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Last camino I got a red leg rash that looked like an allergic reaction to something.
I get this, too. Very common with hikers. I have found that rolling or folding my socks down works fine for me. Thanks for giving it a nameLast camino I got a red leg rash that looked like an allergic reaction to something. In Sarria I stopped at the hospital and they gave me a cream that seemed to make it go away.
It appears to have been Golfer's Vasculitis.
For this year' strip, I was going to wear hiking shoes instead of boots and low socks and liners.
I have a couple of questions:
Is this a common problem for other pelegrinos?
Where can I find shorter liner socks? All the ones in my local store are calf height. Those of you that wear low socks. What type of liners do you use?
Thanks.
Rambler
I have actually cut off the elastic top part of the socks to make them lower and that works as a temporary fix for me. Lower and looser around the calf seem to minimize this. Weird thing.
I am getting a bit confused then.Rambler, I bet that shot was cortisone. It whacks rashes and inflammation like nothing else, and it´s cheap!
I am allergic to most good socks, I have determined it is the combination of wool and latex (in the elastic.) My underpants do the same thing to me if the elastic is not sewn-over... YIKES.
I put on some "crema alergical" (available without RX at any spanish pharmacy) and it goes away. Strangely, I can wear SmartWool pullovers all winter with no ill effect, but SmartWool socks (with the built-in elastic) always give me a nasty rash like the photos above. Ergo, I think it´s the latex.
Last camino I got a red leg rash that looked like an allergic reaction to something. In Sarria I stopped at the hospital and they gave me a cream that seemed to make it go away.
It appears to have been Golfer's Vasculitis.
For this year' strip, I was going to wear hiking shoes instead of boots and low socks and liners.
I have a couple of questions:
Is this a common problem for other pelegrinos?
Where can I find shorter liner socks? All the ones in my local store are calf height. Those of you that wear low socks. What type of liners do you use?
Thanks.
Rambler
Hi I'm relatively new to the forum but have had the same problem as many of you. I went to a consultant at my local hospital on my return from the Camino and it's also called Exercise Induced Vasculitis. Creams do not work as it's tiny blood vessels coming to the surface. Avoiding getting it is best as it's left me with permanent patches just above my ankles. I didn't get much advice on how to avoid it but removing socks and boots whenever you rest and keeping your feet elevated when possible helps to lessen the outbreak. I was also told Lymphatic drainage which I take to be some kind of massage? Keeping your feet cool is helpful too so dip your feet in Streams may help. Some people get the rash mildly and it goes away. I understand that it's more prevalent with age.I was lucky and only had it once, on my first day on the mesata. If I had not read about it here on the forum, I would have been worried. I used regular hand lotion and luckily it went away quickly. When it was hot, I started to fold down my socks onto my boots, don't know if that helped me.
On my second Camino with the lower socks and shoes, I had much less of it. then one day I decided to wear a crew height pair of socks and it hit with a vengeance. It took days to go away and looked horrible.Hi I'm relatively new to the forum but have had the same problem as many of you. I went to a consultant at my local hospital on my return from the Camino and it's also called Exercise Induced Vasculitis. Creams do not work as it's tiny blood vessels coming to the surface. Avoiding getting it is best as it's left me with permanent patches just above my ankles. I didn't get much advice on how to avoid it but removing socks and boots whenever you rest and keeping your feet elevated when possible helps to lessen the outbreak. I was also told Lymphatic drainage which I take to be some kind of massage? Keeping your feet cool is helpful too so dip your feet in Streams may help. Some people get the rash mildly and it goes away. I understand that it's more prevalent with age.
Last camino I got a red leg rash that looked like an allergic reaction to something. In Sarria I stopped at the hospital and they gave me a cream that seemed to make it go away.
It appears to have been Golfer's Vasculitis.
For this year' strip, I was going to wear hiking shoes instead of boots and low socks and liners.
I have a couple of questions:
Is this a common problem for other pelegrinos?
Where can I find shorter liner socks? All the ones in my local store are calf height. Those of you that wear low socks. What type of liners do you use?
Thanks.
Rambler
I know this is a late response to your post but I cannot seem to start a newer thread on this topic. My problem is that I am wearing compression sleeves for shin splints and a stretchy knee brace for a dodgy knee during my training for walking in 2016 and now am fearful that I may have problems with wearing them during the actual walk. Are they likely to cause hiker's rash?I get a red rash on the tops of my feet, ankles and just above the ankles and it is definitely (in my case) a heat rash. It only happens in hot weather. Low socks, just wearing thin liners or sandals is the answer for me.
