Are you frustrated because you can’t wear your fabulous new party heel, as that will rub with your ankle painfully and form a nasty blister on your beautiful ankle? Well, pretty much a common problem for all. We’ve all faced this kind of annoying problem in our life, and one question was in our brain, “How to Stop Shoes from Rubbing The Back of Your Ankle?”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!To rescue you all from this annoying problem, I’m here with today’s article. I’ve gathered some simple expert advice, reasons for rubbing your ankle on your shoes, and much more tips. These tips will be applicable for all kinds of footwear, from heels to sneakers. Let’s see what we have inside this article-
Why Do My Shoes Rub The Back of My Ankle?
Three reasons are the culprit of causing blisters on the ankle by rubbing continuously. Here are those reasons-
1. Too Big Size
During the buying stage, make sure that what shoes you are buying is similar to the shoe you wear in your daily life. While buying shoes in winter, some people make the mistake that they wear thick socks and over that they try out the new shoes.
That leads to the size getting bigger later, and shoes hurt the back of the ankle uncomfortably and gradually make a nasty blister. So, buy & try new shoes when your feet are completely bare, and the size is snuggly with your feet.
2. Too Small Size
This one is the most common and reasonable cause for rubbing shoes at the back of the ankle. When the shoes are extra tight, our feet are suffocated and continuously rub against the skin, which naturally causes swollen feet and fatigue.
However, it’s the best option to change or buy a new pair of shoes if the present one is short in size. If it’s not possible to get a new pair, then I will discuss how to stretch shoes later in this article.
3. Stiff Edges
This one happens to me the most. When you buy a pair, and it’s entirely snugly perfect, but the edges are harsh that makes it hard to move your feet. Heels are maximum time this type of culprits. But, sneakers, running shoes, or kedges are soft fabric material shoes that are comfortable and durable. Plus, it doesn’t rub with your ankle if you wear it the whole day or night.
What Problem Arises When Your Shoes Rub The Back of Your Ankle?
Not only do blisters form on your skin if your shoes rub on heels skin, but they’re also are some other problems causes if you don’t look into them. Let’s see what the symptoms are and what are they called-
Bursitis
Have you heard of bursae? Bursae are tiny fluid-filled sacs that help to reduce the friction between moving parts of body joints like the knee, ankle, or shoulder.
Bursitis is the painful and inflammatory form of bursae. When the shoe annoys the tendons and bones of your ankle, then bursitides happen. If you continuously agitate the area with friction with pressure and rub the area sharply, the bursae get inflamed.
Blisters
Blisters are tiny bubbles on the skin filled with liquid inside. When shoes are rubbing ankle bone continuously, the blister forms, they can hurt or itch a lot. Friction blisters are mainly filled with clear watery serum.
Achilles Tendonitis
Simply, the detonation is inflammation of Achilles tendon is called Achilles Tendonitis. It’s an overly injured Achilles tendon. If the edges of your shoe rub back on the heel or hit ankles, then this happens. If you don’t look into the problem seriously, it may deform the shape of your ankles.
Achilles Tendinosis
Achilles tendinosis is a chronic problem. When the Achilles tendon degenerates and becomes inflamed, Achilles tendinosis happens. Achilles tendinosis creates a bump at the back of your heel. So, if you think tight shoes rub the back of the ankle and it will remove or heal those bumps, you will make it worse. It will inflame the affected area more and will be a permanent problem.
How to Keep Shoes from Rubbing Back of Heel?
Well, now the primary purpose of this article has come. Ladies and gentlemen, now we are going to see the expert advice on “how to prevent shoes from cutting ankle.” Let’s see what options we have here-
• Wear Thick Socks
When your shoe material is too stiff, you may try wearing socks inside it to avoid the annoying friction. But, if you don’t choose the sock material carefully, this hack may not work. Women tend to wear thin socks for style. But, it would be best if you had a pair of thick socks to avoid this problem.
Wool-made socks tend to give good coverage to your feet and reduce the moisture in your feet. On the other hand, cotton and other sock tend to trap the moisture between feet and shoes, that worsen the situation.
• Use Foot Powder
You can sprinkle some foot powder or anybody powder on your ankles to avoid friction. When you use powder, the friction doesn’t agitate the ankle much like bare skin. Some people use vaseline to avoid ing at the ankle, which also works sometimes. For vaseline, the friction slips in each movement, so it doesn’t affect much on the back of your ankle.
• Try Some Moleskin
Moleskin is a sticky cotton fabric piece that can stick to shoes and feet skin to prevent it from rubbing from shoes. When women wear heel-type shoes, it rubs and suffocates their feet so much that their feet get swollen, and they face annoying blisters. Moleskin is applicable in any footwear.
