Strange Rash

[peakn]

Hope someone has seen or experienced this and has a solution. My wife has been getting a rash like blotchiness on her shin and calf, basically from ankle to knee, from her hiking boots. Someone told us that it was collapsed surface veins from keeping the boots tight. They said it is quite common and not at all dangerous. It fades over time but looks awful. Not only that, it's one more thing that makes her not want to hike.
Any suggestions?

Harry

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Harry -

Is it possible that she's having an allergic reaction? Is there new socks - possible allergy to wool, etc? Did she just get new boots when this starting happening? In other words - what, if anything, is new in her hiking habits?

I've never heard of collapsed surface veins causing this, but ... there's lots of things I haven't heard of, and I'm not a doctor nor nurse.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I also have this problem with some, but not all wool socks. I have concluded it was an allergic reaction to a particular type of wool. But I have not been able to isolate what type of wool causes my apparent allergic reaction.

The rubbing is also a factor as I can wear the offending wool socks around the house without any shoes - no rash. I can even wear them with normal shoes and light amounts of walking (normal work day in an office) - no rash. It is only when I use the offending socks on long hikes with high boots that I get the rash. There is no pain or irritation. It just looks bad and fades with a couple of days. Some wool socks are fine while hiking and cause no rash.

I imagine using a thin, non-wool liner sock might solve the problem, but I have never tried this.

 

[DougPaul]

There are also chemicals used in processing the shoe leather (assuming the shoes are leather...). It is conceivable that your wife is reacting to them.

Doug

 

[WinterWarlock]

Is it in the area that is exposed to sunlight? Or under the sock?

Some foods/medicines/plants will raise rashes when exposed to sunlight...(Queen Anne's Lace is a good example - simple contact won't cause a problem, until the skin is exposed to the sun)

 

[swamp]

I actually knew a guy in the Army that was allergic to combat boots. Either the dye or some other substance in the leather would give him a god-awful rash.

 

[peakn]

Re Rash

Thanks for all the fast responses. This is a great community and resource!

Kevin, Mark- We don't think it's allergy because she wears the same socks around the house and for long walks without a problem.
Mark- Her symptoms sound exactly like yours. Those walks are usually done wearing low hikers (below the ankle) or sneakers. The socks are Merino Wool usually Wigwams, which we both find most comfortable for our feet and have used for years. The boots were new last year (Montrails), which interestingly is when this all began (more to follow).

WinterWarlock- Not sunlight related. It begins at the level of the boot cuff and extends up to the knee area. She doesn't hike in shorts, so it's always covered up.

More on the Boots- Why we suspect it's the pressure that's causing this: She laces her boots up pretty tight to prevent toe jamming. These boots are just a bit higher than her previous ones. She has been using pull on elastic knee supports since meniscus surgery 2 years ago. We just noticed a band of similar redness shaped like and under the area where the rib on the lateral side of the knee support rides.

I guess the first two things we'll test are liner socks and keeping the boots a bit looser at the cuff.

Thanks again all!
Harry

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Why we suspect it's the pressure that's causing this: She laces her boots up pretty tight to prevent toe jamming. These boots are just a bit higher than her previous ones.

Harry -

There's a technique she might try (if she hasn't already) of double-looping her laces over the instep area. This tends to "lock" the laces, so that the lace tension can be different above and below the instep. Typically, you make the laces snug below the instep then do a double loop followed by a looser tension above so as not to impede circulation. Sometimes on a taller boot, like the Montrail, there are a couple different locations where the double loop should occur. The goal is to "lock" the heel into the boot at this point.

Kevin

 

[peakn]

Double Loop

Kevin- A great suggestion! How do you double loop? Do you mean twice through the same eye? We have experimented with looping over top of eye instead of from under.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Harry -

I think HOW you make the double loop will depend up the boot itself - that is, how wide the opening is in the eyehook itself. That varies from boot to boot, so my suggestion would be to experiment a bit until you find a method which prevents slippage.

Another method which will give you the same results is to wrap the shoelaces a couple of times around each other for the loop that goes over the instep, in much the same way as when you tie a bow at the top of the boot. Sometimes giving it an extra twist will create the necessary drag. The downside of this method is that it's a bit more difficult to undo the shoelace at the end of the hike.

Wrapping the shoelaces around each other tends to hold better, but a double loops comes apart quicker, which is also handy if you need to make adjustments. As with anything, there are usually trade-offs.

Kevin

 

[peakn]

Thanks Kevin!

 

[TenPeaks]

It's possible your wife may have a fungal infection. I got one last year on my calf from a machine at the gym in just about the same location you described. Basically, it was an annoying, sometimes itchy rash that didn't go away. My sister who is a nurse suggested using clotrimizole, twice a day for 2 weeks to get rid of it. You can find it at CVS in the itch cream area.

For me, the store brand wasn't strong enough and I had to get a prescription brand to finally get rid of the rash.

 

[Papa Bear]

Has anyone besides me thought that maybe she should see a doctor? Podiatrist or dermatologist? No?

 

[peakn]

Papa Bear
Has anyone besides me thought that maybe she should see a doctor?

Thanks Papa Bear. It was actually a couple that we hiked with in Switzerland last summer, both Doctors, that first suggested it was pressure related and nothing to be overly concerned about. They said they had seen it before.
Wish they had suggested taking the lacing pressure off the shins.
If the boot lacing changes that Kevin suggests don't help, we will get medical advice.

Harry

 

[Seeker]

Unless it doesn't go away within a day or so I wouldn't worry. I get a rash pretty much every time I hike right around the base of my calf where the top of my boot is. Doesn't matter what socks I wear--I still get it. I haven't tried changing my laundry detergent though. Mainly because it's not anything I can't deal with.

Might try a hypoallergenic laundry soap and see if that helps!

Good luck!

bc

 

[Wanderer1]

Here is a link to boot lacing techniques with visuals that might help. Just don't click on the selections to the right of the boot as they don't seem to work. Instead click on the page number at the bottom of the article and it will step you through each technique. http://www.backpacker.com/april_2003_gear_boot_lacing_tips/gear/5245?page=1

 

[Little Rickie]

Hope someone has seen or experienced this and has a solution. My wife has been getting a rash like blotchiness on her shin and calf, basically from ankle to knee, from her hiking boots. Someone told us that it was collapsed surface veins from keeping the boots tight. They said it is quite common and not at all dangerous. It fades over time but looks awful. Not only that, it's one more thing that makes her not want to hike.
Any suggestions?

Harry

Do you have a picture?

or can you find a picture that looks like it?

Has it cleared up by now?

 

[peakn]

Thanks All

Wanderer1- Here is a link to boot lacing techniques with visuals that might help

The lacing info is very helpful. We will definitely experiment with that. I included the link again here as I think many would find it of interest.
http://www.backpacker.com/april_200...ear/5245?page=1

Little Rickie- Has it cleared up by now?

The rash is definitely fading. No pictures available.

Thanks so much to all who replied!!!!