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Ten Travel Tips to Keep Back Pain at Bay
There is nothing worse than when you are traveling and you find yourself in a lot of pain. This sort of unexpected turn can ruin your vacation or trip very quickly. Plan ahead and learn some precautions that you can take to avoid such disasters.
Avoid the Same Position
Try and avoid being in the same position for too long at a time. This may cause stiffness and more pain. If driving, you should try to stop for a break about every hour for at least five minutes long. Try and walk around and stretch out those muscles. You want to keep the blood moving.
Handling Luggage
Whether it is the beginning of your trip or you are on your way home, you do not want to injure yourself by handling your luggage. Remember to move slowly when lifting your luggage. Also, try and break down the action of lifting your luggage into smaller steps. When you load a suitcase into a trunk, slowly lift it onto a stool and then lift it the rest of the way into the trunk.
Other suggestions for handling luggage are:
Bend at the knees and use legs to lift instead of your back
Do not twist back while lifting. Always use your feet to pivot.
Carry any heavy luggage as close to your body as you can.
Try and carry the same amount of weight on each side of your body.
If only handling one bag, switch sides so that you will not strain one side of back
Try to Pack Light
Avoid over packing just one bag. It may be a lot easer to take several smaller bags than injuring your back on one big bag. It is also a great investment to have a suitcase or bag that has a handle and wheels. But, you will still want to be careful not to over pack because you will have to eventually lift it at some point of the trip. If very heavy luggage will be unavoidable for your trip, you may want to look into shipping it ahead of time so that you will not have to struggle with it yourself.
Back Support
It is also a very good idea to bring your own back support. Planes, trains and cars do not always have the right kind of support that you need for lower back or your neck. If you forget, you could always just use a jacket, sweater, blanket or pillow rolled up to provide some support in the lower part of your back.
Proper Foot Support
Your feet should be placed flat on the floor at all times if you can. If your seat is too high, you may need a stool to rest your feet flat on. Otherwise this can also lead to stress on your back. You should always keep knees at a right angle. While driving you may want to consider using the cruise control so that you do not have to have your foot on the gas.
Posture
Poor posture puts a terrible strain on your spine. It can be made worse if you stuck in the same position for a long period of time. Try and remember to keep your back against the back of the seat. Keep your shoulders straight and not to slouch. Keep both of your feet flat on floor in front of you with out crossing your legs. When you are driving the seat and steering wheel should be adjusted so that you also have the correct posture. You should never have to reach for the steering wheel.
Comforts from Home
You may want to bring your pillow from home, especially if you have a special pillow. This will not only be more comforting, but you will be able to use the other pillows to support you wherever else you may need it.
Ice Packs and Heat
Bring along ice packs and self-heating packs for long plane rides or a long car ride. You can ice the affected area every 20 minutes. Then wait 20 minutes and repeat. Muscle rub ointment patches and self-heating packs also work wonders. Some of the heat packs can work up to 8 hours at a time. This can be a real relief when stuck in the same position for longer than you expect to be.
Take Medications Along
Make sure to take medications along so that you can get to them no matter how you are traveling. You will also want to bring water and maybe a snack to take these medications.
Make Requests
Do not be afraid to ask for help. You may be surprised how many people that may help you. Some people may be happy to help you put your bag in an overhead compartment or lift you bags into the trunk. It never hurts to ask. When staying at a hotel request a refrigerator in your room to keep ice packs and any medications that may need refrigerated. Also, if your back is that bad, you may want to request that your room be on the main floor. That way you will not have to deal with any stairs. You may even want to look into travelers insurance, just in case your trip takes a turn for the worst.
Taking the above precautions can mean the difference between a good trip and a painful one.
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