Posted by: Chris Wissmann
Foot Care - 01/09/10 04:34 PM
I'm not sure where the best place is to post this, and didn't find an answer after a quick search, so here it is.
I've been having trouble with my feet for the last few years. My big toes and the balls of my feet are cracking and bleeding, especially when I'm performing kata on my brick patio. Lately, though, they've gotten bad from hitting the punching bag while working out on a foam-padded floor.
There ARE issues with technique involved— my toes are huge and it's difficult for me to curl them back enough to fully expose the balls of my feet as focal points, but then again the balls of my feet are cracking and bleeding, not just my toes. And my feet are fairly well calloused— I've been doing this for twenty-five years— so it's not a matter of conditioning. In fact, it's the callouses that are splitting open.
Anyway, I was looking for some advice. I've tried band-aids and blister pads, but neither adhere well to the bottoms of the feet during training. Liquid skin works slightly better, but it too wears off after a few minutes. I haven't found shoes appropriate for a long karate workout. So I'm hoping someone has a suggestion to prevent or fix this problem, short of expensive podiatry.
I've been having trouble with my feet for the last few years. My big toes and the balls of my feet are cracking and bleeding, especially when I'm performing kata on my brick patio. Lately, though, they've gotten bad from hitting the punching bag while working out on a foam-padded floor.
There ARE issues with technique involved— my toes are huge and it's difficult for me to curl them back enough to fully expose the balls of my feet as focal points, but then again the balls of my feet are cracking and bleeding, not just my toes. And my feet are fairly well calloused— I've been doing this for twenty-five years— so it's not a matter of conditioning. In fact, it's the callouses that are splitting open.
Anyway, I was looking for some advice. I've tried band-aids and blister pads, but neither adhere well to the bottoms of the feet during training. Liquid skin works slightly better, but it too wears off after a few minutes. I haven't found shoes appropriate for a long karate workout. So I'm hoping someone has a suggestion to prevent or fix this problem, short of expensive podiatry.