We often hear individuals say, “how am I going to go on my trip with this pain?” or “I won’t be able to make it through the flight with this pain.” Back pain can cause restriction with movement and difficulty with daily activities but there are multiple ways to help reduce pain and improve the overall range of motion to help allow you to enjoy your vacations and trips.
How do I plan for my trip and my pain?
To prepare for travel, experts recommend bringing a neck pillow or lumbar support pillow. This helps support your curvature and gives it comfort during long travels on flights, buses, or car rides. Sitting for extended periods can also aggravate symptoms. It is advised to stand up and stretch every thirty minutes to an hour. If there is not room to stretch, try walking up and down the aisle two to three times and stretch in the aisle. If you are on a car ride, make a pit stop to get gas, snacks or take a bathroom break every one to two hours. During this break, you can take three to five minutes to stretch. Plan for these breaks in your travel schedule as this will help reduce or prevent your symptoms when traveling.
Should I lay or lean on something to help relive my pain?
When traveling, many individuals feel laying against the window or leaning onto the arm rest may help their body relax and feel better. Typically, this can aggravate symptoms due to the rotation or sideways bend towards one side of the body for an extended period. Sitting up straight, with good posture is advised to prevent this. We also recommend keeping legs straight forward without crossing them or having one leg on top of the other. Crossing the legs causes a rotation and imbalance within your pelvis which can provoke or cause back pain over time. When in a seated position, it is also best to have your knees at a ninety-degree angle. If your feet do not touch the ground, put an item or bag beneath your feet. If your leg length causes your knees to be higher than ninety degrees, it would be best to bring your feet more outwards or bring a cushion for under your bottom. The cushion will add height for your legs to hopefully create balance. Prepare ahead of time and bring a sweatshirt, cushion, or book bag with you to have these materials to assist in good posture while traveling.
What supplies should I bring on my trip for my pain?
As a last resort when traveling with back pain, it may be necessary to bring supplies to relieve pain while traveling. This may be an ice pack, heat pack or pain-relieving topical analgesics such as Biofreeze or Icy Hot. There are several different applications when it comes to pain-relieving topical analgesics. Using sprays and patches can help during travels so pain symptoms are reduced during periods of sedentary positions. Bringing a heating pad or ice packs can help before and after the travels incase this activity aggravates current symptoms you may be having.
Back pain can cause difficulty with travel whether it is for work, vacation, or family trips. If you take the right precautions, bring necessary supplies, and perform the proper stretches, it can help make travel less painful and prevent aggravation of current symptoms.
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