Day 9 - Ventosa to Najera

Unfortunately, the day begins as it ended yesterday. Immediately after getting up, I have terrible pain in my right leg again. This means that the decision has been made as to whether I will walk today or not. I have breakfast with other pilgrims in the bar where I sat yesterday when I arrived in Ventosa. The landlady calls me a taxi. After a half-hour drive, I reach the medical center in Najera. Registration is difficult because they obviously haven't had many German patients and I am not yet listed in the database of the medical service in La Rioja. After we have dealt with the paperwork, I am taken straight to a doctor. Pilgrims are given preferential treatment because the hardships are well known and so all people are generally very friendly and helpful. After I have been examined, the doctor tells me that there is nothing serious in itself. In the places where I have had previous injuries, torn ligaments or fractures, the area is just swollen and bruised. This could be due to a sprain or, more likely, due to overexertion. I'm supposed to take it easy today, but I can continue tomorrow, in shorter stages. It can get worse, but it can also swell up. But I can't get a serious injury from it. I'm getting stronger painkillers, a pentosan polysulfan ointment that I'm supposed to rub on the affected areas in addition to the Voltaren, and compression stockings to prevent further swelling. After running, I'm supposed to always cool my leg and keep it elevated.
I position myself at a bar along the Camino again and relax a bit. I see more and more unfamiliar faces and when I continue tomorrow I will probably only meet new people as I will be quite behind. But as we all know, you always see each other twice in life and so I hope to see one or two familiar faces again in the next few weeks and I am also looking forward to meeting lots of new people, more interesting stories and simply the rest of the Camino.
I also walked around the town a bit. It's bigger than I thought, but doesn't really have much to offer. Then I looked for a hostel for today.
Because I still had a lot of the day ahead of me, I thought I would try to find a physiotherapist who might have a little time for me today. The first one I met said he was fully booked, but asked me if I was a pilgrim and when I said yes, he gave me an appointment during his lunch break. I say yes, pilgrims are very highly regarded here.
When I arrived, he got started straight away. Massage, TECAR therapy, electrostimulation therapy (stimulation current using electrodes on the skin), manual therapy, pain therapy (two needles were inserted directly into the muscle tissue and then electric shocks were delivered - quite funny because this causes the foot to pulsate and kick sideways), isolated strengthening exercises, massage using compression boots (a type of boot/stocking is put on and the leg is massaged/stretched using air, etc.), more manual therapy and finally the areas were stabilized a little using kinesiotape. In total, I was in the practice for almost 2 hours and was treated really well and intensively. And be careful!!: I paid €45 for everything 😲🙏 Again: pilgrims are so highly regarded here. Unbelievable. Thanks to Juanjo (the man on the cover photo) at this point.
At 7pm we'll have a communal dinner in the hostel and at 8pm I have an appointment with the barber (but I don't know yet if I'll go 😅)After that it's just bedtime and tomorrow morning we'll continue on foot on the Camino 🙏🚶🏽‍♂️‍➡️
I will run, but I'm not sure where I'll go. There will be a town every 5km or so tomorrow, so I can decide spontaneously.
Cost of the day:
Hostel 11€Breakfast 4€Taxi 22€ Medicine 33€ Physio 45€ Meals during the day 13€Dinner 11€