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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Mar 15, 2007 23:09:57 GMT -5
This issue comes up and I though maybe we should start a topic on what we do to protect our tender toes when wearing Jedi costumes. Since Dr. Scholl's doesn't make Jedi boots, we all have learned (sometimes the hard way) to mind our feet when wearing costumes, especially for all day things.
Things I've done:
- Always break in boots by making sure I can walk a mile in them without blisters or sore spots. - Use hot water and stones inside the boots to soften the toes and maybe stretch them out a bit. - Put on pre-emptive protection on known trouble spots, like the back of the heel and one toe that sticks out. Band-aids are helpful if you can't find anything else. - Check out the foot-care section of your local drug store for various foot protection, especially if you have any special foot needs. - Gel or foam insoles, though some boots aren't big enough for my feet and the insoles.
I recently got the oddest foot injury. I marched in my Jedi costume with the local stormtroopers for Mardi Gras. I wore the nice boots I have that I had worn all day at DragonCon last year with no problem. But this was a parade and this was the most walking I had ever done in these boots. I should have gotten insoles for them since they're big boots and there's plenty of room, but I didn't think of it, so my feet were tired by the end of the evening after parade and walking around the Mardi Gras stuff. Not blisters, just a few sore spots, but my big toes were sore for days afterward. A few weeks later, the toenails bruised. Very strange indeed. I really didn't think I had been banging my toes around that much, but apparently so. They feel fine now, but they look grim, though they are slowly looking better.
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Post by AMP on Mar 16, 2007 0:18:31 GMT -5
Very helpful advise. I'll be taking part in a parade next month that is 3.5 miles long. Not to mention the time waiting and walking around. I have been conditioning myself by walking the local high school track.
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Post by Koda Vonnor on Mar 16, 2007 9:17:36 GMT -5
I regularly do the following before putting on all-day jedi boots:
- Put "moleskin" patches on my achilles and the outside of my feet under the anklebones (wear spots). - Tape around the tarsal arch and forward around the ball of my foot (to reduce 'spread') - Tape my little toes in, otherwise they stick out and get rubbed by the boot.
One important thing about taping around your foot (I learned the hard way), you need to keep the tape relatively loose. The idea isn't to prevent ALL foot 'spread' as you step down, but just to limit the 'spread'. If it's too tight you will be in serious pain within a few minutes of walking. Tape it and test it by walking a bit in your bare feet. It'll feel comfy if you did it right.
Best thing to do, like Ani said, is wear your boots all day and find out where the trouble-spots are. Then address those specific areas.
~ Koda
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Post by Col-Mas Anor on Mar 16, 2007 18:00:55 GMT -5
In the Boy Scouts I wore two pairs of socks with my hiking boots. The first pair was a light weight pair of men's dress socks. (Women may want to wear an old pair of nylons cut down to sock length) The outer pair of socks can be regular tube socks, or hiking socks. Some socks made for hiking or running will have a little more cushioning on the heel and ball of the foot.
Wearing two pairs allows your foot to move more freely inside the boot, and helps prevent blisters. I have hiked for over five miles before, and never had a blister.
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Mar 16, 2007 18:39:04 GMT -5
Aaaah, you don't have to cut down nylons; just get a pair of knee-hi's. Thankfully someone figured out that women wearing skirts below the knees did not need the whole pair of nylons, just the bottom part. Men can wear them, too.
Hiking socks, eh? I didn't realize they made socks special for walking. Thanks for the tip!
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Post by J'aii-Gun Jiinn on Mar 26, 2007 21:58:08 GMT -5
Wicking socks might do good for the second pair,they Keep sweat away.And keep me feeling miserable
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Post by Charybdis on Mar 27, 2007 9:32:43 GMT -5
One other solution is to look for specific "tennis" socks. The brand I have used before is ThorLo. They have extra cushion in the toes and heel areas for those hard rubbed spots. I used to play tennis in them and they are great.
Sounds like they would work pretty well for jedi boots too!
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Mar 27, 2007 9:43:28 GMT -5
They also have socks with extra elastic around the arch, it serves the same purpose as the tape that Koda spoke of. I've worn them, but I don't like them very much. They make my feet hurt after a while. But any little thing bothers my feet. Lint in my socks drives me nuts. I just got back from a con this weekend, and I didn't put bandaids on the wear spots. Now I have no skin on the back of one foot.
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Apr 28, 2007 17:06:13 GMT -5
A few things I've discovered.......
I like the sheets of moleskin. You need scissors to cut it, but you get just the size you need with little waste. The back of my heel and some toes are the trouble spots for me. The very large fabric band-aids are good for the back of the heel as well.
I've been wearing Jedi boots in the evening, to try out a few sock combinations and to make sure everything is broken in. I don't do the walking that really tests them, but just putting them on and taking them off breaks them in a little.
I have tried foam and gel inserts, but there just isn't enough room in most of my boots for them and my feet.
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Post by Charybdis on Apr 30, 2007 10:48:52 GMT -5
One of the best things to do is just wear the boots for a little while around the house just to break them in every day. Of course, this is only for new boots which might still be a bit stiff...
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Post by Leda EmBorr on May 1, 2007 0:37:41 GMT -5
I have tried foam and gel inserts, but there just isn't enough room in most of my boots for them and my feet. LOL! Yep, same here! Although I'm getting a bit smarter about shoe size. I'm learning not to buy shoes that are too small. Pants too!
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on May 4, 2007 20:59:21 GMT -5
I have never been able to stand clothes that are too tight, especially pants and particularly shoes. I tend to buy a little bit large, especially if they're new clothes because they might shrink a little.
I have been trying out wearing a pair of knee-highs (the panty-hose-like kind) with thick socks with the Jedi boots and it really does work to cut down friction between foot and boot. And the knee highs are so thin they don't add too much thickness, so there's still room for for my feet in the boot with the thick socks giving a little cushioning.
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JediKai
Message Board Member
TJA Savior
Posts: 5,560
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Post by JediKai on May 7, 2007 23:56:48 GMT -5
Once I get a hot spot or full on blister I use a second skin product from band-aid. This weekend I discovered a new product:
"Blister Block" by Band-Aid. It's a stick that you rub on like deoderant only it's a lubricant that reduces rubbing on the skin.
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Post by admin on May 8, 2007 10:00:32 GMT -5
Do you rub it all over your feet ahead of time or what?
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JediKai
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TJA Savior
Posts: 5,560
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Post by JediKai on May 8, 2007 23:03:51 GMT -5
Just the spots likely to develop a blister or other problem.
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