Leg, foot rashes: Purpura (?)

[WalkingInGers]

I have been hiking for over three years. Leaving restaurants, flights and commercial activities aside, I started walking more than the usual 2 kms. Lost 20 kgs.

I am Preparing to hike / walk the Olvidado, thevSan Salvador and Primitivo in September. Training has become essential as there are stages of close to 30 kms and lots of gradients.

The day before yesterday, I hiked my first 40 km. Returning home, both my feet and legs showed red rashes.No itching but spots of red here and there. At first, I thought that it was due to new trousers and new hiking shoes, then it was due to heat and extra effort, and finally due to lactic acid but I had a doubt.

I searched this forum and found no mention of this, reason why I started this thread.

Has anyone had experience of these red rashes that tend to disappear after some time?

 

[GregorMc]

There’s plenty of discussion on the forum of hiker’s rash or golfer’s rash. Also called exercise induced vasculitis (EIV), and very common on the Camino. EIV seems more likely than purpura, which is a symptom of significant underlying conditions, based on the entry in Wikipedia.

 

[WalkingInGers]

There’s plenty of discussion on the forum of hiker’s rash of golfer’s rash. Also called exercise induced vasculitis (EIV), and very common on the Camino. EIV seems more likely than purpura, which is a symptom of significant underlying conditions, based on the entry in Wikipedia.

Amazing how one can find information when one is asking the right way. Loads of info…sorry to have bothered..and thanks.

 

[Dani7]

I had this same thing happen to me on my Camino. It resolved and did not cause me any pain or itching.

 

[dbier]

I'd suggest that you not be your own doctor and go see one. New boots/ trousers won't produce a rash until second or later exposures, will also get better once the offending item is removed, and will come roaring back even more strongly when the allergen is reapplied.

 

[C clearly]

I regularly get a bit of hikers rash, and it takes 2 or 3 days to disappear. Fortunately it causes neither soreness nor itching. It is unpredictable, but appears more often on hot days. Oddly, I have not had the problem while on the Camino.

Once I tried knee-high compression socks and my entire leg up to the knee became bright pink.

As you have probably now read, this is a common condition, that you shouldn't be too alarmed about. However, especially if it persists, it would be wise to mention to your doctor.

 

[Pathfinder075]

For some reason, Decathlon shoes/boots cause me contact dermatitis, which I'm told is due to a chemical they use on the leather. I now wash my new boots/shoes a few times in the washer to get it out. It looks a lot like what you have. It seems a lot of new leather shoes use this chemical in the production phase, so maybe it is that. Basically when your feet get sweaty and the inside of the boots get damp, that chemical starts leeching out of the leather and you end up with the dermatitis. Not everyone is sensitive to it.

I used anti-histamines and a steroid cream on the rash. For the shoes I washed them five times over 10 days.

Or go and see a doctor/pharmacist (probably worth doing anyway just to get some cream and anti-histamine tabs if you don't have any).

 

[asl]

I noticed a very similar rash when I started training hikes. I wear an injinji liner (coolmax) with wool socks over. Neither socks are 'too' tight. Also got the same rash with a wool injiniji liner. Doesn't itch or hurt in any way and generally has disappeared after a couple days. Quite odd, as I wear similar sock for running that go up my ankle and do not get the rash. So, I have attributed it to heat friction.

 

[BrianLCrabtree]

As a pharmacist and a hiker who has experienced idiopathic exercise-induced urticarial vasculitis and who was evaluated by a dermatologist, I can share that it is generally considered non-serious, clears on its own in a few days, and can usually be prevented by pre-treatment with a non-sedating antihistamine such as loratadine or cetirzine. I took the antihistamine a few times and found it helpful but stopped the antihistamine later and the vasculitis has not recurred. By way of disclaimer, I am not offering a diagnosis, just sharing my own experience of a similar rash.

 

[WalkingInGers]

i will be walking/ hiking 34 km tomorrow and on Thursday. We will see whether this returns. Anything preventing me from starting the second part of the Camino makes me nervous. When hiking from Toulouse to Pamplona, these rashes were never there.

 

[WayWalker]

I have been hiking for over three years. Leaving restaurants, flights and commercial activities aside, I started walking more than the usual 2 kms. Lost 20 kgs.

I am Preparing to hike / walk the Olvidado, thevSan Salvador and Primitivo in September. Training has become essential as there are stages of close to 30 kms and lots of gradients.

The day before yesterday, I hiked my first 40 km. Returning home, both my feet and legs showed red rashes.No itching but spots of red here and there. At first, I thought that it was due to new trousers and new hiking shoes, then it was due to heat and extra effort, and finally due to lactic acid but I had a doubt.

I searched this forum and found no mention of this, reason why I started this thread.

Has anyone had experience of these red rashes that tend to disappear after some time?

When my wool socks touched my skin this happened to me. I pulled my liners up and and it went away.

 

[Leaderene]

I too get this similar condition. Never causes a problem though and does go.

 

[SureFtWayEli]

I have been hiking for over three years. Leaving restaurants, flights and commercial activities aside, I started walking more than the usual 2 kms. Lost 20 kgs.

I am Preparing to hike / walk the Olvidado, thevSan Salvador and Primitivo in September. Training has become essential as there are stages of close to 30 kms and lots of gradients.

The day before yesterday, I hiked my first 40 km. Returning home, both my feet and legs showed red rashes.No itching but spots of red here and there. At first, I thought that it was due to new trousers and new hiking shoes, then it was due to heat and extra effort, and finally due to lactic acid but I had a doubt.

I searched this forum and found no mention of this, reason why I started this thread.

Has anyone had experience of these red rashes that tend to disappear after some time?

