Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes

by John Vonhof

Foot pain and injuries can thwart even the most experienced athletes. Foot expert John Vonhof discredits the conventional wisdom of "no pain, no gain," teaching instead how the interplay of anatomy, biomechanics, and footwear can lead to happy or hurting feet. With a focus on individual and team care, this fifth edition covers everything that an active person needs for immediate and long-term foot care solutions. Vonhof's advice comes not only from his own experience but also from many foot experts and endurance athletes. He offers numerous solutions for each problem, as there is no one best solution — different treatments work for different feet. This comprehensive resource covers footwear basics, prevention, and treatments along with clear diagrams, photos, and charts that demonstrate techniques and solutions. If it can happen to a foot, it's covered in this book.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Fitness, Sports, Lifestyle

369 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished the first 100p on the basics and prevention, going to try some new products and methods now, it's a nice read, but simply not made to go from cover to cover.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my feet were hurting, I got three books out of the library. This one was the best, even though I'm just a city streets/park walker, not a runner, backpacker, or other athlete. It's very detailed and is more for reference than for reading straight through. It has a ton of advice on how to buy shoes, on preventing blisters, and on dealing with foot injuries.

(The other two books I got from the library were "Your Feet Don't Have to Hurt" by Suzanne M. Levine, which was more chatty, and "The Whole Foot Book," which was more about medical problems. I just skimmed all three, though.)

I'm adding this book to my list mostly so that if/when I have foot problems again, I'll remember this is the book that was the most helpful.

By the way, it turned out that changing insoles, from one that didn't cover the whole bottom of the foot to one that did, fixed a lot of my problems.

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this I thought there was far far too much focus on blisters. I'm more of a half marathoner - but am working on increasing distance. I'd never had too serious of feet problems - but had just been diagnosed with metatarsal bruising. As it turns out I fixed my metatarsal injury but that created..wait for it....BLISTERS! and Calluses. Oiy! So, as it turns out, this is a very timely book. I found lots of great information here to help me figure out what to do and what products might help. So this is a wonderful reference for those folks who want to keep feet in tip top shape. Highly recommended!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Target audience: Multi-day endurance event participants.

My take-away: EITHER provide arch support against over-pronation for the benefit of ankle ligaments and plantar fascia OR be barefoot on various surfaces to give toes and remainder of foot free space and stimuli to improve proprioception and alignment.

Minimally helpful info for me: Drain & patch technique for blisters, as well as taping/patching methods.

To re-read and make notes on: Foot strengthening and prevention exercise suggestions.

[Danika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is extremely thorough. Highly recommended for any endurance athlete. He covers just about everything you could think of- from taping and blisters, to orthotics and shoe fitting. Great reference, although I sincerely hope I never have the problems he sees w/ people who really abuse their feet.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was long, very detailed, and repetitive. It was packed with tons of great information though. I thought I already knew quite a bit on the subject, but I was wrong. I know I will return to this again and again as a reference.

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good stories built off of experience, and exactly what I was after to know how to prepare my feet for longer thru-hikes.

Why not 5 stars? Some themes and suggestions seemed to go against what I have read elsewhere. For instance, there are relatively frequent suggestions of alternative medicine, namely homeopathic and chiropractic practices, which isn't my cup of... tea. The suggestion to sterilise a need by using a flame on the tip also is a bit suspect and could have been expanded on, as it is my understanding that doesn't fully sterilise needles.

That said, I read the book cover to cover, and am glad I did. I'm slowly adding items to my foot care kit, and feel more prepared for when me (or my family) get blisters while out in the backcountry. This book is often referred to as the bible, and I can see why.

[Masoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this book, a lot of new ideas and resources about race caring and how to manage feet related injuries and difficulties. I read some chapters whole and browsed some chapters. I think I would keep this mostly as a reference to read again and again when needed.

One part of the book that is probably a must for every running is dealing with blisters and how to tape blisters :-). I would recommend this book as whole, and taping and blister management chapters in particular.

