Do hiking boots help with injury protection?

When it comes to hiking it’s important that you wear hiking boots that are supportive, flexible and provide great traction. This will help to reduce the likelihood and severity of common hiking injuries.

Aside from wearing good quality hiking boots you’ll need to ensure that one or two people in your hiking group have a first aid kit. Also make sure that you are stocked up on supplies, such as bandages, blister plasters and ibuprofen, so that you can tackle any eventuality. Having the knowledge of how to identify various injuries is always beneficial. 

Most common hiking injuries

As with most forms of exercise, there’s always a risk of injury. When hiking your legs and feet absorb the impact of every step so it’s vital that they are protected and cushioned from the impact as much as possible. The injuries you can suffer from when hiking are numerous, one of the most common and tragic being ankle injuries but we’ve pulled together the three most common hiking injuries and how wearing the right hiking footwear can help prevent them.

Blisters 

Blisters are one of the most common hiking injuries and are the result of friction between your feet and poorly fitting socks or footwear. The best way you can go about preventing blisters is to ensure that both your socks and hiking shoes, or shoes, fit properly. Your hiking boots should be a snug fit, to avoid rubbing your feet whilst venturing through rough terrain. Another key thing to ensure is that your hiking boots are broken in, wearing a brand new pair straight away is guaranteed to make your feet suffer.

Keeping your feet dry is also a must when it comes to preventing blisters. Make sure your hiking boots are fully waterproofed before wearing them out, it’s also wise to pack a few extra pairs of socks in case your socks and hiking boots get wet.

Sprains

Ankle injuries, such as sprains, are a given when it comes to hiking despite how careful you are when treading across the varying terrain. Walking carrying a heavy backpack places immense pressure on the ankles and a slight trip, or misplaced footing can lead to serious ankle injury. Sturdy ankle support is therefore essential, so make sure to choose a good, high quality pair of hiking boots as they will help to prevent sprains offering support for your ankle. Also make sure to take walking poles with you as they can offer more stability!

Cuts

When venturing through different terrain it’s likely that you’ll suffer from a few cuts and grazes, although they don’t tend to be serious. Wearing appropriate clothing and footwear can help to prevent injury by offering a layer of protection from rocks and branches. Make sure to take extra care when walking on uneven ground!

Knee and joint pain

Wearing the right hiking shoes is key when it comes to preventing knee and joint pain. Although a likely result of hours of walking on various inclines and declines there are a few things you can do to help reduce the risk. Routes should be properly planned in advance to make sure you’re aware of the length, difficulty and elevation of the hike along with an alternative route. This preparation will help to ensure you’re fully equipped for the long walk ahead, and avoid long detours! It’s essential that you’re equipped with a range of supplies to help combat and ease the pain of knee and joint pain, and it’s also vital to rest once you’ve completed the hike.

Our top 3 hiking boots recommendations 

Picking the right pair of hiking boots can help to reduce and prevent injury. We’ve pulled together our top 3 hiking boots to help keep your feet safe whilst you’re exploring:

Quantro Hiking Boots

With an amazingly comfortable support system, Vibram sole, leather upper, waterproof and breathable membrane. Quatro has a padded toe-joint that makes the flex point of the boot amazingly comfortable. Customers often comment that ‘Quatro’ is the most comfortable boot in the Grisport range.

Peaklander Hiking Boots

Lightweight, durable and attractive, it is not hard to see why Grisport’s Peaklander boots are consistently one of the best sellers in the collection. Peaklander is a slightly wider fitting boot than the others that will help with ankle protection whilst remaining trendy. 

Ranger Hiking Boots

The Ranger by Grisport is a superb shooting & country pursuit boot that is packed with a host of features including a rugged, cleated Vibram sole, Sympatex waterproof lining & full bellows tongue. The bellows tongue means that the tongue is stitched right to the top of the boot so water cannot get in at this crucial area. Created in a rich olive green, these boots are a great companion for muddy country hiking expeditions.

Grisport offer a range of hiking boots and shoes, along with a selection of hiking accessories to help your feet stay dry and warm. Browse through our range today!