The two-time Tour de France winner hit a barrier at the start of the brutal 11th stage in the Pyrenees and although he limped across the line more than seven minutes behind new leader Fabio Aru (Astana), Froome cast doubt over his further participation.
Froome underwent scans on his injured knee and shoulder after crashing into a wall early in the stage. His team said that he was having difficulty walking post-stage - something he later confirmed via Twitter.
He appeared close to abandoning the race when he was dropped from the group of main contenders with three of the six climbs remaining but the 30-year-old doggedly continued with the help of his Sky team mates and managed to finish the stage.
However, after losing so much time and with 10 stages remaining, Froome's hopes of emulating Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978) as the only men to win the Tour and Vuelta in the same year are all but over.
He also praised team mate Geraint Thomas, who helped nurse him through to the finish.
UPDATE: Froome has confirmed a fracture in his foot and will not start Stage 12.
The 21-stage race finishes in Madrid on Sept. 13. SBS will begin its live coverage of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday 5th September with the 215km 14th Stage from Vitoria to Alto Campoo. SBS/HD and streaming online at Cycling Central from 2330 – 0200.
