[pct-l] Kenesio-Tex tape

[Eric Lee]

Flying Tortoise wrote:
>
I'd be very interested in how you tape the balls of your feet with
Kenesio-Tex tape to prevent blisters on the balls of your feet.  If you have
the time I'd love to get some instructions.
>

The technique is pretty simple.

First, I experimented until I found a kind of tape that worked for me.
Standard white athletic tape didn't stick well enough at all, it just
scrunched up very quickly after applying it.  On the other hand, some
premium sport tapes, like Leukotape, either had issues with the adhesive
leaking through the cloth material of the tape and making a mess of my
socks, or the adhesive was so strong that it ripped my skin when I tried to
remove it, or both.

Kenesio-Tex tape seems to have just the right mix of qualities to work well
on my feet.  It sticks well, stays where it's put, lets my skin breath,
doesn't ruin my socks, and is easily removable when I want to take it off.
It usually lasts two or three 20+ mile days before I have to replace it.
It's pretty expensive as tape goes, and I don't really buy into the whole
"therapeutic muscle taping" thing that Kenesio-Tex tape is marketed for, but
it works for blister prevention.  YMMV.  

Second, I tape my known problem areas before I even start walking.  I know
where and how I tend to blister (on the balls of my feet) and I don't let
problems develop before I apply tape.  I just do it as a preventative
measure, which works pretty well.

Third, to tape the balls of my feet, I simply cut two strips of tape for
each foot, each about as long as my foot is wide.  I snip a little off each
of the corners so they don't come loose so easily.  I apply the first strip
lengthwise across the front of the ball of the foot, right behind the toes,
and I usually cut away a little of the material from around the base of the
big toe otherwise the tape tends to roll up right there over time.  I then
apply a second strip partially overlapping the first but farther back from
the toes so that the precise area where I tend to blister is covered by two
layers of tape while the areas ahead and behind are covered by one layer of
tape.

One danger of using tape as a blister-prevention aid is that if the tape
comes loose and gets scrunched up in a wad anywhere it'll cause a lot of
damage very quickly.  Be very aware of what's going on with your feet and if
you feel anything strange or any hotspots at all, stop immediately and fix
the problem.  Don't ignore it, it won't go away by itself.  That's good
advice for blister-prevention in general but it goes double when you've
taped your feet.

One thing I learned when I used Leukotape in past years is that you
shouldn't wrap a non-stretchy tape around to the tops of your feet.  Doing
so will change the mechanics of how your foot bones move and will probably
cause pain over time.  Kenesio-Tex is stretchy in the long direction so it
probably wouldn't cause that kind of problem but it stays put pretty well so
I've never felt the need to wrap it around my foot.

Also, the past couple of years I've been walking more consistently all
through the year rather than just during the summer hiking season and I've
noticed that the balls of my feet are not as prone to blistering as they
once were.  Conditioning and practice is important.

Eric