I know this is a late response to your post but I cannot seem to start a newer thread on this topic. My problem is that I am wearing compression sleeves for shin splints and a stretchy knee brace for a dodgy knee during my training for walking in 2016 and now am fearful that I may have problems with wearing them during the actual walk. Are they likely to cause hiker's rash?
Hi Rambler do you find low socks stay put? I just bought the lightest socks I could but I'm reluctant to try low socks incase they slide down or rub. Mine are the Bridgedale ankle socks and their thinnest ones, I had thicker ones last time. I'm hoping the thinner ones rolled down will do the trick. Let's face it, we don't normally walk that much so it's bound to have some impact if you're over 50! I wouldn't use liners as its adding more heat. My socks don't move & I put Vicks on my feet which is a tip I got from Spanish pilgrims! Reduces getting blisters. Any tips on low socks which work? Thanks.On my second Camino with the lower socks and shoes, I had much less of it. then one day I decided to wear a crew height pair of socks and it hit with a vengeance. It took days to go away and looked horrible.
Guess will just have to live with it...
Rambler
This forum is amazing! I experienced this myself for the first time on Saturday, and today I log on and this thread has surfaced! Very interesting - I had assumed it was some type of heat rash but it's kind of reassuring (I guess) to hear it is so common (a bit of Googling finds lengthy discussions on other hiking-related sites). In my case, I wore trail runners with Thorlo hiking socks and women's opaque 'knee highs' ('pop-socks' to some) as liners, both folded down as far as possible but with the result I had a thick band of sock around my ankle, the inner layer not very breathable. I had no problems with this combo last time I used it - but that was in the winter. The redness was there yesterday on both ankles when I took off the socks - after my first long walk (15km) in my programme of building back up to fitness after surgery - Anniesantiago's comment about legs not being used to walking would be correct there, as it's about 4 months since I last did a walk of that length, although I've been building up and walking around 10km. It was also very hot (summer here) - despite an early start it was nearing 30C by the later part of the walk (late morning), and humidity quite high. I thought it may have been the liners causing heat to build up, but it sounds as though it's more complicated than that. Next time I'll try without them, or else use them but fold the socks down differently so as not to get such a thick band round my ankles.
Gets pretty hot on the other side of the Cascades so shouldn't have a problem trying out my training gear this Summer. Not sure how I could replace the compression sleeves or knee brace though. Surely someone on this forum has worn elastic knee braces on the Camino. Are there specific brands that work better as far as preventing hiker's rash?If you do enough hiking in preparation, you should have the answer. The exception might be if you don't have any hot weather for your training hikes, and you are going during a hot time of the year.
I've had no problem causing the rash in a day hike. I was able to figure out the boot/sock combinations which caused it and used something different on the trip.
Gets pretty hot on the other side of the Cascades so shouldn't have a problem trying out my training gear this Summer. Not sure how I could replace the compression sleeves or knee brace though. Surely someone on this forum has worn elastic knee braces on the Camino. Are there specific brands that work better as far as preventing hiker's rash?
Sounds reasonable. I usually take the brace off after hiking anyway -- can't stand to have it on any longer than necessary! Thanks.I wore your standard beige elastic knee bands with the stiffeners on the side for the first half to Burgos, I wore them under loose long pants and got mild heat rash, they key is after you are finished walking for the day, take a shower and let your skin "air out" for the rest of the afternoon and add moisturizer later in the evening.
I experienced heat rash on an epic scale when I used to stand watch on a ship close to the equator where you have two temps, hot and even hotter, plus the extreme temps of the engine room made it even more miserable, the doc onboard prescribed drinking lots of water and "air out your skin".
Gets pretty hot on the other side of the Cascades so shouldn't have a problem trying out my training gear ?
What about compression socks?Rambler, you don't need cortisone.
It's not a rash that cortisone will help.
It is caused by tiny vessels breaking because your legs are not used to walking 6 hours each day carrying a pack.
If you just leave it alone, it goes away on its own.
What about compression socks?
Podiatrist and MD say I should wear them all the time. I wear 40mg ones in summer - a pain to put on. But they suggest that if I consistently wear a lighter weight, 20mg, I won't need the 40mg. In drug stores, and fitness stores, you can get 15mg without an Rx.A friend of mine just turned me on to compression socks after I returned from Santiago in June.
I haven't tried them yet, but they may work.
Have you tried them?
I did wear them around the house after my ankle began acting up and they seemed to help, but I'm not sure if they'd work for this vascular problem.
It does seem logical though?
I'm curious if you are supposed to wear the compression socks to treat "hiker's rash" or another problem.Podiatrist and MD say I should wear them all the time.
Well, if they compress they may prevent blood vessels from bursting ... maybe?I'm curious if you are supposed to wear the compression socks to treat "hiker's rash" or another problem.
