Being the part of our body that will suffer the most, we have to pay special attention and care with them. To do this, we give you the following tips to follow for a Organized trip to the Camino de Santiago and forever:

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET DURING THE WAY TO SANTIAGO

Days before starting your journey you should start hydrating your feet, if you already did it as a daily routine that you have earned, usually with a moisturizer that softens our skin and prevents possible chafing. At night, before sleeping, it would be a good time to do it (if you put on some socks after applying the cream the effect will multiply)

One of the best and most powerful creams on the market that we recommend to avoid chafing is Weleda's Skin Food. It will also serve to nourish and repair hands, elbows and lips exposed during the Camino (especially in summer and spring when they are more visible).

Al do the Camino de Santiago from Sarria It would also be necessary to apply this moisturizing cream, before the beginning of the stages, in order to avoid that dryness and friction with the footwear can cause rubbing or blisters. You can also make use of petroleum jelly, although it does not have the same properties as a specific cream.

After each stage and after leaving the long-awaited and relaxing shower, it is also important to rehydrate the soles of the feet, focusing on the heels.

SWOLLEN FEET AT THE END OF THE STAGE

Bathe them in warm salt water and then massage them with the moisturizer, petroleum jelly or rosemary alcohol and leave them in the air.

It is convenient that after the shower, you wear flip-flops or espadrilles so that the foot “breathes”.

USE OF SPECIAL SOCKS AND CHOICE OF FOOTWEAR TO AVOID BLISTERS AND SCRATCHES

To avoid chafing and possible blisters, it is essential to take special care in the choice of footwear, using trekking shoes or boots that we have used previously and are quite trotted.

It is also important to bring good seamless cotton socks: in specialized stores they sell some that keep the foot dry, although there are also synthetic materials that work very well. If there are seams or the sock wrinkles, it can promote the appearance of blisters. On the other hand, there are anti-blister socks, although like everything in life they are not infallible.

Another solution to avoid chafing would be to wear a thin sock and a thicker one on top. In winter and autumn there would be no problem with this trick, the problem would be in summer and that the foot would sweat more than we would like.

If, when starting to walk, we feel slight discomfort in the feet, we must stop immediately and check if they are red. In that case we will have to clean and place a dressing or plaster to protect that area, before the abrasion or blister occurs.

MUSCLE MASSAGE-GOODBYE NEEDLES

Before starting the daily stage, after doing a little warm-up, we advise you to use Weleda arnica oil to accelerate muscle toning, protecting them against possible contractures, soreness and injuries. The oil will wrap your muscles in a layer of heat that will activate them before starting the walk.

After showering, using this massage oil will also help you quickly relax muscles.

I HAVE A BLISTER WHAT DO I DO ??

If, despite taking all the necessary precautions, a blister has finally appeared, we must proceed as follows:

Clean the area of the blister with disinfectant.
With a needle sterilized with alcohol, we drain the liquid from the ampoule, inserting a thread along it and coming out, and we wait for the liquid to disappear. Then apply betadine with gauze and leave it in the air.
Once this is done, we can put a deposit covering the blister, or a protective layer and padding special patches that dry them "COMPEED"

WE SHOULD NEVER CUT THE SKIN OF THE BLISTER.

ATTENTION TO THE NAILS

Not only should the feet be taken care of during the Camino de Santiago, another element that usually causes a lot of discomfort are the toenails, usually produced, also, by a poor choice of footwear (small footwear that on the down slopes press the toe and produce "ingrown nails")

You must have your nails well cut. If you have corns or calluses, it is best to visit the podiatrist before starting the Camino. In the little medicine cabinet what should you take to the Camino We recommend bringing a nail clipper and a file.

Regardless of our physical form, it is our feet that to a greater extent will decide our greatest enjoyment and continuity until Santiago de Compostela. A simple blister can keep you from taking a single step!

It is true that although we transport your luggage at all stages, your feet and knees will suffer less, but even so, minimum care must be taken.