Foot blister

Short answer, yes, you should be concerned.

Long answer, it depends on a lot of things. If you're not very well controlled, older in age, overweight, and have a number of other health issues it can be extremely important to monitor this sort of thing. As you take away those risks, things like blisters become less of a risk.

Either way, you should not be getting blisters no matter how far you walked. That's a strong indication that you need to consider investing in better shoes (that fit properly).


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lizziewizzie said:

I'll just keep an eye on it.

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Yes do that @lizziewizzie, but if you have any concerns then see a Dr or Podiatrist, as people with diabetes we do have to be extra careful with regards to our feet.

If your blood sugars are fine and you have good circulation then with basic care you should not have a problem. If the foot s being rubbed then make sure you use a padded dressing so things don't become worse.

TorqPenderloin said:

Short answer, yes, you should be concerned.

Long answer, it depends on a lot of things. If you're not very well controlled, older in age, overweight, and have a number of other health issues it can be extremely important to monitor this sort of thing. As you take away those risks, things like blisters become less of a risk.

Either way, you should not be getting blisters no matter how far you walked. That's a strong indication that you need to consider investing in better shoes (that fit properly).


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No, Torq. I've had diabetes all my life, have always worn the most carefully fitted and conservative shoes and I don't think I have ever, in fifty years, had a new pair of shoes or trainers that DIDN'T give me blisters at some point. One of the hazards of treating your feet as if they are two very special little snowflakes at the end of your legs is that they remain very soft.

The other day my feet blistered badly while wearing a pair of flat, very soft leather shoes that I have worn without problems for two years. Why? Because it was so hot and I was sweating so much my skin became very soft.

I don't have any problems with healing. I always strap up the most vulnerable parts of my feet whenever I buy new shoes until I am sure they have mounded to my feet adequately. But hot weather can make even old shoes chafe.


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Kudos to having 50 years of experience, but there are plenty of people who have been buying improper footwear or walking with poor form all of their lives. That's not meant insultingly it's just a fact.

When I speak of proper footwear, I mean considering length, width, pronation/supination, arch support, bodyweight, running surface, and a number of other factors. "Soft leather shoes" would probably make me blister up too but that's because I'm a wear 12.5us 4E width shoe designed to cater to my flat feet (minimal arch) and pronation when I run.

At 210 lbs, I have zero issues running 10+ miles in 100* heat but with those conditions you also have to wear the right socks too (to account for sweat).

In contrast, put me in the wrong shoes and I'll blister in half a mile, or if I walk/run with bad form (I have a habit of curling my toes which causes knee pain) even the right shoes could cut my runs very short.

Bottom line: if every pair of shoes is causing blisters then it's time to address your walking/running form or something else. Blisters should not happen even if you get regular pedicures.


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I understand your concern, I've had the same concern in the last week.
It's really difficult to decide exactly what to do if you have good glucose levels and if you know there is a cause for the injury. I've just walked 150 km in 7 days with about 4.500 m of ascent and descent. I now have a partially black large toenail. I know it was bashed on some of the steeper down hills, I felt it.(and yes should have stopped to re lace boots but I didn't) If I was non diabetic then there would be no question; it's a common problem.

So now do I follow the advice I would give to others and 'get it checked' ? That's definitely the sensible advice. However, I have to say the I haven't rushed to the doctor and am watching it carefully.
That's because I have consistently had an HbA1c in the fives (and very low levels on this walk, albeit with at times surprisingly high ketones when I reduced my basal insulin drastically to avoid hypos). If it weren't for that then I think I should have gone to the doctor/podiatrist and had it checked.

Surely if you're tightly controlled with a near-normal HBA1C you need not treat it any differently to how anyone else (without T1D) would. That's how I look at it, anyway.

pinewood said:

Surely if you're tightly controlled with a near-normal HBA1C you need not treat it any differently to how anyone else (without T1D) would. That's how I look at it, anyway.

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Couldn't agree with this more. My blister count must in treble figures by now thanks to my running regime and I've self treated them all. They have all healed within days which I believe is down to my tight BS control. I also had an unpleasant bike crash last year and grazed my hand pretty bad, but it too healed normally.

BTW I discovered anti blister socks last year and now I only get blisters when running > 15 km several days in a row.

TorqPenderloin said:

Kudos to having 50 years of experience, but there are plenty of people who have been buying improper footwear or walking with poor form all of their lives. That's not meant insultingly it's just a fact.

When I speak of proper footwear, I mean considering length, width, pronation/supination, arch support, bodyweight, running surface, and a number of other factors. "Soft leather shoes" would probably make me blister up too but that's because I'm a wear 12.5us 4E width shoe designed to cater to my flat feet (minimal arch) and pronation when I run.

At 210 lbs, I have zero issues running 10+ miles in 100* heat but with those conditions you also have to wear the right socks too (to account for sweat).

In contrast, put me in the wrong shoes and I'll blister in half a mile, or if I walk/run with bad form (I have a habit of curling my toes which causes knee pain) even the right shoes could cut my runs very short.

Bottom line: if every pair of shoes is causing blisters then it's time to address your walking/running form or something else. Blisters should not happen even if you get regular pedicures.


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I'll rely on my endo's advice, thanks, Torq. He expressed delight at my shoes and socks last time he saw them.

I have to say that your post in response to mine was so pompously self-righteous that it was laugh-out-loud funny.

First of all, in what universe do you live where everyone has access to personalized gait/stride/pronation studies?

Second, where are the actual long-term, or even short-term studies that show that given a critique of their gait, people can, in statistically significant numbers, actually achieve a beneficial change in it. Do you realize that a lot of diabetics have gait problems as a complication of their diabetes? Do you realize that home blood testing has only been around for just over twenty years, that training about self-management has been widely available for less than ten years and therefore quite a lot of T1s may find your self-righteousness as ignorant as it is offensive.

Thirdly, what do you propose in reality? I should get my shoes hand made on an individual last? Oh, only I don't do the lottery.

Fourth, you're a newbie. You're barely even diagnosed. You are a young, fit guy who has been doing sports all your life and presumably your feet had already toughened up before your T1 started.

Fifth, you forgot to suggest Botox for my feet to stop them sweating, as that is what causes the problem for me, as I pointed out.

But, you know what? A more simple, practical, useful, accessible, and safer solution for blisters, and one recommended by many sports coaches, is simple strapping with surgical tape at potential stress points prior to walking or running.

There was research published about it in the last month or so, as I remember.

Try to restrain yourself with the 'shoulds'. Every time I read a 'should' on this forum, it is unsupportive and bullying and untrue.