Knee Problem

[jsalt]

I was on the camino, in Sept last year, from León to Santiago.
I was with a group from my local hiking club, and I had pre-booked our albergues, so we had a set itinerary.
My knee started giving me trouble between Sarria and Portomarín.
When I got out of bed in the morning, and the pain shot through my knee, I realised I would be totally stupid to walk that day.
So I took a taxi, with another member of the group, who was also having to take it easy.
I took a rest day at Palas de Rei (where the taxi took us), and I was glad of the Kindle books that I had stored on my phone .
I walked to Santiago from there, albeit very, very slowly, so I was usually the last to arrive at the albergue in . . . Melide . . Arzua . . . and O Pedrouzo.
At the albergue in Melide another member of my group (a maternity nurse, who said she doesn’t have much experience with knees in her job!) strapped my knee up to help with the pain.
I didn’t want to take any painkillers because if I masked the pain I might cause more damage.
I am slightly (very) worried that this might happen again on another camino.
Will wearing knee braces help, if I wear them from day one?
Jill

 

[SabsP]

It might be or it might not be doable.
Why not go to your gp / specialist to be sure?

 

[jsalt]

I live in a small town.
My GP died while I was away, and we have a new GP in town, who doesn’t know me, not that the old GP did anyway, only as the wife of Mr S.
My knee is now OK, so I don’t know how I could explain why I was there . . . .

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I live in a small town.
My GP died while I was away, and we have a new GP in town, who doesn’t know me, not that the old GP did anyway, only as the wife of Mr S.
My knee is now OK, so I don’t know how I could explain why I was there . . . .

Your knee may feel OK now, but there is no way to know if what happened was an atypical occurrence or caused by underlying issues which react to protracted use. One thing you could do while at home is to replicate the same amount of walking you did while on Camino -- under the same load -- when you first recognized the pain was occurring. If you notice that your walking at home produces no unusual discomfort, then you have an indication that what happened on Camino was not because of mechanical problems.

There is no way to know if a brace will help, but if not used properly and appropriately a brace can cause problems.

 

[JennyH94]

Hi Jill - I can sympathise with you here - the terrain between Sarria and Portomarin sure has its challenging spots.

I've had knee problems for years and need to be very careful. I've found out the hard way that the only way I can successfully avoid knee problems on camino is to walk by myself, or with another Camino snail - most people's pace is too fast for me; to take frequent breaks and to keep the distances around the 15km mark. This is really hard to do when you walk with a group where accommodation is pre-booked as yours was and the daily distances are probably greater, or when you walk with a friend who's a stronger walker, who's taller etc.

Two examples - I had a dream camino last June - Burgos-Rabanal - when I followed this formula - I walked at separate times with two dear, slow-walking friends and for a time by myself. I then had a not-such-a-dream camino last September-October on the Via Francigena when I walked with an Aussie friend, Sally, who was taller than me and who was a stronger walker. I tried to walk at my own pace, and Sally was very considerate in slowing her pace, and we did take regular breaks, but often we would find ourselves walking faster than I was comfortable with so I dropped back and Sally had to wait for me to catch up, which I felt bad about. In addition, the difficult terrain at times and the fact that the distances between towns were much greater generally, proved to be a problem - I longed for the Frances where the next town was never that far away. These combined factors proved too much for the weak knee and meant I had to drop out due to injury in Villafranca in Lunigiana after walking from Aosta.

Are you in training for your next camino at the moment? My advice to you, and you're probably doing this anyway, is to build up the distances and see how you go. If you are regularly walking 15kms, hopefully you should be OK. I wouldn't invest any money in knee braces etc. without knowing exactly what the problem is and for that you'll need the help of a medical professional as you know. Is there a physio locally that you could see? They will prescribe leg-strengthening exercises that will really benefit you.

One more thing ... did you use hiking poles to take the pressure off your knees?

I hope that your knee problem last year was a 'one-off' and that in your training and on future caminos you'll be able to take joy in every step.

As our wonderful t2andreo says, I hope this helps.

