Customer Reviews

Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes

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Fixing Your Feet is a must for any long or ultra-distance runner, hiker, triathlete or adventure racer. Your chances of successful training and racing will be greatly improved after having read Fixing your Feet.

John Vonhof's experience, research and work on preventive maintenance and treatment for foot problems has been a real gift for athletes and others who are on their feet for long periods of time in adverse conditions. In ultra distance running and adventure racing, it is often the feet that are the first to break down. John's work has provided us with a complete manual on proper foot care. This book has made it possible for so many long and ultra-distance athletes to be able to put in the high mileage needed to be able to complete long races without being disabled due to foot problems. So many an athlete can give credit to their training and racing successes to John for his work.

John discusses in detail, the steps needed to prevent foot problems and describes in laymen's terms how to treat foot problems that do occur. His explanation on the biomechanics of the foot is very easy to understand and clearly shows how your feet are prone to certain problems. He talks of hot spots, blisters, plantar fascitis, tendonitis and other common foot problems associated with shoe, boot and sock selection and proper fitting.

With ultra-endurance sports becoming so popular, John's work filled a huge void. I highly recommend this book to any athlete who spends much time on their feet.

Don Mann
Race Director for
The BEAST of the EAST
The Mega Dose
The Odyssey Double and Triple Iron
The Expedition British Virgin Island Adventure Race
and "Race to the Pole" (9000-mile race, Ecuador to the North Pole)

Don is a retired Navy SEAL and has competed in well over 1000 endurance competitions over the past 25 years.

I heartily recommend you go to the library or a bookstore and find a copy of John Vonhof's fantastic book, "Fixing Your Feet." Anyone who hikes would find this book helpful. He talks about every product known to footcare, as well as techniques used by ultra trail runners, and eco-race runners, etc.
Try putting contractor grade (the cloth kind) duct tape on your heels before you hike. Other people have really good luck with vaseline on their feet before hiking or trail running. I use some stuff called Hydropel which works wonders. I bought four tubes for my PCT thruhike this year. I've had good success on my training hikes with it.

The bottom line is to remove the friction. Spenco Second Skin is another good product for this, but duct tape is a whole lot cheaper, if it works for you. Just like vaseline is a lot cheaper than Hydropel.

In "Fixing Your Feet" Vonhof talks about a gazillion different ways to tape up your feet as preventitive measures.

Also, tincture of Benzoin is used as a skin toughener. Some just use alcohol. At any rate there are two pages of products listed as skin tougheners in "Fixing Your Feet."

One last thing. Vonhof, who seems like a really nice guy based on e-mail contact I've had with him, publishes a free footcare e-zine each month. Anyone can subscribe to it, and past issues are archived. Go to;

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FixingYourFeetEzine/

I hope this helps, and that you get the problems taken care of so you can enjoy your trips. And if you really want to help your feet forget the 65 pound pack!

Happy Trails!

No matter what your sport, if you use your feet for it, this is the book for you! John Vonhof's 3rd edition of "Fixing Your Feet" is the most comprehensive yet. All one has to do is look at the contents in the outline to know how well organized and informational it is. It's easy to find the supplies for foot care too because he has already done the research and lists the contact information.
It covers every aspect for foot care including blister prevention and treatment, types of types of socks, lubricants, shoe fit, biomechanics that can contribute to problems, foot injuries and so much more. Whether you are a runner, backpacker, adventure racer or weekend walker, this book covers it all.


Denise Jones
The Badwater Blister Queen

If it's not already, this book should be your bible for foot care. I used the first and second editions when I first started running ultras, appreciating the special tips for pre-taping and dealing with blisters. Duct tape? This was new to me. The third edition has evolved, once again. As the author, John Vonhof, has established himself as the foot expert, particularly in the endurance sports world, even more information, both medical and anecdotal, has come to him. He shares it all in this new edition.

Along with new information, the third edition provides a completely reorganized and updated layout with insets for tips, personal experiences, checklists, and product lists. It's very easy to find the information you are looking for just by scanning through the book. This book makes a great reference because it pulls together everything you ever wanted to know (and things you don't want to know) about feet. Much of the focus is on blisters, because they "can stop you in your tracks, end your athletic event, and sideline you for weeks." The prevention instructions are extremely useful, providing a full range of ideas to try out. This is the proactive phase. A good portion of the book is about this, supported by product lists and personal stories from athletes who use the tried and true prevention methods. And, should you develop blisters during an event, Vonhof provides instructions for how to be prepared to deal with it, and how to treat the blisters after the act. This is the reactive portion of the book. Even in reactive mode, there are ways you can be prepared: carry or have your crew carry a blister repair kit; know your feet and how they need to be treated.

The third edition adds information for adventure racers-specific problems they may encounter like "jungle foot" and extreme temperatures, and expands on multi-day event information. The forward is by Dan Barger, the director and founder of the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race.

The personal stories add interest to the book. Some are helpful; others are plain horrific. Here is an excerpt from Jane Moorhead, working on feet at the 2003 Primal Quest Adventure Race: "Keeping feet dry is a must. One runner had such bad immersion foot that when he removed the tape from the bottom of his foot; he took a couple of layers of skin with it." Lesson learned.

Most of us have had or will have to deal with foot troubles at some point. For us, Fixing Your Feet is an invaluable resource. The few lucky people who never have foot troubles should read this book anyway, just to see what the rest of us are going through. I ended up reading the whole book over again. I feel like a total foot expert.