[Mónika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference with a thorough discussion of all things feet. It is geared towards athletes, but laypeople can likely benefit from better understanding their feet and applying many tips presented. My initial reaction to all the name-dropping of brands was “ugh how annoying… I’m reading an ad.” That feeling went away when I realized there was no true brand loyalty here. The author is presenting evidence-based solutions to common problems.

[Charles Colbourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of really good advice. Also an awful lot of product placement. This book is so very, very detailed and has lots of useful information on how blisters form, things you can do to avoid immersion foot. I really wish I'd read it before my first hundred-miler.

[amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful! A patchwork of advice based on research & personal experience, aimed at multi-day endurance race athletes but also IMO has something to offer ultimate players.

[Dan Blau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great content, but very repetitive. I feel like this book could be half the pages.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

good news for fixing feet

[Hollis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a "latest and greatest " book from 20 years ago is odd but advice doesn't seem incredibly dated.
Some to many products probably no longer available.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information, but god I wish it was more succinct. Less repetition would have made it way easier to get through...

[Dylan Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banger

[Bence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite repetitive and badly edited, but has tons of useful information about foot care in the context of ultra running

[Stephanie Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 3rd edition which is from 2004, I think this could use an update. Good book but more of a resource guide than a reading book.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes" by John Vonhof is a lengthy and detailed survey of current information on foot care, foot injury prevention and foot injury care. Its core knowledge and its core audience are from ultra-marathoner, multi-day through hiking, and other extreme sports groups. However, the information is of use to anyone who uses their feet and has or is concerned about foot maintenance and injury.

I found the book at a local REI store and it looked very interesting. My foot information came from stints in the Boy Scouts and Army. But that was a _long_ time ago. Human knowledge has advanced and there are a lot of new and innovative ideas out there. Many of these ideas were developed by folks who run or hike for days at a time over 100 miles or more, in all types of terrain and weather.

The book goes through many ideas on how to prevent injuries and how to maintain them. Often there are multiple approaches and ideas mentioned. It is left t the reader to decide what will work and what will not. It is more a resource book than a first aid guide. Although it will work for that as well.

I would recommend this book for anyone who uses their feet a lot, runners, hikers, dancers, walkers, etc, and is concerned about preventing injury.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book to read on common foot injuries due to i) lack of prevention ii) lack of understanding of one's feet iii) lack of understanding of shoes' and socks' selection iv) lack of understanding on how to treat various foot injuries with different medicine.....especially blisters' prevention and post treatment are the focus of the book. Low: Did not talk much on tendonitis foot nor muscle hamstrings..still a must read especially the prevention portions.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic and advanced advice about keeping your feet healthy for runners and other people involved in foot sports. The basic info agrees with other sources, it's generally accepted practices. The more advanced info I'm not familiar with but at least it's something you can ask a sports doctor about.

[Amber Leberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book saved my enjoyment of backpacking. Essential tips on everything from lacing patterns to blister care. Vonhof covers taping, products for problem areas and even whether one should have one's hard-won callouses sloughed off via pedicure.

[Laura Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent handbook for athletes with information my podiatrist never discussed or considered as part of my treatment! Included are diagrams, photos, preventative measures, and treatments. Saving my feet is saving my backpacking!

[Noelle VanVleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me the information I need to find the right shoes and socks, and to prevent and treat foot issues. The book is meant to be used as a resource and therefore repeats itself a lot (which can be annoying if you're reading straight through). But I found the information to be valuable.

[Keith Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly long and repetitive but has a lot of ideas for things to try. Unfortunately, the overall message is that everyone's feet are different, and you probably need to try several techniques to find one that works for you.

[Glenda Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing advice on foot prevention care!! I ran 300 miles and came out with basically no blisters thanks to this book. I highly recommend it for any ultra-marathoners or hikers who have experienced bad blisters before.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

B+ A must for any endurance athlete. Wondering what to do about those scary black toenails that keep frightening your sig others? Not sure how to tape your feet? Check out this book!

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super informative, but a little overwhelming if you're reading it all. A great reference!

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book. Great resource for the ultra marathoner.

[Dave Brillhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book for dealing with (ideally, preventing) common foot issues on LONG distance runs, which generally begin after 25 miles... Issues most marathoners don't need to deal with.