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Injury in Astorga

easygoing

Camino Sharon
Time of past OR future Camino
I have walked the Camino Francis 7 times, twice in 2017 and 2018. (2019)
I am in Astorga by bus after tripping 2 days ago a few miles before Sahagun. I fell forward and felt a painful pull in my left hamstring. The bruise now covers the end back of my leg and is larger than yesterday. I went to a pharmacy and got some cream but I wonder if I should should see a doctor.
How do you know where to go? Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks Sharon
 
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Sorry to learn of your problem.
The following Centro de Salud in Astorga is open 24/7
Calle Gaspar Becerra, s/n, 24700 Astorga, León, Spain

You might ask the hospitalero/host where you are staying to telephone for an appointment.
+34 987 61 85 52

Good luck and please keep the forum informed of your progress.
 
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I fell forward and felt a painful pull in my left hamstring. The bruise now covers the end back of my leg
Your trekking poles did not save you??

The bruise may be a symptom of a torn muscle, but see a doctor for a real diagnosis. If it is a torn muscle, it should repair itself over time and the bruising will gradually disappear. It is growing now as gravity pulls the blood downward! I suspect that the doctor will prescribe rest, but ask if you can maintain activity if you can push through the pain. You may be relegated to bus/taxi, but should be able to hobble around town and maybe cover some distance. Good luck!
 
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I am in Astorga by bus after tripping 2 days ago a few miles before Sahagun. I fell forward and felt a painful pull in my left hamstring. The bruise now covers the end back of my leg and is larger than yesterday. I went to a pharmacy and got some cream but I wonder if I should should see a doctor.
How do you know where to go? Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks Sharon

There is a very good Centro de Salud ( Health Clinic ) in Astorga that was helpful and accommodating to me in 2014. On the north east side of town I believe. Buen Camino
 
I have very good news. I was directed to an emergency clinic only 1 kilometer away and was told after two days rest and lots of antiinflammatories I can walk again. I am glad I went to the clinic because now I am relieved to know what do. Thanks for your support.
 
Your trekking poles did not save you??

The bruise may be a symptom of a torn muscle, but see a doctor for a real diagnosis. If it is a torn muscle, it should repair itself over time and the bruising will gradually disappear. It is growing now as gravity pulls the blood downward! I suspect that the doctor will prescribe rest, but ask if you can maintain activity if you can push through the pain. You may be relegated to bus/taxi, but should be able to hobble around town and maybe cover some distance. Good luck!
LOL my trusty trekking poles let me down. I was looking at another person and fell at an angle. I felt like a tree I went down so fast. I like your advice and the doctor said despite bruising covering my entire back of the left leg I had no muscle damage. So I will live to walk again soon but will not walk with a 20 year old while talking.
 
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Thanks for the support. The MD said I can walk in 48 hours but here's the problem. I know I can take a taxi tomorrow part way to Foncebadon but am not sure if I can walk all the way to Molinaseca as planned. Has any one found a taxi coming down.
Thanks
 
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Couldn't you just stay in Astorgo for the two days of rest and then start walking again?
That's what I did in Léon when ordered to rest for three days - and then proceeded to walk every day to Santiago, Muxía and Finisterre.
 
@easygoing , gidday
The descent to Molinaseca is quite difficult. And goes on for several kilometres.

Accordingly I suggest you consider taking a bus from Astorga to Ponferrada.

And please take the time to visit both the Astorga cathedral and never lived in, fairy tale like, bishop's palace next door, walk along the ramparts to make out the agriculturral pursuits across the valley and generally enjoy this compact city before you leave

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going - eventually)
 
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LOL my trusty trekking poles let me down. I was looking at another person and fell at an angle. I felt like a tree I went down so fast. I like your advice and the doctor said despite bruising covering my entire back of the left leg I had no muscle damage. So I will live to walk again soon but will not walk with a 20 year old while talking.
I sustained an injury to my knee while talking and trying to keep up with a 20 yr old! I might at times creek like a 20 yr old but I was over 60 at the time and this old body really couldn’t keep up. I’m fine now, and you will be too!
For everyone’s information, the pharmacy staff will know the schedule of when the physician will be visiting in any of the towns/cities along the Camino, ditto any hospitalero. I’m been in Spain on extended trips several times— no enough to get the usual sickness and injuries one gets at home, and found medical care to be good, cheap and effective. If you don’t need a hospital, don’t go to an ER since it is much more expensive than seeing a doc at a clinic. Usually docs cover several adjacent towns, so they are usually not in a small town or village all day.
 
@easygoing , gidday
The descent to Molinaseca is quite difficult. And goes on for several kilometres.

Accordingly I suggest you consider taking a bus from Astorga to Ponferrada.

