excess sweat and moisture can cause bacteria and exacerbate blisters. He says it may be worth trying a foot antiperspirant such as the fast-absorbing cream by Sweat Guard, or Margaret Dabbs’ Pure Soothing Foot Powder to protect the skin.
