I have been a victim of pain in my lower legs and heels as a result of shoes rubbing my Achilles.
Due to this constant and nagging problem, I often have tried to search for a solution of how to stop shoes from rubbing Achilles, thereby save myself from the pain caused by blisters or hurting ankles.
Therefore, I embarked on a mission to find out what to do whenever my shoes started hurting my feet hence making me rub either my heels or ankles back.
Here are the tips I implemented to stop my shoes from making me feel the need to rub my Achilles continuously.
Taking my shoes to the cobbler
I usually take my favorite pair of shoes that I did not want to dispose of to the local cobbler or shoe repair shop.
Thanks to their professional assistance, my shoes are stretched and subsequently become a better fit ensuring they never rub the back of my heel in the future. However, this method is best suited for shoes made of leather.
Getting insoles that are a proper fit
Insoles are great as they add a small lift to my foot hence reducing the surface area that is in contact with my heel’s back. Therefore, I can comfortably fit my legs in slightly bigger shoes, thanks to the custom insole.
They also offer a marginally tighter fit that helps to minimize the movement between my skin and the shoes, and this subsequently reduces the chances of blisters developing. Lastly, insoles are a great choice as they make shoes to be more supportive and comfy generally.
Using duct tape to make my shoes comfier
Making use of duct tape is my go-to trick when I am looking for something that will last when I am doing strenuous activities such as running or hiking.
Thus, when preparing for such activities, I always make a point of prepping my heels or the back of my ankles with duct tape.
Nevertheless, I avoid using duct tapes when I already have blisters, as this may make me experience additional pain contradicting the point of using them in the first place.
How To Stop Blisters When Wearing New Shoes
Wearing double socks
I typically wear another pair of socks when wearing normal socks over ankles socks or thinner socks. With these two socks sitting over one another, the amount of friction that happens directly onto my heel’s skin is reduced.
Whereas wearing two socks might seem to be difficult, choosing the appropriate size and fit helps me wear them both properly without making them slip into one another.
Using heat to make the shoes more comfortable
Every new shoe has a few areas which rub my heels or back of ankles more than others. Therefore, to make these spots gentler, I use a hairdryer on medium to apply heat over these shoe areas up to a point they become somewhat malleable.
The warmed region then gradually starts molding itself to the shape of my heel as I move and walk around with my shoes. This technique is best suited for leather, cloth, and suede shoes.
However, I always ensure never to position the hairdryer too close to my shoes for a prolonged duration to prevent my shoes from getting melted or burnt.
Getting a suitable adhesive by making use of moleskin
Moleskin is a rough, adhesive cotton fabric that is typically found at local drugstores. I stumbled upon this method as I was searching for ways on how to stop shoes rubbing my Achilles.
What I do is cutting the moleskin to a proper size and subsequently attaching it to my shoe’s heel to minimize the rubbing as well as to make it a better fit.
Buying shoes that fit well
Wearing ill-fitting shoes was one of the reasons I often experienced several foot problems as they often rubbed my Achilles, ankle back as well as heels.
Wearing bigger-sized shoes usually caused my feet to continually move around them throughout the day, thereby causing friction and eventually the formation of blisters.
Additionally, smaller shoes cramped my feel, subsequently causing blisters to form, thus experiencing a tremendous amount of pain.
Therefore, to avoid experiencing this issue, I only wear shoes that are a proper fit for my feet as well as making sure the shoes or boots I buy are of exceptional quality.
Preparing my feet for new shoes
I found the answer to the question of how to stop shoes from rubbing Achilles by preparing my feet properly before wearing new shoes.
This I achieved by applying a thin layer of gel to my feet to ensure it slides against the leather hence less rubbing.
Therefore, the formation of blisters, which happens after the erosion of my skin scrubbing against another surface, stopped.
Using an anti-friction stick
An anti-friction stick is also known as an anti-blister balm or anti-chaffing stick. It has a lotion that I directly smear on my skin’s ankle back and works by forming an invisible barrier that prevents friction and thereby the formation of blisters when my shoes are rubbing against my skin.
Conclusion
By implementing these tips mentioned above, I found the perfect solution to how to stop my shoes from rubbing Achilles.
Consequently, I was able to save myself from the tremendous amount of pain usually experienced as a result of blisters forming on the skin.
Moreover, these insights allowed me greater flexibility when shopping for shoes as I could quickly improvise ways of preventing myself from rubbing the back of my heels.
Therefore, thanks to these techniques, I was able to have peace of mind knowing I am safe from blisters regardless of whether I am jogging, walking, or running.