Pharmacies are very helpful if you can find it open when you are there. May have to walk on until the hour they open or reopen. They are well versed on peregrino ailments.

 

[Pathfinder075]

If you have an allergy to something you are wearing on your feet, like wool, then that would cause a similar rash. If it is the footwear or socks, you need to work out which and either eliminate it, or find a way around it.

 

[Optimistic Traveler]

My husband gets this rash on any multi-day walking/hiking trip in hot weather, not just the camino. His doesn't itch or hurt, just looks alarming. It is has been diagnosed "golfer's rash" - or exercise-induced vasculitis. Clears up on its own after a few weeks back home.

 

[Sue127]

My husband gets this rash on any multi-day walking/hiking trip in hot weather, not just the camino. His doesn't itch or hurt, just looks alarming. It is has been diagnosed "golfer's rash" - or exercise-induced vasculitis. Clears up on its own after a few weeks back home.

I had similar a few weeks ago on the Portuguese Camino and, although it spread quite a bit, it eased after a couple of days of rest.

 

[Kristie]

i will be walking/ hiking 34 km tomorrow and on Thursday. We will see whether this returns. Anything preventing me from starting the second part of the Camino makes me nervous. When hiking from Toulouse to Pamplona, these rashes were never there.

If it returns, you really will be okay. It goes away within a week at the longest.

 

[AnneO]

I get that whenever I walk a lot in the heat while wearing socks. The first time it happened I was a bit alarmed but it really looks way worse than it is and it goes away quickly after a couple of days of rest. It came and went during my whole Camino.

 

[Sugaree]

I have been hiking for over three years. Leaving restaurants, flights and commercial activities aside, I started walking more than the usual 2 kms. Lost 20 kgs.

I am Preparing to hike / walk the Olvidado, thevSan Salvador and Primitivo in September. Training has become essential as there are stages of close to 30 kms and lots of gradients.

The day before yesterday, I hiked my first 40 km. Returning home, both my feet and legs showed red rashes.No itching but spots of red here and there. At first, I thought that it was due to new trousers and new hiking shoes, then it was due to heat and extra effort, and finally due to lactic acid but I had a doubt.

I searched this forum and found no mention of this, reason why I started this thread.

Has anyone had experience of these red rashes that tend to disappear after some time?

Yes it is vasculitis. It occurs when blood pools due to the circulatory system being unable to adequately pump blood back toward the heart when you are exerting yourself, usually on hikes with steeper pitches. I never get it while doing small hikes or long walks. My friend says heat makes her's worse. We both think socks with really tight cuffs, Darn Tough for example, make it worse. We both have blood pressure on the low side, so I wonder if that is also contributing to it. Since I started making sure I drink more water while hiking I have gotten it only once, and not severely.

 

[WalkingInGers]

Just completed a 35 km hike yesterday. The rash on the legs have disappeared but on the feet were still present. I am attempting to believe that practice will eventually remove the red patches as the body needs to acclimate to the effort.

Thank you ALL for your insights and experiences as it is much appreciated.

 

[Juno]

I too suffer from vasculitis and it looks awful. Unfortunately the pharmacists I’ve seen in Spain are not always aware of the condition and I often get unnecessary creams that do nothing to help. I put it down to the wool in the socks causing a heat rash which causes the tiny blood vessels to come to the surface and burst. (Sounds worse than it is) In my case it has left pale brown patches around my ankle. It goes away when I stop walking. A consultant suggested wearing compression socks which I can’t do in the heat. I’ve bought new hiking socks from Bridgedale which are ultra light T2 with merino performance in the hope that my feet wont get so hot. Tip, take your socks off every time you stop for a break.

My husband gets this rash on any multi-day walking/hiking trip in hot weather, not just the camino. His doesn't itch or hurt, just looks alarming. It is has been diagnosed "golfer's rash" - or exercise-induced vasculitis. Clears up on its own after a few weeks back home.

 

[ReggieLouise]

I have been hiking for over three years. Leaving restaurants, flights and commercial activities aside, I started walking more than the usual 2 kms. Lost 20 kgs.

I am Preparing to hike / walk the Olvidado, thevSan Salvador and Primitivo in September. Training has become essential as there are stages of close to 30 kms and lots of gradients.

The day before yesterday, I hiked my first 40 km. Returning home, both my feet and legs showed red rashes.No itching but spots of red here and there. At first, I thought that it was due to new trousers and new hiking shoes, then it was due to heat and extra effort, and finally due to lactic acid but I had a doubt.

I searched this forum and found no mention of this, reason why I started this thread.

Has anyone had experience of these red rashes that tend to disappear after some time?

Hikers rash, I’ve had it a few times, usually when I’ve been hiking with a heavy pack, but as I get older (62) it seems to happen even without a heavy pack. As others have said, it’s not painful or itchy. If you’re worried, see a doc to confirm.

 

[Cliff175]

I have had a similar experience,,, turns out I was allergic to the socks,,, ( had to be material or chemical ( antibacterial maybe) in the socks
Still took several days to heal,,,
Changed socks,, was fine after that ,,

Good luck to you

 

[Saranger]

If you’re susceptible to this, try putting your feet up several times during the day (on a chair or bench). When you finish your hike, take your shoes/socks off and put your feet up over your head (on a headboard, wall, tree, doesn't matter-just so it's above your heart). I've only had this twice after I’d been walking in the heat all day and when I stopped I was unable to do my usual routine (I was standing in line at the Pilgrim's Office).

 

[Roland49]

Had this, too on my CP. It's a reaction of sweating, heat und constant rubbing. Nothing to care about. Shower, cool down, use cream. After a few days it's gone.

If you walk for a longer period like the francés in one go your body get used to it and it will disappear while you were walking.

BC