And the bottom line is always: take care of your feet. They are what move you forward. Oh yeah, and please, wear gaiters.

"This is the best book for walkers on how to prevent and treat blisters and other foot problems. Written by ultra-marathon director and orthopedic technician John Vonhof, it is packed with great advice and easy-to-follow diagrams from the people who really know what happens to feet on long walks and runs, and who want to keep walking and running!

To prevent or treat any walking foot problem, this book has the answers, all presented in easy-to-read format with photos and diagrams of exactly what to do. This should be the first item you buy when you decide to start training for a half-marathon or marathon or multi-day walk. Advice is presented by the author, ultra-marathon director and orthopedic technician John Vonhof, as well as several ultra-racers. These are people who know what works and how to do it right.
Footwear Basics: Preventing problems starts with the right shoes and insoles for your feet. With diagrams and bullet points, you learn how to find the right shoes for your feet.

Prevention: Through lubricants, socks, powders, taping, and lacing techniques, this section is pure gold and full of diagrams and links to products and recipes. There is no one best solution - different things work for different feet, and this is a comprehensive resource. It includes advice for multi-day events and 159 Ways to Prevent Blisters.

Treatments: 28 pages on how to treat blisters, complete with diagrams and photos. Sections also cover sprains and fractures, tendon and ligament injuries, plantar fasciitis and heel spur, toe and forefoot problems, and skin disorders.

I can't praise this book enough. It is written for us, the walkers and hikers and runners who need advice on what to do before and after we stress our feet." Wendy Bumgardner does a regular online column for ABOUT on walking.

It's true the writer specializes in foot problems and prevention of same for the running and racing athletes, but other athletes have these problems, too. It's not just about the blister care or foot taping that go into a successful long-distance race, but the day-to-day foot care needed for other sports -- or daily living for that matter. Do you stand at work all day? Feet hurt by 2pm? You're a canditate for "Fixing Your Feet."

Not only shoe fit and sock material, but insoles and orthotics and foot biomechanics are covered -- knowledge needed for various sports, including that of my chosen endeavor, weight training.

Thumbs up on this book if your feet hurt!

Laree Draper
IronOnline.com

I like the fact the Vonhof provides us with not only his expertise--from his years of running and fastpacking, and his 25 years of treating other people's feet--but also with advice from other athletes with varied backgrounds. The reality is that people have different kinds of feet (low volume, high arches, pronating, etc.), that each individual's feet change over time, footwear differs, and that trail and weather conditions vary. That means that preventing and treating foot problems is a complex issue. Vonhof wisely gives us information about the factors that affect our foot health and also tons of alternative ways to keep our feet happy.

I have been a backpacker and long-distance hiker for many years. I used to simply treat blisters after the fact. Now I employ some of the methods Vonhof's suggests--such as taping and gel-filled bandages--and prevent most blisters. I consider my copy of his Fixing Your Feet to be a valuable resource. Don't step out the door before reading Vonhof's book!

Susan Alcorn, author of Camino Chronicle Walking to Santiago and We're in the Mountains Not over the Hill: Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers.

John's book is THE reference for all of the variety of solutions to just about everything that could and will go wrong with your feet in athletics, long distance running, long distance hiking and just plain getting old and the bones and calouses growing in weird ways.

I highly recommend it and have personally had my feet saved mucho pain from the recommendations in his book, from playing basketball and long distance hiking.

He spoke at American Long Distance Hiking Association - West(ALDHA-West) gathering last year and if we can get him again it will be a standing room only discussion. I have tried for three years to get him to give a presentation at the ADZPCTKO but alas he is out of the country giving talks just about every Spring.

IMHO,

Greg Hummel
ADZPCTKO Coordinator
ALDHA-West Board Member
PCT Thruhiker 1977

Duct tape. Bag balm. Pliers. Most people who crew for me are a little alarmed when they notice these in my little black bag of foot care - but all are necessary and, although not all are specifically endorsed by John Vonhof, they are symptomatic of his core belief: different things work for different people.

Like many ultrarunners, I believed that blisters were just something that happened as a natural consequence of thirty or forty mile training runs - but I picked this book up in the hope of learning some good preventive measures. And I found a lot to experiment with, and eventually found a combination of items that (currently) work for me.

The book itself is well written, if a bit clinical. It does seem to be aimed at serious endurance athletes, so it might not be that useful to most sprint triathletes and marathon runners. However, if terms like Devil's Thumb, Badwater, and Chinscraper are immediately recognizable, buy this book. I've completed a half-dozen fifty-mile plus ultras since following the advice in this book with only minor blisters - and I have this book to thank for it!

I'm not an athlete, just a "40-something" struggling to keep fit. I'm hoping to be able to continue doing my daily moderate 3 mile dirt road up-and-down loop walk for many years to come. This year it hit me: I have to take care of my feet --proactively -- or I may not be able to continue walking well into my senior years. With this book, I'm confident I can deal with some emerging problems (calluses, bunions, ets.) and prevent others. The detailed information on boots and socks (e.g., types and changing) was especially helpful. And, the recommendations and tips throughout and from an impressive number of serious athletes are a definite plus and make for all the more interesting and worthwhile reading. Obviously, this book is great for athletes, but also dabblers like me, as well as, I would imagine, anyone who spends a lot of time on-the-job on his/her feet. Many would appreciate this book as a gift.