Don't be afraid to just cut off good thick hiking socks. That solved it for me. I agree with no liners for those of us with vasculitis... adds another area of pressure/friction against skin/heat which we don't need. I settled for thick socks cut off.... ahhhhhhhhHi Rambler do you find low socks stay put? I just bought the lightest socks I could but I'm reluctant to try low socks incase they slide down or rub. Mine are the Bridgedale ankle socks and their thinnest ones, I had thicker ones last time. I'm hoping the thinner ones rolled down will do the trick. Let's face it, we don't normally walk that much so it's bound to have some impact if you're over 50! I wouldn't use liners as its adding more heat. My socks don't move & I put Vicks on my feet which is a tip I got from Spanish pilgrims! Reduces getting blisters. Any tips on low socks which work? Thanks.
Also, they do stay put. Buy the socks on the small side so they don't stretch out too much after being cut off.Don't be afraid to just cut off good thick hiking socks. That solved it for me. I agree with no liners for those of us with vasculitis... adds another area of pressure/friction against skin/heat which we don't need. I settled for thick socks cut off.... ahhhhhhhh
I had a variety of socks.... REI, and some I bought in Spain.. Any higher quality sock made today won't unravel. Thank god I carried little sharp scissors with me to do "the operation." NONE of them unraveled. Just cut the cuff off an inch or so from where the sock part starts. Avoid hot feet and any kind of friction. Take off those shoes at least once a day during hiking. The cut off socks cured my vasculitis after my legs and feet got used to walking. Also, rest. Vasculitis does show stress in the body, even though it doesn't itch or hurt, so remember... rest if you can with feet elevated, give those legs and feet hot and cold water and a massage. A nurse I met on the trail said that as we age, the smaller blood vessels under the skin just can't handle as much bloodflow and gravity pressure as they could before. Just plain age plays a role. Do an experiment at home by cutting off a pair of better hiking socks and you will see . I washed socks daily, gently. My RX was one pair of good fitting, cut off socks, and rest and masssage.That's interesting Suzanne! What happens if you wash these chopped off socks day after day? I just can't imagine how they don't fall apart? What socks are these? Of course if they don't unravel there's less to wash but still let us know!
Avoid anything that causes surface friction, like really rough socks or an extra pair of socks, and anything that squeezes, like the elastic cuffs.I had a variety of socks.... REI, and some I bought in Spain.. Any higher quality sock made today won't unravel. Thank god I carried little sharp scissors with me to do "the operation." NONE of them unraveled. Just cut the cuff off an inch or so from where the sock part starts. Avoid hot feet and any kind of friction. Take off those shoes at least once a day during hiking. The cut off socks cured my vasculitis after my legs and feet got used to walking. Also, rest. Vasculitis does show stress in the body, even though it doesn't itch or hurt, so remember... rest if you can with feet elevated, give those legs and feet hot and cold water and a massage. A nurse I met on the trail said that as we age, the smaller blood vessels under the skin just can't handle as much bloodflow and gravity pressure as they could before. Just plain age plays a role. Do an experiment at home by cutting off a pair of better hiking socks and you will see . I washed socks daily, gently. My RX was one pair of good fitting, cut off socks, and rest and masssage.
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your tips! I'llAvoid anything that causes surface friction, like really rough socks or an extra pair of socks, and anything that squeezes, like the elastic cuffs.
thanks for all the tips Suzanne. I'm going with lighter socks in June this year so hopefully it won't be as bad.I had a variety of socks.... REI, and some I bought in Spain.. Any higher quality sock made today won't unravel. Thank god I carried little sharp scissors with me to do "the operation." NONE of them unraveled. Just cut the cuff off an inch or so from where the sock part starts. Avoid hot feet and any kind of friction. Take off those shoes at least once a day during hiking. The cut off socks cured my vasculitis after my legs and feet got used to walking. Also, rest. Vasculitis does show stress in the body, even though it doesn't itch or hurt, so remember... rest if you can with feet elevated, give those legs and feet hot and cold water and a massage. A nurse I met on the trail said that as we age, the smaller blood vessels under the skin just can't handle as much bloodflow and gravity pressure as they could before. Just plain age plays a role. Do an experiment at home by cutting off a pair of better hiking socks and you will see . I washed socks daily, gently. My RX was one pair of good fitting, cut off socks, and rest and masssage.
I developed 'Golfers vasculitis' today for the first time. I have walked thousands of km in the hot sun and have never had it before! I wore the same socks I always wear on our long (19km) training walks and have never had it before. It looks awful! Could it be an age thing?
