Page 107 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2014

from the antiperspirant, spread the treatment out over a 3. Knapik JJ, Hamlet MP, Thompson KJ, Jones BH. Influence
longer period or discontinue its use. Changing wet socks of boot sock systems on frequency and severity of foot blis-
during a march may also be a good idea because you will ters. Mil Med. 1996;161:594–598.
be reducing moisture around the foot. Use the principles 4. Knapik JJ, Reynolds K, Barson J. Influence of an antiper-
of blister prevention: wear properly sized boots, condi- spirant on foot blister incidence during cross country hik-
ing. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998;39:202–206.
tion your feet, reduce friction, and reduce moisture.

Disclosure
MAJ (Ret) Knapik began his military life as a wheel vehicle
The author has nothing to disclose. mechanic and later became a medic working at the U.S. Army
Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. After receiving
his doctorate in applied anatomy and physiology from Boston
Disclaimer
University, he was commissioned as a Medical Service Corps
The views expressed herein are the views of the author officer serving in several operational and research assignments
and do not reflect the official policy of the Department before retiring from active service in 1994. After military retire-
of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. ment, Dr. Knapik entered civil service, remaining active in mili-
government. tary research, programs, and projects and serving at the Army
Research Laboratory and the Army Institute of Public Health.
He retired from civil service in 2011. As a research physiologist
References and epidemiologist, Dr. Knapik has performed numerous in-
vestigations on human physical performance, physical training,
1. Knapik JJ, Reynolds KL, Duplantis KL, Jones BH. Friction nutrition, activity-related injuries, injury risk factors, and inter-
blisters: pathophysiology, prevention and treatment. Sports ventions to reduce injuries. He has more than 250 publications
Med. 1995;20:136–147. in these and other areas. He is a fellow of the American College
2. Reynolds KL, Kaszuba J, Mello RP, Patton JF. Prolonged of Sports Medicine and holds the Order of Military Medical
treadmill load carriage: acute injuries and changes in foot Merit. He is currently working as a Knowledge Preservation
anthropometry. Natick, MA: U.S. Army Research Institute Fellow at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
of Environmental Medicine, Technical Report No. T1/91, E-mail: joseph.j.knapik@JSOMonline.org.
1990.

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