Foot problems on the Coastal

[walkeatsleep]

Deleted. Problem solved.

 

[dougfitz]

Let me say at the outset that this is not a place for medical advice, and getting to see a doctor or podiatrist, as you appear to be considering, would be an appropriate course of action. If there is local emergency centre you can visit or contact by phone, that might be quicker than getting to Vigo to see a podiatrist.

As for your options, I think they would be better informed by getting medical advice first. No-one here can tell how significant the issues are and whether they are actually suitable and viable courses of action.

 

[EvitaLV]

I stayed in Albergue da Estrela in Viladesuso couple days ago- and I saw that they had an lealflet of physiotherapist services who does “home visits”. I dont know much about this, but maybe that can be another opinion you can get while on Camino, from a specialist.
Stay safe!

 

[walkeatsleep]

I stayed in Albergue da Estrela in Viladesuso couple days ago- and I saw that they had an lealflet of physiotherapist services who does “home visits”. I dont know much about this, but maybe that can be another opinion you can get while on Camino, from a specialist.
Stay safe!

Thank for providing a helpful response, EvitaLV. I appreciate. I was thinking of stopping at Estela (the reviews in Wise Pilgrim are great) and will look for those leaflets.

 

[EvitaLV]

Thank for providing a helpful response, EvitaLV. I appreciate. I was thinking of stopping at Estela (the reviews in Wise Pilgrim are great) and will look for those leaflets.

Its the nicest Albergue I have stayed in- and the owner is very helpful!

 

[EvitaLV]

Its the nicest Albergue I have stayed in- and the owner is very helpful!

P.s. The leaflet was attached to a blackboard- lower right corner!

 

[pa’delante]

I am familiar with the area at A Guarda my partner has a home - I suggest getting medical help A Guarda o nearby should have a place, not sure you need to go to Vigo.
There is a medical center in A Guarda- Centro de Salud A Guardia they open tomorrow and have urgency care 24 hours.

If you could take a break to recover I’d suggest. The coastal area is flatter then through Tui.
Feel free to private message me.

CENTRO DE SALUD A GUARDA
Dirección: Avda. de Portugal, s/n, 36780 A Guarda, Pontevedra
Teléfono del centro: 986 614 450- Fax: 986 611 371
Teléfono cita previa: 986 611 616
Horario: de 8 a 22 horas

 

[walkeatsleep]

I am familiar with the area at A Guarda my partner has a home - I suggest getting medical help A Guarda o nearby should have a place, not sure you need to go to Vigo.
There is a medical center in A Guarda- Centro de Salud A Guardia they open tomorrow and have urgency care 24 hours.

If you could take a break to recover I’d suggest. The coastal area is flatter then through Tui.
Feel free to private message me.

CENTRO DE SALUD A GUARDA
Dirección: Avda. de Portugal, s/n, 36780 A Guarda, Pontevedra
Teléfono del centro: 986 614 450- Fax: 986 611 371
Teléfono cita previa: 986 611 616
Horario: de 8 a 22 horas

This is so helpful. I really appreciate you posting this!

 

[SueFalls]

Hello! I am on the Portugués coastal route, right now in Caminha and getting the ferry to A Guarda tomorrow. I've developed some foot problems and looking for any advice.

I'm worried I have a plantar plate tear. Pain (though slight) under the second metatarsal head, the 2nd and 3rd toes are tight together and I can't "splay" them. Big toe getting very close to second toe, and also a V starting to form between 3 and 4. I've not had this before but runner friends have had it and of course there is Dr. Google (always a great idea!).

I am mulling options.

1) Abandon. This is not the end of the world for me. I would gladly live to walk another day over doing serious or permanent damage.
2) Switch to the bike, assuming there is a place to rent them and then arrange bag transfer.
3) Ignore it and keep going, reassessing every day. I am very conservative and this scares me.
4) I made a podiatrist appointment in Vigo for Monday. I doubt I can make it that far. First three days got me to Carreço, today was shorter. But I can cab there from where I end up Sunday. Then see what an actual professional says (imagine that!). I sent a note to my foot doc late in the day and have not heard from him.

Since y'all are the experts, I wanted to see if anyone had some sage advice, particularly if you have dealt with something similar.

I am not a "it's all or nothing" person. Life is an experience and I have had four great days walking in Portugal seeing beauty in people, nature, and wildlife. If it needs to end here, that's all part of it.

Thanks for any advice. Buen Camino

I’m not a dr, but had a similar medical issue so will share what helped me finish the Camiño. I hiked Porto to SdC this past Sept-Oct on the coastal route. Everything was great (except a few blisters) until I reached Viana do Castelo, a little farther north than where you are. I had severe pain in my shin (turns out it wasn’t shin splints or tendinitis like everyone said), and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish my journey. Everyone suggested I rest for 2-3 weeks- no can do. I took a day off in VdC and elevated my leg with ice on the shin. The next day I took the train to Caminha. Walked a few miles the next day then hitched a ride to my hotel with a waitress. Next day I walked 5 miles and took a bus 5 miles. Basically I kept going but gave myself a break and took transportation when I needed to. After those few rest days, I was able to keep walking until the end. If you can walk fewer miles each day and find a bus, train or taxi (no Ubers in Spain!), it may help your foot pain ease up. Good luck and Bom Camiño!

 

[jpwu]

The knowledge of thousands
pilgrims are above the advice of a doctor who may never have taken a long walk, I think.

 

[dbier]

The problems with trying to crowdsource medical advice are below.

1. The sufferer may have described the problem differently than it actually is for them, due to lack of experience or lack of language. When a medical professional asks twenty questions about your medical history, the nature of your pain, when it started, what makes it worse, what makes it better, what kind of pain it is, and all - all - those other questions? That professional is working through multiple possibilities, and ruling some in or out based on your answers.

2. We walkers *don't* know how much we don't know.

Let me illustrate.

A. A number of people have posted on these boards that they started to experience pain near their heel. They assumed that it was plantar fasciitis.

There's just one problem. There are at least five foot conditions that I have personal experience of (actually, there are many more) that cause pain on or near the heel, and the effective treatments for each differ significantly. Posterior tibialis tendonitis (my own personal experience) will not be made better by treatments for plantar fasciitis, and will only get worse without effective treatment. Trust me, you *will* stop walking when that one gets bad enough.

B. I fell once while jogging (2020). Scraped my lip (it hurt), my knees (they hurt), and the ring finger on my left hand looked a little swollen and odd. *I*, the nurse, figured based on the lack of pain there, the minimal swelling, and my ability to move my fingers (slowly) - well, I thought that I'd dislocated it. I took myself off to the urgent care clinic after a shower, driving one-handed, assuming that they'd X-Ray, give me a local, pop it back into place, and splint it until it got used to the position.

Wrong o. I'd broken 3 fingers at the base near the hand, and was in surgery a week later to fix them. They didn't start turning funny colors and *really* swelling until about 12 hours after the injury.

*That's* why we tend to recommend that walkers see professionals. Because we *don't* know, really, what they're going through, and we *don't* know what we don't know. And that lack of knowledge can end the walker's Camino.