This is probably a bit late but you should see your doctor to see what is causing it. It may be a heat rash but it could also be Exercise Induced Vasculitis. This is where the amount of exercise and heat with the added restrictions from wearing socks, causes some of the tiny blood vessels to burst. It sounds dramatic but it doesn't hurt, it's just that you get red blotches mainly around the ankle but also in patches anywhere between the ankle and knee. View attachment 21255
My husband and I have been doing a lot of hiking trying to get ready for our Camino Frances trip in Sept. 2016 and I've started experiencing what is know as "Hikers Rash". It usually starts after about 5-6 miles with a very red rash around my ankles and up my legs. I've tried many things so far...wearing low socks, drinking a lot of water and trying to keep cool, but it still shows upHas anyone else had to deal with this during their pilgrimage??
Thank you for any advice
I've been dealing with this same problem and my vascular doctor advised me to wear my compression hose to control the swelling issue, but unfortunately, it exacerbated the vasculitis really bad from over heating my legs. Now I just take a lot of breaks removing my boots and socks and try to keep my legs as cool as possible and that seems to work the best for me.Wow. Weird how this thread is going. I wear compression SLEEVES to prevent shin splints. My question was whether they would exacerbate vasculitis due to overheating. Compression SOCKS/HOSE are used to facilitate vascular return (to the heart), although I suppose they could help shin splints too. Now I'm wondering, as are others on this thread, whether wearing compression sleeves or hose could actually prevent vasculitis. Wouldn't that be great!
The exact same thing happened to me!I've been dealing with this same problem and my vascular doctor advised me to wear my compression hose to control the swelling issue, but unfortunately, it exacerbated the vasculitis really bad from over heating my legs. Now I just take a lot of breaks removing my boots and socks and try to keep my legs as cool as possible and that seems to work the best for me.
I feel so much better knowing that I'm not the only one dealing with this irritating rash.....but so unfortunate that so many of us deal with it. What month are you planning your hiking the Camino Frances?The exact same thing happened to me!
After receiving advice to do so, I wore compression stockings last training hike and after 14kms had to stop with terrible pain in my calves and had to hobble the remaining 3kms home.
After removing them, the rash was worse than ever before
From now on, I will be following your advice.
I agree it is comforting to know that we have the support and encouragement of others as we journey into the unknown.I feel so much better knowing that I'm not the only one dealing with this irritating rash.....but so unfortunate that so many of us deal with it. What month are you planning your hiking the Camino Frances?
I'll be following your post, we don't start out until Sept. 1stI agree it is comforting to know that we have the support and encouragement of others as we journey into the unknown.
We hope to take our first step from SJPDP on Friday the 22nd April.
Hopefully, I'll be able to give you a post Camino update on the rash before you leave
I've been dealing with this same problem and my vascular doctor advised me to wear my compression hose to control the swelling issue, but unfortunately, it exacerbated the vasculitis really bad from over heating my legs. Now I just take a lot of breaks removing my boots and socks and try to keep my legs as cool as possible and that seems to work the best for me.
Me too! I got some expensive runners' compression socks and wore them out for a training walk. I was thinking "these feel OK" and they stayed perfectly in position for 20 km without having to adjust them at all. When I peeled them off at home, instead of some red blotches scattered about my calves, I was solid red from foot to knee! It was all gone 3 days later.The exact same thing happened to me! After receiving advice to do so, I wore compression stockings last training hike and after 14kms had to stop with terrible pain in my calves and had to hobble the remaining 3kms home. After removing them, the rash was worse than ever before
From now on, I will be following your advice.
That was my solution too! Sometimes added a small amount of hydrocortisone cream when it was a bit itchy. Not a serious complaint!I get this, too. Very common with hikers. I have found that rolling or folding my socks down works fine for me. Thanks for giving it a name
I suffered from this at home and on my first Camino. I wore liner socks and wool socks which I rolled down as low as possible. This time I am wearing Injinji liners and cool-max low cut socks. I do roll down the liners because they don't make lower cut ones. No more wool for me. They are way to hot for my feet.
The rash will likely be gone in 2 days without treatment, anyway.Use several times over 24 hrs and rash will be gone in 2 days!
I tried runners compression socks, and got the worst rash ever! Red legs from my toes right up to the knee!have solved it by using calf compression sleeves.
My rash normally has the characteristics of mild hiker's vasculitis, but it is more frequent in hot weather and it is certainly possible that heat aggravated my skin that day. It is also true that everyone's skin does react differently, and it is very hard to generalize about rashes. For me, it is only an occasional problem, and not severe (except that day!) so I haven't pursued a solution.It is possible that you had a heat rash and not the type of rash that I get. But everyone is different so each must find a solution to their own symptoms. Did you find a solution?
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