Stinky Feet

[alexvanm]

I play football 3/4 times a week and my astros constantly smell. At the moment I'm having to wash my shoes every 2 to 3 weeks. What is the best treatment for stopping my feet from smelling?

Thanks

Alex

[Rachel19]

Absolutely second this question. My sons all play sport and so I invested in expensive shoes for them and yet the problem has continued.

Advice would definitely be appreciated!

[Dr Jon Rees]

A common problem!

The main medical condition to exclude is a thing called pitted keratolysis which is quite common in people who wear trainers a lot. There are some pictures of it here: http://www.dermnetnz.org/bacterial/pitt ... lysis.html - it classically produces little pits in the feet and if diagnosed can be treated with antibiotic creams or tablets.

If it isn't this, it is usually due to infection present in the insole and shoe - often corynebacteria or others - they can be very difficult to eradicate even with washing, unless at very high temperature - the main suggestion is having a few pairs of shoes to rotate to allow them to dry out fully between use, but unfortunately there are no simple answers!

[Gary Turner]

I have the same problem with my trainers lol, as I do ultramarathons and run between 40 and 75 miles each week cross country, usually twice a day.

I echo what Dr Jon says about rotation - I have four pairs on constant rotation, drying them out with newspaper inside and using gentle heat too - they usually have just dried out enough ready for their next use!

I regularly spray deoderant inside, just to keep the smell down a bit, and my wife will NOT allow my trainers in the house!!

I'm going to look into what Dr Jon says myself - a great question, thanks for asking it, I've just learnt something new too!

[Dr Jon Rees]

and using interchangeable insoles that can be removed and washed at a high temp in the washing machine ie 60degrees, to try to kill any bacterial contaminant on them....