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How heavy is your pack?
Walking with the extra weight of a pack day after day is tough on feet, imho. Tougher if your pack is in the 25 lb. range.
You might experiment by shipping your pack for a couple of "rest" days. Yes, you'll need to purchase a light daypack to carry water, snacks, sun cream, and rain gear. But that's no big deal.
I do not like flipflops - most have little arch support, something your feet need after walking for many days with a pack. So I disagree with @Robo here. But his suggestion to seek the help of a pt is good advice.
Feel free to message me for phone or whatsapp video chat. I am an ER Physician, starting the Camino next week.Hi all!
I am five days into my first Camino.
I did not train (but am in my 30s and in decent shape — can easily walk or hike 15 km and run 8 km).
However, my feet — especially my right one — are very sore after a day of doing 20-30 km on the Camino. It’s generalized pain — outside, arch, heel — no tender spots, bruising, etc. The pain goes away relatively soon after I’m off my feet and they are pretty much good to go by the next morning (but the pain is back after 10-15 km). I am in new-ish boots (not brand new), but it’s my third pair of the same style/brand and they fit well/no blisters. I bought Soles insoles on the route and haven’t noticed a big difference. A pharmacy gave me Voltaren but again, no real difference. No other pain in legs, shins, knees, etc. though my calves are tight and I’m stretching them. I am going to take a rest day tomorrow.
But my question is whether foot pain is just a normal part of the Camino as my feet adjust? (People have told me they started out with pain but they adjusted and were able to walk longer pain free in weeks 3, 4, 5 than at the start.) If so, I will tough through. The pain itself is not unbearable, though I’m moving slower and taking more breaks than I otherwise would. But I don’t want to push and get seriously injured. I know only I can answer the ultimate question, but I’m interested in guidance in terms of how much throbbing feet are normal and how you tell the difference between “normal Camino pain” and pain that could be the sign of an injury.
thank you for any advice!
I think some adjustment of your foot to the walking is normal , but during that time, maybe a3_4 day, go easy , don't do 30 k ,20 or less and rest the "old dogs ". If you do have a strain or sprain you are risking a long & painful trip . I have done it the wrong way enough to advise go easy , and if the shoes are nearly new id suggest you rub a little Vaseline on you feet in the morningHi all!
I am five days into my first Camino.
I did not train (but am in my 30s and in decent shape — can easily walk or hike 15 km and run 8 km).
However, my feet — especially my right one — are very sore after a day of doing 20-30 km on the Camino. It’s generalized pain — outside, arch, heel — no tender spots, bruising, etc. The pain goes away relatively soon after I’m off my feet and they are pretty much good to go by the next morning (but the pain is back after 10-15 km). I am in new-ish boots (not brand new), but it’s my third pair of the same style/brand and they fit well/no blisters. I bought Soles insoles on the route and haven’t noticed a big difference. A pharmacy gave me Voltaren but again, no real difference. No other pain in legs, shins, knees, etc. though my calves are tight and I’m stretching them. I am going to take a rest day tomorrow.
But my question is whether foot pain is just a normal part of the Camino as my feet adjust? (People have told me they started out with pain but they adjusted and were able to walk longer pain free in weeks 3, 4, 5 than at the start.) If so, I will tough through. The pain itself is not unbearable, though I’m moving slower and taking more breaks than I otherwise would. But I don’t want to push and get seriously injured. I know only I can answer the ultimate question, but I’m interested in guidance in terms of how much throbbing feet are normal and how you tell the difference between “normal Camino pain” and pain that could be the sign of an injury.
thank you for any advice!
That is great, but missed other serious causes of pain...nerve injury, claudication, etc. Pls peregrinos, don't just attribute everything to Camino pain and assume it will get better.This is something I had posted before. Perhaps it may be of some help.
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The purpose of this post is not to act as a guideline to diagnose injuries or abnormalities. It is to help those who are new to long distance walking, to appreciate the fact that feet and knees, like any other part of the body, can have normal responses of discomfort when suddenly being tasked to work at higher than normal levels of exertion.
Remember how sore you became during times that when you first started a new physical adventure? Whether starting a fitness program, physical labor in the yard, or starting a new recreational hobby like bicycle riding, chances are that by the next morning, your muscles felt sore and tender and it was a bit difficult to get moving.
The same holds true with feet and knees. When one first starts to do extended walking, hiking, fitness training, etc., feet can become tender and knees feel sore. If there is uphill and downhill walking, the effects can be even more pronounced.
This can sometimes cause alarm; and when it does occur, can make it difficult to gauge whether the discomfort one feels is within normal limits, or is the beginning of an injury.
Feet and knees are complicated structures and full of reasons why increases in activity takes some getting used to.
Each of your feet and ankles contain:
Each knee has:
- 26 bones (about 1/4 of all the bones in the body)
- 33 joints
- Over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
- The tendons are a fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones; the ligaments are fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones.
Most of the time, it is the level of severity of symptoms which is used to differentiate normal from abnormal. For instance, the pain grows more severe or starts out as intense and sharp; or a small amount of swelling continues to rapidly increase; or there is discoloration at the site of the discomfort. But to add to the concern and confusion, it can also be normal for those brand new aches in the feet and knees to require a bit of rest for a day or so in order to help relieve the discomfort.
- 2 main joints
- 4 bones around the knee
- 6 ligaments
- tendons from 4 major muscles
- A variety of cartilage, bursae, meniscus, and other goodies
When I first start getting back into shape for backpacking after taking a break during late winter, I do daily hikes into steep and high foothills to the Cascade Mountains. Trails and paths may be anywhere from 8 percent to over 30 percent, and elevation gain and loss can be as high as 3300 feet/1006 meters within a 2.5 to 5 hour period.
And I always seem to forget when I first start, that it takes time for my feet and knees to adjust. And they DO adjust. It just takes a bit of time.
The day after that first day hike, my knees let me know that they are sore from the sudden activity, and that they do not like what I am doing. So, after the hikes I will Ice and Rest the knees for a period of time while reading or doing stuff like this post, or even working at my consulting job. Sometimes I find it beneficial to take the recommended dosage of ibuprofen to help with tissue swelling rather than any discomfort, but the main post-exercise therapy is Ice and Rest.
For the first 7 to 10 days on my training hikes, I tend to go slower, adjust my pace and stride to minimize how hard my foot impacts the ground on downhills, and if my knees start to bark too much, I will simply stop for a little bit and give them a rest.
This also helps with the period of adjustment as my feet structures strengthen from the increased activity.
Anyway, I just wanted to provide some encouragement to those who are doing Camino for the first time that, yes, knees and feet can and do adapt, as long as everything else is equal; like good footwear and commonsense
Also if you do have any suspicion or concern that there might be an injury, get it checked out by a medical professional. Do not be embarrassed that your symptoms might end up NOT being an injury. . . that's why the medics get paid to do what they do, to figure that stuff out.
That is great, but missed other serious causes of pain...nerve injury, claudication, etc. Pls peregrinos, don't just attribute everything to Camino pain and assume it will get better.
You are walking double the distance that you are accustomed to day after day, it's no wonder that your feet and potentially other parts are hurting. There are other possible causes for foot pain but over-use combined with shoes or footbeds that aren't perfect is the most likely cause.Hi all!
I am five days into my first Camino.
I did not train (but am in my 30s and in decent shape — can easily walk or hike 15 km and run 8 km).
However, my feet — especially my right one — are very sore after a day of doing 20-30 km on the Camino.
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