A Physio Clinic Visit in Ponferrada
I just had second my second visit to the physio in Ponferrada.
The treatment was excellent, but there’s still a fair bit of pain. I left the clinic with lots of advice on stretching, strapping, medication and how to get myself through the final stages to Santiago. I have to say the medical services that I’ve called upon so far in Spain, mainly farmacias and physios have been absolutely excellent. I was given given a lesson in stretching in their ‘mini-gym’!
So now I need to have a slight change of plan.
I’m not going to be able to walk 20 to 25 kilometer days anymore. I just need to accept that.
Perhaps this is another lesson that the Camino teaches. That sometimes, we need to adapt our plans and adjust them to what is more manageable.
I’ll be doing a short walk today, and tomorrow. And then jumping forward a section. That will enable me to completely walk the final 100 kilometers into Santiago. I’m going to try and limit myself to 12 to 15 kilometers a day. That should be manageable.
The final 2 days will be 19 kilometers each.
But I’m sure with the combination of adrenaline, coffee and painkillers, I will make it.
MR Rob:
Again thank you for sharing information on medical foot care 🙂 Earlier today I was counting the number of days you have been on the Camino and comparing it to your geographical location. I think you are doing great!
In my humble opinion, the journey is the reward. Whether or not you walk every step from SJPP to Santiago is not important.
I will be curious to see how many days it takes you to complete a reasonable walk from Sarria to Santiago as I too, anticipate having to jump forward. I tentatively plan to just see how far I get and then when I am “X” number of days away from the required end of my journey I will jump ahead to Sarria. I have given myself 45 days in Spain, which equates to roughly 41 days to complete my Camino.
You are an inspiration and I again thank you for this wonderful blog.
Melanie
Sounds like a good plan Melanie…
I’ve now planned my stages for the final 100 km. I’ll do it in 8 stages.
Because I expect the number of Pilgrims to increase a lot after Sarria, I booked my accommodation already…
P S. I’m happy to share how I am managing my feet and legs through the journey, but everyone’s foot problems are likely to be a bit different.
So take these as general tips only and seek professional medical advice too.
For example, what I thought were shin splints were in fact strained muscles and tendons caused by my feet/legs ‘compensating’ for my Achilles Tendon damage…. might be the same thing. ….not sure 🙂
The tip now it seems is to try to walk ‘normally’ without a ‘limp’.
Hi Rob: quick question about your medical attention. – did you buy travelers insurance or just pay as you go? Is it affordable? Thanks Tatiana
Hi Tatiana.
Yes I did take out medical insurance in case anything ‘big’ happened.
But stuff like Physio was really cheap so I won’t bother claiming it. Generally about 30e for each physio session!
Medications were cheap too…
My husband and I are starting the Camino Frances next week; we are hoping to walk 20 km a day and this will be no challenge for my husband. However, I already know that I will likely not manage 20 km per day with my bad knees. I am a little worried about how I get from town to town if I need to take a day or two off or if I can only walk part of the day. Wondering if there is a good system of buses, trains or taxis to go from one town to the next? Is it better to start the day walking and end the day riding? Is the other way around better – taking a bus/taxi in the morning and ending the day by walking?
Thanks for a great blog and all the helpful information, Kathy
Hi Kathy. I’m very envious, you will have a great time. I had a couple of times when due to injury I had to ‘jump’ ahead. It is normally quite easy to get a taxi from the villages that you stop at. It might just take an hour to reach you in the more remote areas…
I know others used buses. Whether to start or end the day ‘riding’ may depend on where you are, the terrain, and the frequency of villages along the way for that day.
If you have a good guide book that will assist you greatly in planning your day.
Just start off easy. Don’t push yourself. After a few days you will find your Rhythm.
Above all don’t panic. Don’t try to over plan. The Camino really does provide….
And……….if you have bad knees, use walking poles! And make sure you use them properly. Simplistically…….push down on the poles in order to take weight off your joints. Plant them just behind you to gain more upward assistance and further back (like 45 degrees) to gain both upward and forward assistance. Most people dangle them off their hands and get no benefit. You need to be putting 5-10 kg of downward pressure on them going up a hill for example. You’ll get the hang of them.