And please take the time to visit both the Astorga cathedral and never lived in, fairy tale like, bishop's palace next door, walk along the ramparts to make out the agriculturral pursuits across the valley and generally enjoy this compact city before you leave

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going - eventually)

You are so correct, Alwyn, about the descent into Molinaseca. I got tired of walking on the rubbled trail, so I took the road down (at the point where the trail goes across the ranch lands.) No cars, no shade, no breeze, and brutally hot. But, it was quiet, and the scenery could be taken in without watching the next step. I thought the bottom of my feet were going to melt into the roadway. The descent seemed interminable. I encountered some pilgrims coming back up the road as they believed they were going the wrong way. I convinced them they were not. Later learned the temperature was 37 degrees Celsius. Would I do it that way again? Probably. But, I would be imploring the weather gods for a cooler day. Canyons are always warmer when the sun is shining bright. It was a relief when, finally, Molinaseca hove into sight. The first cold beer in the Hotel Palacio was sublime...
 
I am in Astorga by bus after tripping 2 days ago a few miles before Sahagun. I fell forward and felt a painful pull in my left hamstring. The bruise now covers the end back of my leg and is larger than yesterday. I went to a pharmacy and got some cream but I wonder if I should should see a doctor.
How do you know where to go? Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks Sharon
See someone who is train to work with the mechanics of the body like a chiropractor Or an Osteopath. Most allopathic doctors well tell you to use ice and/or heat depending on the time since injury, and painkillers and send you on your way. But you have a bigger challenge than just getting in and out of a car to commute to a job ahead of you, so go to someone who can really assess the muscles or tendons involved, how the injury is impacting your gait and thus your entire structure and give you some really sound rehab advice to use along the way. It doesn't have to cost a lot, but it could be worth a fortune to you.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Thanks for the support. The MD said I can walk in 48 hours but here's the problem. I know I can take a taxi tomorrow part way to Foncebadon but am not sure if I can walk all the way to Molinaseca as planned. Has any one found a taxi coming down.
Thanks

Hello - we were walking down to El Acebo this May and my walking buddy fell. We walked into El Acebo and stayed there but arranged a taxi to collect us in the morning to Molinaseca. The folks in El Acebo gave us the number and made the arrangements... no problems at all :)

p.s. as already mentioned the walk down for both El Acebo and Molinaseca is rather tricky... albeit beautiful.
 
Thanks for the support. The MD said I can walk in 48 hours but here's the problem. I know I can take a taxi tomorrow part way to Foncebadon but am not sure if I can walk all the way to Molinaseca as planned. Has any one found a taxi coming down.
Thanks

The path into molinaseca is a bit rough. I would rather walk to foncebadon then taxi from there. You can call a taxi at foncebadon. The bartender will call for you.
 
Thanks for the support. The MD said I can walk in 48 hours but here's the problem. I know I can take a taxi tomorrow part way to Foncebadon but am not sure if I can walk all the way to Molinaseca as planned. Has any one found a taxi coming down.
Thanks

Yes, there is a taxi, his cards and phone number are everywhere, and he's friendly and helpful. I'll see if I still have his card, but you won't have trouble fonding his number, and all the hospitaleros know him.

I had developed some serious knee pain that I thought was going to end my Camino. After a few days rest I managed to hobble from Rabanal to Foncebadón, but realized my knees weren't going to take me down the mountain. What a disappointment.

But the scenery by car was spectacular, and my taxi driver stopped at the Cruz de Ferro, took my picture, and helped me down from the stone mound when my knees gave out. Camino Angels come in all forms. :)

Good luck to you!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

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I am in Astorga by bus after tripping 2 days ago a few miles before Sahagun. I fell forward and felt a painful pull in my left hamstring. The bruise now covers the end back of my leg and is larger than yesterday. I went to a pharmacy and got some cream but I wonder if I should should see a doctor.
How do you know where to go? Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks Sharon
There is a medical center in Astorga, I was there 10 days ago, they were wonderful and I recommend going. It’s only a 10 minute walk from the cathedral, open 24 hours. Prescription, wrapped and out of there within 30 minutes. Take care of yourself, you have a long journey yet to come.
 
LOL my trusty trekking poles let me down. I was looking at another person and fell at an angle. I felt like a tree I went down so fast. I like your advice and the doctor said despite bruising covering my entire back of the left leg I had no muscle damage. So I will live to walk again soon but will not walk with a 20 year old while talking.
I caught my right pole on a hose pipe running across the path in the park outside Logrono last year: I kept going, my pole didn’t and with the momentum of the dead weight pack on my back, I pitched forward like a graceless sack of potatoes. Had a lump like a tennis ball (same colour and all) above my left eye for almost a week...
I still think of it as the day the Camino literally whacked me in the head to get me to slow down a little (I had a “schedule”)...
 
