Many pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago develop injuries or illnesses during their walk . This can mar the enjoyment that they derive from their Camino experience - and in some cases even result in them having to postpone or even give up their walk.
In many instances, these injuries and illnesses can be prevented by appropriate prior preparation - and the purpose of this article is to provide advice - practical advice, gleaned from walking the Camino myself and helping to treat some of my companeros - that may help those planning to walk the Camino themselves.
Preparation for Walking the Camino
Attempting to arrive in France or Spain on an international flight and start one´s walk the very next day is asking for trouble. It is best to pre-book a hotel near the airport and get a good night´s rest on the day of your arrival so you can overcome fatigue and jet lag, and the following morning get a train or bus to your starting point (St Jean Pied de Port in France, or Roncesvalles, Pamplona or wherever you have decided to commence your walk from in Spain) and spend the night there prior to starting your walk. Particularly if you are crossing the Pyrenees from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles, you have to be at your best physicallly as this ascent can be physically demanding.
Preventing Blisters and Shoe Cuts
Walking the Camino requires good footwear and investing in a sound pair of hiking boots for your walk is wise. Don´t buy it the week before you leave on your walk however - buy it a good three months before, and "break it in", wearing it for longer and longer periods of walking while still at home. On the first or second occasion that you wear the new boots you may develop blisters. Don´t worry, allow the blisters to heal and when healed, wear the boots again and walk. In the unlikely event of you getting blisters again, these will take a shorter time to heal - and the thickened skin in the previously blistered area will be resistant to blister formation on your long Camino walks. Remenber, you will be walking for 4 to 6 hours every day while on the Camino
Walk for longer and longer periods, until you are able to walk for at least four hours wearing the boots BEFORE you leave your own country for your Pilgrimage.
A useful preventive mechanism is to wear two pairs of socks - so that any friction while you walk takes place between the two layers of socks rather than between the two layers of your skin. Another useful tip is to carry a few waterporoof dressings (Opsite or Cutifilm are good examples) that can be applied to protect any inflamed areas of skin to prevent them developing into full blown blisters.
Preventing Diarrhoea and Stomach Upsets
It is easy to get food poisoning, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea while walking the Camino if you don´t follow the basic rules of hygiene.
- Drink only botled water - or, if you want to fill your water bottle from the many fountains or fuentes along the way, carry water purification tablets. Aqua pòtable only means that the water is drinkable - it does not guarantee that the water is sterile! Take a chance if you want to - but if you want to be 101% certain that the water will not give you germs, take along your water purification tablets.
- Wash your hands before touching food - and wash any fruits before you eat them. This minimises the chance of you transmitting bacteria from door handles, toilets, other people´s hands etc onto the bread and other food you put into your mouth
- Eat only from reputable places - and remember the old adage ¨"If you can´t cook it, peel it or wash it, don´t eat it".
- Carry a small supply of oral rehydration salts (Gastrolyte, Hydralyte etc) and replenish your supply when used up, from pharmacies (Farmacias) in Spain, where they can be bought over the counter. These are useful for a one off episode of diarrhoea, as they replace the fluids lost. Equally useful to replace lost fluids are gasless soft drinks - Aquarius is a common non-carbonated soft drink available in Spain which is excellent for the purpose.
Remembering these few simple bits of advice should help you to avoid injuries and illnesses while walking the Camino.
Buen Camino!
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
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Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