You should choose those pieces of moleskin which is 1aree6 in charge and prevent your feet from rubbing from shoes. It’s available in a long stick. So, it has to cut it according to the size you want and then stick it with your feet or inside the shoes. Moleskins are durable, long time until your shoes get worn out. If you stick it in your skin, it won’t hurt because it’s like a band-aid.
• Get Some Insoles
If your shoes have pre-made orthotics, then they may not fit properly with your feet and can lead to rubbing continuously with your ankle.
When you have a broader and thicker heel than your ankle, the insole inside your shoes may not fit, and your heel will stand on the back of your shoes, increasing the rubbing. If you use good and proper insoles, it may give you relief to walk around without any blisters.
• Check Shoe Materials
Shoes made of coarse fabric, synthetic fabric, or heels tend to cause friction with ankles. Natural materials recreate friction. Not all shoes are not stretchable, so be careful while choosing the shoe material.
You must have heard of leather shoes and suede shoes. Leather and suede are animal skin that is softer and gets more tender after 3-4 usage. Canvas fabric is super soft and breathable that prevents the ankle from rubbing with the shoe. Rubber is a good material, but it tends to trap moisture in your feet if you wear it for a long time.
• Use Duct Tape
Your rescuer duct tape is here! Duct tape is a smooth and silky texture outside, which works as a foot powder or vaseline, or petroleum jelly. It prevents the rubbing bare skin with shoes back.
Just like moleskin, you can attach duct tape with your feet, skin, or shoe collar. If you already have a blister or any scratch on your feet, don’t attach duct tape with your ankle. It will make the situation worse.
• Shove Cotton in Socks
If you have cotton or makeup wipe cotton pads, both will work for this. If you don’t want to wear thick socks, then shove the cotton at the ankle area, so it will cushion the ankle area and won’t rub that badly. It won’t be bulky, but after walking a few steps, the cotton or pads can move from the ankle space.
• Avoid Rough Edges
If you weren’t careful about the rough edges of your shoes while buying, or the seams went rough after some usage, then it will badly rub with your skin. You can’t use a band-aid each time when you’ll wear the shoe. Rather, repair the shoe from a shoe repairer or attach good moleskin on it.
• Reduce Moisture from Shoes
In summertime or rainy days, your feet may get wet with sweat or water. Damp skin is thinner than dry skin, and if the damp skin keeps rubbing with shoe backs, it will confirm that friction blisters will visit your feet.
However, to prevent this, in summer, use talcum powder or foot powder in your feet before wearing the shoes or wear breathable soft socks. And for rainy days wear waterproof running shoes.
• Stretch Your Shoes
For stretching shoes in-house, you can wear the shoes with thicker socks for some hours. Please don’t overdo it, so you get fatigued. Other options are available like shoe stretcher and shoe stretch spray.
Shoe stretch spray is available in departmental stores, so all you have to do is spray it on the area you want to stretch and then walk around until it fully dries. If you aren’t confident about it, you can take your shoes to cobblers.
How to Soften The Back of New Shoes?
You can avoid rubbing the shoe with your ankles by softening the shoe. Softening method works on some materials or sometimes doesn’t work. For softening any back of shoes, you can use some materials. Those are-
- Kerosene
- Vinegar
- Castor Oil
- Beeswax
- Alcohol
In another option, use a hairdryer to soften the back of your shoes, then wear it with thick socks and keep it for 3-4 hours. The shoe back will mold with your feet. But, I’ll not recommend this idea with any plastic or synthetic materials.
FAQ
How do I stop my shoes from rubbing my Achilles?
Try some methods I’m mentioning below-
- Use good insoles.
- Wear thick socks.
- Stretch your shoes.
- Try another size.
- Soften the shoe.
- Use vaseline or foot powder.
How do I keep my shoes from rubbing my heels?
You can try some ways to keep your shoes from rubbing your heels-
• Use moleskin.
• Wear good quality socks.
• Check if your shoes have rough edges.
• Stretch your shoes.
• Stuff cotton in the socks.
Why are my shoes rubbing my heels?
There are a couple of reasons for this-
• Stiff shoe edges.
• Bigger size shoes.
• Smaller and tight shoes.
How to break in shoes that rub your heel?
If you want to break in shoes that annoys the heel of yours, you can try this method-
• Take a hairdryer and heat the back.
• Wear thick socks and then wear shoes.
• Wear those until it cools off.
It’ll stretch the shoes as you want and you can break in the shoes.
Wrapping Up
I hope you have no question about rubbing your shoes with your ankle problem. It’s a common problem for all. So, remember that to avoid this problem, choose a shoe that fits snugly with your bare feet. Check the material is soft and the edges are tender. I’ll be happy if this article helps in your daily life!