Cheers from Oz -
Jenny

 

[Athena Atterdag]

I would suggest seeing a doctor anyway - just to be on the safe side!

If you don't trust the new GP and are thinking of buying knee braces, you'll probably have to buy them from a specialised shop, so you can ask the shop assistant for recommendations.

From personal experience: magnesium supplements are good for the joints and help to make them stronger. I noticed than since I started to take magnesium more or less daily, my knees react much better to running and prolonged walking.

I have some experience with knee braces, and, although they do make walking and running easier, they feel somewhat uncomfortable, and I just can't imagine walking in them all day long, let alone for several days in a row. I usually carry an elastic bandage, just in case.

 

[Old Crow]

Will wearing knee braces help, if I wear them from day one?
Jill [/QUOTE]


I wear braces on both of my old, worn knees, and use a little aspirin in the morning before walking. The braces help me a lot, and with them and walking poles I was able to walk 700 plus miles on the Camino last spring without undue pain or damage. I could not do this without these things

 

[Former member 49149]

Hi,jsalt. I am sorry for your trouble. I have a dicey right knee, and so far an elastic knee support, while a nuisance, holds the devil in place. I had an X-ray years ago and my reading of it is that the cartilage is gone. Sometimes a particular step does it, ouch! Then a few stretches lets me move on. So far, so good. Last week my left knee let me know it exists. Not the same. I now have a constant ache, it is not an occasional ouch! I am presuming it is an inflammation and am hoping I can outlive it. No support will alleviate it. I can walk. Sorry to be so long winded. It is to indicate I have experience of knee trouble, before I say what you don’t want to hear: get it checked out. Your specific question about the benefit of a knee brace - if that is what I call a knee support, then yes, and I also take anti-inflammatory pills. Go to the new doctor.


,

 

[Lurch]

You may need a specialist, not a GP. Joints are nasty buggers and an orthopedic, at least, Ned’s to examine yours. Probably nothing important, BUT, there is the chance, if left unexamined or treated, it could worsen. Surgery, etc. So get it looked at!

 

[Givesome]

Hi Jill Last year when my wife and I did the Frances she developed a knee problem just before Burgos. In Burgos she went to a doctor who prescribed fisiocrem and a knee brace (very light weight). See link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DTY2I3Q/?tag=casaivar02-20. We could not find it back in South Africa but will bet it again in Spain on our way to Portugal. This works better than Voltaren in my opinion.
You have probably read topics on the forum of Leukotape P for blister prevention. The tape is an South African Product and is very sticky and don't come off easily and the reason why people use it for blisters. It works well but the tape was actually designed for the strapping of joints. There are different types of Leukotape and must be the "P". It is very handy on the Camino for blisters and you can use it for its original purpose. You might not find it where you stay. It is not even available everywhere in Cape Town but there is a pharmacy close to me where we get it. If you can't find it let me know and I will send you a roll.

 

[jsalt]

Hi everyone, all good advice, thank you so much!

After a lot of searching, in the pharmacies and outdoor shops in my area, I have found the same SpiderTech “X” Shaped kinesiology tape that my friend put on my knee in Melide.

I had never used this tape before, although I have often seen other pilgrims using it. It is amazing, and I now have a 6-pack box in my first aid kit.


I had to stop walking for a month after I got home to let my knee rest and heal, and it seems to be
OK now. I hike every Saturday morning with the local hiking club.

I will be doing a 4-day backpack soon, carrying more than I do on a camino, as we need stoves and food for the hiking huts. Hopefully that will be a good test to see if my knee has really healed, or if there is something else going on in there. If there is a problem then I will go to the GP to get it looked at, and to be referred to a specialist.


Thanks again for your replies, much appreciated!

Jill

 

[RJM]

Have you tried exercising the knee? Physical therapy, stretching, yoga or weight training?
After some problems while walking the Camino with old sports injuries to my knee and ankle I realized when I finished I needed to make some lifestyle changes. More working out and strengthening my legs and lose some weight via cardio. I needed to do that if I wanted to continue long distance walks.