How to Protect Your Back While Traveling

According to research from Georgetown University, nearly 65 million Americans have reported a recent episode of back pain. In fact, they also indicate that approximately 8% of Americans have chronic back pain problems. This causes them to have to limit certain activities that they otherwise would have been fine with, such as traveling. Limiting one’s activities because of constant back pain is a necessity for some, but it is also terribly troubling in the sense that it can hold you back from living the life you want. 

Those already suffering from back pain issues need to learn what they can do to help protect their back while traveling. There are measures that one can take to keep their back protected from additional damage and injury if one wants to keep their vacation schedule and also keep their back safe from additional and extensive damage. Reach out to our team at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery if you have any questions about mitigating pain while traveling or how to help treat it afterwards.

Seating Modification Can Help With Back Pain

No matter if you take a plane, bus, train, or your vehicle on vacation, you might need to work on seating medication to help make sure you have the most comfortable seating situation that you possibly can. There are different ways that you can do this, including: 

• Bring Lower-Back Support: It is quite possible that the seating situation on a plane, train, or automobile will not have the lumbar support that you require. You can use a lumbar pillow or another support system to help make sure you can minimize your lower back pain and maintain a healthy posture 
• Take a Neck Pillow with You: These pillows can keep your neck and spine better protected. A healthy posture and a supported neck can help you alleviate the back pain that you might otherwise experience. 
• Use a Footrest: To keep your spine correctly aligned, you should use a footrest. This will help you keep your body held at the proper 90-degree angles that are necessary to maintain the posture that you need to avoid back strain.

These are just a few ways that you can quickly and easily change your seating to ensure that your spine is properly protected. 

Stay Active As Much As Possible

Some people may feel like they don’t want to move their back and spine around at all because they might experience some strain when they do. However, the reality is that keeping your body in motion is the best way to keep your spine healthy. 

It is necessary for you to change positions often when you are traveling and working on taking care of your back. The rule of thumb for changing positions is to move at least every 30 minutes while traveling. Even a tiny change in position might be enough to find some relief from your back pain. 

Take Stretch Breaks

Traveling for multiple hours to arrive at your destination means that you will likely experience the stiffness and discomfort that can come with long journeys. If you don’t get out of your vehicle on a regular basis to stretch, you are going to be even stiffer and in pain. It’s best to stretch approximately every 60-90 minutes when traveling. This can help work out some of the tightness and stiffness that would otherwise exist within someone’s back. 

Try to Minimize Stress

There are a lot of connections between your mental health and your physical health. If you allow stress to build up too significantly in your body, then you run the risk of experiencing negative physical effects from this. 

While you are out on vacation, you can practice some stress-reducing techniques such as deep breathing and meditation. These techniques can be practiced anywhere. If you want to get really in-depth with things, you can also consider taking some yoga or meditation classes in the area where you are vacationing. These courses are offered virtually everywhere, so you can include them as part of your vacation plan. 

Reach Out to Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery Specialists Today

It is vitally important to take care of your back pain while you are traveling. Our specialists at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery can help you with the tips and tricks you need to take care of your back pain while you are busy traveling. 

Our team is on standby to help you get the relief you require while you are traveling. It is all about finding a better way to manage the pain and difficulties that you might have been dealing with entirely on your own up to this point. Get in touch with us today at (855) 853-6542 or please contact us online.