This time of year, millions of Americans travel — in fact, a recent survey found that half of the surveyed were planning on traveling between Thanksgiving and early January alone.
Whether you have holiday travel plans or plans in the new year, if back pain is overshadowing your travel excitement, we’d like to share a few strategies to help you feel more comfortable.
As experts in back pain, the team at World Medical Group dba Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas has a good deal of experience helping patients to get through life with minimal discomfort, including when you travel.
With that in mind, if you’re among the 16 million Americans who struggle with chronic back pain, here are some practices to keep in mind to help you travel in comfort.
First, it’s really important that you have the right pain management tools at your disposal when you travel. A great practice is to see one of our team members before you head out so that we can make sure your back pain toolkit is up to date.
For example, we might suggest an interventional injection or nerve block before you go, which can help reduce your back pain while you travel. During this visit, we can also review which medications and tools you have on hand, such as pain medications and TENS units.
A preemptive visit like this can go a long way toward avoiding debilitating back pain when you travel.
Many people who travel with back pain have their own hacks for staying comfortable. For example, if you have a special pillow with lumbar support, bring that along. Or, maybe you’ve had success with a back brace. Whatever you use to keep back pain at bay, we suggest bringing it on your trip.
When you have back pain, the last thing you should be doing is lifting heavy bags. So, make sure your luggage is on wheels, don’t use backpacks, and enlist the help of flight attendants or fellow travelers to lift your carry-on into the overhead bins.
If you’re traveling by plane, it’s a very good idea to spend a little extra money for some leg room. The ability to stretch your legs out can really help ease your back pain.
Whether you’re traveling by air, car, rail, or bus, it’s important to find ways to move around. Staying in one cramped position can make back pain flare, so we recommend finding opportunities to move around.
If your travel includes long layovers, use this time to find a quiet spot in the airport to lay flat on the ground. This posture can give your back a much-needed break, and you can use this time to gently stretch your back out. Trust us, you probably won’t be the only one who's doing some stretching on the ground!
With a little planning on your end and the right resources on hand, there’s no reason to let back pain stop you from exploring the world and visiting with family and friends.
To arrange your pre-travel visit with us or for more information about traveling with back pain, we invite you to call or message one of our offices in Arlington or Fort Worth, Texas, today to schedule an appointment.
