How to stop shoes rubbing

How to stop shoes rubbing the back of your heel

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We know that you have bought a pair of shoes that fitted well in your feet at the time of purchase. At the beginning it felt comfortable and you had no issues with it. After using it for a few days, your shoes have started to rub the back of your heel. Moreover, this allows the shoes to cause shoes blisters heels on back of heel which causes a lot of pain.

Now remember that our body can handle a little bit of friction without any pain. Contrary to that, if the friction exceeds then it becomes painful and can cause injuries such as blisters or skin breakage. These injuries can cause infections that contribute to diseases such as Bursitis or Haglund’s deformity among other conditions.

Whenever the shoes hurt back of ankle, it causes some serious problems and can hurt you a lot. To avoid shoes hurting back of ankle, we will guide you on how to stop shoes rubbing heel with instructions.

How to stop shoes rubbing the back of your heel

Buying a new pair of shoes

  1. The first step when you are buying a pair of shoes is to wear the same socks that you wear on a daily basis while trying on shoes. This will help you in getting a perfectly fit pair of shoes that will be comfortable and will prevent injuries. 
  2. Another hack to keep in mind is to buy shoes in the later part of the day. During this time, our feet swell up to half of a size during the day which means that any shoes in the morning time may not be fit for the rest of the day.
  3. Always try on both the shoes when buying a pair of shoes because sometimes both our feet are a little different in size. So make sure to check both the shoes and to buy a pair that is fit in both the feet. 
  4. Avoid buying shoes that are loose because they are also a cause of shoes rubbing back of heel and can cause blisters.

Tips on how to stop shoes rubbing the back of your heel

To avoid irritation and painful shoes rubbing heel, our expert guide is here to help you on how to stop shoes rubbing the back of your heel. So, let us dive into the tips that will keep your feet comfortable and prevent shoes rubbing back of ankle.

Choose the right socks

A good pair of socks with enough cushioning is a must have to avoid rubbing the back of the heel. When you don’t have enough cushioning in your socks, it allows friction in your shoes and causes irritation. Always buy socks that are of thick material with natural padding and prevents skin from moisture such as merino wool.

Similarly when we age, our skin becomes thinner and fragile and loses its natural protection paddings. So, at this age, you will need socks with extra cushioning that will support your feet and keep the back of shoes rubbing heel a thing of the past.

Use Insoles or Heel Grips

Use Insoles or Heel Grips

Insoles are a great way to prevent rubbing of heels in shoes that are either big or a little ill fitted in size. Insoles are made to lift your feet and give you a comfortable fit in the shoes that prevents friction which causes rubbing. Similarly, heel grips keep your feet in place and prevent rubbing or chafing of the skin behind the heel.

Use Moleskin for shoes

Moleskin is a sticky cotton fabric that you can stick to your skin or the shoes to prevent shoe rubbing heel. To apply it, you have to cut an appropriate size of moleskin from the roll and peel off the back of it. Then stick it directly on the skin on a clean heel because it lasts more on a clean skin than a dirty one.

Reduce the moisture in your shoes

  1. Use anti-friction balm or sticks that are made up of components which prevent your Achilles from rubbing in shoes. When you apply such balms, they lubricate your feet and reduce friction. Moreover, you can re-apply it if the shoes are tight and wipes out the balm quickly.
  2. You can also use antiperspirants that stop sweating and keep your feet dry and comfortable. Thus, it can help in prevention of blisters and helps you in keeping your feet healthy.
Soften the back of new shoes

Soften the back of new shoes

Do you have blisters on heels from new shoes because new shoes often come with a stiff back? Thus, they cause rubbing of the heels on the back of your ankles. Moreover, blisters on back of heel from the back of shoes are a common phenomenon. Thus, they usually need to be broken or softened to avoid such irritation with the following methods:

  1. You can apply a shoe conditioner to soften any part of a shoe. Just apply a generous amount of conditioner on the desired part and leave it overnight. This will soften the shoe but may cause change in color. It works best for leather and suede shoes.
  2.  Secondly, you can keep a roll of damp newspaper inside the shoes to soften them but it may cause stiffness after sometime. So, always apply a leather conditioner to the shoes after softening them.
  3. Another way to soften shoes is to rub the inside of your shoes heel with soap and gently massage it before wearing them. This will result in a more comfortable wear without shoes rub heel problems after a few applications.

Try stretching your shoes

In case your shoes are too fit that ends up rubbing the back of your ankle and can hurt you badly. Then stretching is a good idea to avoid blisters or shoes rubs back of heel. You can either stretch your shoes by using s shoe tree that helps in maintaining the shape of the shoe. Similarly, you can use a shoe stretcher to keep them well fitted and avoid disfiguring the pair of shoes. This will easily allow help you on how to stop shoes from rubbing heel.

Conclusion

Everyone knows that excessive friction in shoes is agonizing and can cause many painful skin conditions. Therefore, all the hacks in the above article are helpful in avoiding painful rubbing of heels in shoes. So, try using any of them and enjoy your day with a comfortable fit pair of shoes. 

In case the hacks do not work out for you then contact a cobbler or a podiatrist for an expert advice. They will help you on how to stop shoes rubbing the back of your heel.  We hope that this article about how to stop shoes from rubbing the back of your ankle will be helpful. And will lead you to a better understanding on how to break in shoes that rub your heel.