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Update. I am limping along and the bruise extending from my butt to calf is fading but still dark enough for sympathy. The Camino slapped me in the butt to get me to slow down. Even though I was still walking I felt unhappy until today when I met Paul. Paul is a quad being pushed in a wheelchair by his children and their friends. He faces greater hardship than my hamstring pain and was smiling and welcomed my kiss.
This is his website https://www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/paulsmart500/
 
One of big drawbacks of trekking poles if you fall your arms are not free to break the fall. On narrow ledges on mountain trekking poles not allowed and never use the wrist strap
 
Update. I am limping along and the bruise extending from my butt to calf is fading but still dark enough for sympathy. The Camino slapped me in the butt to get me to slow down. Even though I was still walking I felt unhappy until today when I met Paul. Paul is a quad being pushed in a wheelchair by his children and their friends. He faces greater hardship than my hamstring pain and was smiling and welcomed my kiss.
This is his website https://www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/paulsmart500/

Glad you are okay. Buen Camino!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Update. I am safely home and already planning my next Camino. My bruises are gone and although my hamstring is still painful with certain movements I am confident I will heal completely
Two words of advice from this incident. Look where you are going when walking briskly. I still don't know what I tripped on because I was so focused on the conversation.
And pay your medical bill immediately. They didn't want any money at the time and last week a registered letter arrived with the bill. There is a 50 dollar service charge for your bank to transfer euros to another bank and that's the method of payment they wanted. Luckily I have a friend in Spain who paid it for me. And read the fine print on your travel policy. I had a 50 dollar deductable and the bill was 92 Euros.
A last word is to use your poles with every step. I know I often hold them behind me on the flat.
 
Yes, definitely pay the bill. I also got a 100 euro hospital bill months later when I got back to Oz, even though I was told at the time that I wouldn't have to pay...
 
And pay your medical bill immediately.

That isn't always easy.

We visited a clinic in a small town, and being very pleased with the service, we wanted to pay. But they wouldn't take any money. We had cash and credit cards, but they said that they couldn't accept money and we must pay at the main hospital in Santiago. I was a little uncomfortable because we were still several days from Sarria and if something got messed up we wouldn't be able to get back to the clinic to work out the details.

In Santiago we took a taxi to the hospital and asked where we would pay our bill. People didn't seem to understand what we needed, but wanting to be helpful they sent us from one department to another.

We finally ended up at a place where they knew what it was that we were trying to do. However, they said that the office was closed that day and we needed to come back tomorrow afternoon.

We came back the next afternoon and went to the people that told us to come back. They gave us directions to the office that would take out payment. We go to the office, and find it's closed every afternoon. OK. At least now we know where to go. And a good thing we had scheduled several days in Santiago.

We go back the next day. Sure enough the office is open. And sure enough they understand that we need to pay for our clinic visit. However, they said that we cannot pay then and there. We have to go home and wait until the hospital sends us a bill.

Now we'll be even farther away and resolving any potential mistakes or misunderstandings will need to take place over multiple time zones.

So we go home. Eventually, months later, we get a bill from the Santiago hospital in Spanish. It's very difficult to understand, not many words, and a lot of numbers. Working with a dictionary we find the amount we need to pay. And we also find a penalty, something like 100 euros on top of a 150 euro bill, because it is now overdue! Defeated by the time delay and the geographical distance, we just sighed and sent off a check.
 
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Update. I am safely home and already planning my next Camino. My bruises are gone and although my hamstring is still painful with certain movements I am confident I will heal completely
Two words of advice from this incident. Look where you are going when walking briskly. I still don't know what I tripped on because I was so focused on the conversation.
And pay your medical bill immediately. They didn't want any money at the time and last week a registered letter arrived with the bill. There is a 50 dollar service charge for your bank to transfer euros to another bank and that's the method of payment they wanted. Luckily I have a friend in Spain who paid it for me. And read the fine print on your travel policy. I had a 50 dollar deductable and the bill was 92 Euros.
A last word is to use your poles with every step. I know I often hold them behind me on the flat.

Yes pay up at the time of treatment. I had to visit the University Hospital in Salamanca back in 2013. They gave me the account before I left the hospital = E104.30. There were the usual bank account details etc, but I went off and found the nearest ATM and came back. They did seem more than a little surprised to received cash on the same day. Glad you are nearly recovered & yes a word to the wise - look where you are putting your feet!!
 
One of big drawbacks of trekking poles if you fall your arms are not free to break the fall. On narrow ledges on mountain trekking poles not allowed and never use the wrist strap
One of the drawbacks of not using poles is if you fall your arms are free to break the fall - which is what my daughter did, and broke her arm at the same time!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Poor girl ... :(
How old was she?
She was 8. We didn't realise it was broken for a couple of days! She fell at O'Cebreiro on the Saturday afternoon. We walked to Triacastela on the Sunday and when it was still sore on the Monday we went to the medical clinic there. They sent us straight to Sarria hospital where x-rays showed we needed to go to Lugo Hospital to have a plaster cast put on. She still walked to Santiago, insisting on carrying her pack all the way!
We then raced around London for a week and spent another week on a canalboat before flying back to NZ. She got singled out for special drug testing at LA Airport because of the cast - as did two of our other kids....coz don't you think the best ruse for drug dealers is to travel with eight kids (including one in a cast) and an elderly grandfather;-0?
I digress.
 
:rolleyes:
Idiots!
And an 8 year old could be intimidated. But she sounds like a child who would just be amused by it ... bemused, even ..

8 children? 8???
... and an elderly grandfather .... you are a brave woman :D
I haven’t read old posts of your Camino ‘history’ ... perhaps I should ;)

It’s sometimes hard to tell that children have broken bones, particularly in their arms. I suppose it’s because their bones are relatively soft.
 

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