Staying Pain Free When You Travel

You might be sitting on the airplane on your way across the country or maybe to a foreign country. You might be in the car halfway on a trip from New York to South Carolina. Yo may be even just traveling 40 minutes to see your sister...

Traveling for any length of time with the addition of low back pain can be a real pain. Having to endure sitting for any length of time can be excruciating.

Here are some tools and tips to have in your arsenal of defense against back pain:

First, educate yourself as much as you can. Know why back pain strikes, when it typically happens, and what others have done. Like any health condition you have to know as much as possible. No one will take care of yourself like you will.

Like many other thing, you just can't count on someone else to do all the curing. A patient who presents to our office that knows a lot about his or her condition and has done certain things to remedy the pain will usually get better faster than someone who simply shows up and says; "doc, fix me, and make it quick"!

Later this month, we are traveling with sunny florida with our 11 month old. I am getting my size 4 diapers and wipes shipped ahead to our destination so that I don't have to carry them with me.

Frankly, shipping your stuff ahead might be cheaper these days. You can probably avoid the $25 charge that comes with checking a bag. That being said, don't try to carry on a bag that's tooheavy. After you drag it through the airport you have to heave it up into the overhead and then get it out to boot. All this while trying to be careful not to clobber someone in the head with your suitcase or bag.

A lumbar support belt helps to keep that lower back stable and in alignment. This is what I mean by being ready or prepared. Travel with that low back support, so if you need it it's there. The same goes for for an ice pack or back support.

I remember that one particular person had to drive about 4 hours for work. She actually took a cooler to put that ice pack in to keep it colder. She even had the heated seats but ice seemed to work much better in her case.

Everything in the body works together. Your low back connects to the pelvis or buttocks. That connects to the hamstrings, the hamstrings connect to the calves...

Motion is life they say. Our bodies are meant to move. This actually help to eliminate wastes but for those elements to get to where they need. If you move it causes blood to flow. And that blood flow happens for a reason.

Staying hydrated helps not only the muscles but help the discs too. Discs are between all the spinal bones and create the space that nerves exit out the side of the spine.

Water helps to also clean the body out. It will flush out toxins and inflammatory cells.

Lastly, water is a part of nearly every reaction in the body. Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, and these are the elements that are used.

As I mentioned earlier, having that cold ice pack on hand can really help. Not only that, having water, a back support, back belt, maybe a massager to reach the back.

Doing things like seeing the chiropractor or masseuse before traveling may be a smart choice too.

I made this mistake one time on a trip from Toronto to New York City. My carry on bag contained everything. It was heavy. I thought it would be okay, but i soon realized that this was not going to be good for my bag. On arriving in New York city, I realized that I had to walk almost 15 minutes to my gate for my next connecting flight! On top of that i had to board a shuttle bus- up and down with my heavy carry luggage was an absolute nightmare.

I now check as many bags a possible, and don't even carry a purse anymore. Not only is this safer but i can travel freer and avoid getting injured in the process. I often wear a concealment shirt that has special pockets in it. I therefore can carry all my personal belongings on and not worry about pick pockets. It also saves my back in the process.

Even I am guilty of this one: carrying impractical bags that can cause lower back and neck pain. Heavy purses, luggage without wheels and other cumbersome bags. Think about the airport before you leave home. Every where you go you will have to take your bags with you. To the checkout counter, to the bathroom, to get a coffee. Therefore pack smart. Carry backpacks, wear concealment clothing for the most important documents, don't carry heavy purses. Simply changing your purse from a hand held to an over the shoulder on can make a huge difference.

Here is another simple tip. Make sure your luggage has wheels. I once traveled to a NYC airport with a hand held duffle bag. I packed everything in it and didn't realize all the walking I was going to have to do. Boy, was I huffing and puffing by the time I got on the plane. Plus my lower back was also at risk for getting injured. Not Smart.

You have heard of the u shaped pillows for travel used for your neck and sleeping while in the seated position. Well if you suffer from low back pain or have a back condition, then bringing your own low back cushion is a wise idea. This will help your back be more comfortable while sitting for long periods. It will keep your back posture in the optimal position.

The are a number of great home remedies out there. Just google it... Oh, don't have computer access, use your phone...Or see a doctor; they're everywhere, and that's what they are there for.

Let's take a couple examples:

You wake up in the middle of the night with a major tooth ache. The dentist is closed and it's a weekend so you can't even get in tomorrow. You head to the grocery store 1st thing and grab clove oil (put it on the tooth and presto, no pain...).

Or you have a killer headache, the over-the-counter stuff isn't even touching. There's a chiropractor near by who's open on Saturday's - you go over, get adjusted and the headache is gone almost immediately. Or maybe you can't find someone; neck stretches, self massage and a towel roll relieve the pain.