We all love travelling and making unforgettable memories. However, our travel dreams can easily become exhausting when a nagging backache forces you to cut your trip short. During the excitement of the journey, we often neglect our spine.
You can be catching flights, sitting in cars for hours, or dragging your luggage through terminals. All of these activities will put a significant toll on your body. Therefore, it is essential to know how to protect your spine while travelling.
When we all know that every 8 out of 10 Canadians will experience back pain at some point in their lives, it’s a risk no traveller should take lightly. We’ve compiled expert advice from a top Canadian chiropractor to help you protect your spine on the road. This is a practical, science-backed guide designed to help you prevent pain before it starts and soothe it if it happens.
How To Protect Your Spine While Travelling?
As chiropractors, we believe that prevention is always better than cure. So without further ado, please read some of our top tips to help you keep your spine healthy before and during travel.
#1. The Emphasis Is On Keeping A Neutral Posture
Always keep a neutral posture! How? Keep your back straight against the seat, your shoulders relaxed, and your feet flat on the floor. For this, you can take support from the seat’s headrest and armrests for your natural spinal alignment.
#2. Fix Your Seat for Optimal Support
Do not sit upright! Yes, a slightly reclined position can do wonders for your spine. For this, you have to adjust or recline your seats between 100-110°. This can reduce pressure on your lumbar discs compared to sitting at a 90° angle. This small change helps transfer some of the pressure from your lower back to the backrest of your seat.
Bonus tip: You can place a neck pillow to support the cervical spine during naps.
#3. Keep Changing Positions!
Lack of movement is the enemy of a healthy spine. As we mentioned earlier, the WHO recommends getting up and engaging in some form of light physical activity when you’re sitting for long periods. These small movements are a blessing.
Try micro-movements, such as subtle shifts in posture, to reduce the load on your spine and prevent fatigue. Stand up, stretch, or walk down the aisle to get your blood flowing and rehydrate your discs.
#4. Use a Lumbar Support Pillow
For long trips, we recommend placing a rolled towel or a small travel pillow at the curve of your lower back. Why? To help maintain its natural “S” curve. This prevents the slouched position and will relieve pressure from your back. We recommend this strategy for travellers who spend extended periods sitting, during long-haul flights and daily commutes.
#5. Lift Smartly
Put this into practice! Always bend at your knees, not your waist, and use the powerful muscles in your legs to lift. When possible, distribute weight evenly by using a backpack with two straps or a wheeled bag to avoid the single-sided strain of a messenger bag or purse.
#6. More Suggestions!
- Drink plenty of water (2 litres/day) to keep your discs hydrated and functioning as they should.
- Keep your bags light or use wheeled luggage, as the heavier your bags are, the more strain they put on your back.
- Book aisle seats so that it is easier to get up and stretch.
How To Recover And Soothe Your Spine Post-Travel
- Apply an ice pack to reduce inflammation after strenuous activity.
- Try applying a heat pack when relaxing your muscles and boosting circulation.
- Do light stretches and yoga that target the lower back, hamstrings, and hips.
- The best yoga and stretches are Cat-cow, child’s pose, and spinal twists.
- Enjoy a swimming session as swimming improves flexibility and relieves stiffness.
- You can always visit a professional chiropractor at Etobicoke Chiro for back pain therapy if the pain persists, as early intervention can help prevent chronic issues from developing.
Factors That Affect Your Spine Health During Travels
We have seen how the sudden onset of back pain can overshadow the joy of travel. It’s a common complaint, but it doesn’t have to be your reality. The key to prevention is understanding the “why” and the specific factors that put your spine at risk when you’re on the go. Let’s discuss these culprits:
Reason 1. The Dangers of Long Sitting Time
To most of us, sitting for long periods seems like a minor inconvenience. However, when you sit for long hours, you put more pressure on your spinal discs.
“A study published in Spine Health found that spinal pressure increases by 40% when you are sitting compared to standing.”
The Science Behind It
When you stand, your spine’s natural “S” curve helps distribute your body weight evenly, protecting the discs. However, when you sit, your pelvis tilts back, causing your lower spine to lose its curve and flatten. This forces the load onto the front of your vertebrae and the back of your discs. This poor alignment is why sitting can increase pressure on your spinal discs.
Think about that next time you’re five hours into a flight. Your spinal discs are essentially being compressed, starved of the nutrients they get from movement.
Reason 2. The Poor Posture “Tech Neck” Epidemic
We all tend to hunch over our smartphones, tablets, or even in-flight entertainment screens, especially when traveling to pass the time. We chiropractors refer to this as “travel slump,” and it’s a significant contributor to “tech neck.”
“A study in Surgical Technology International found that tilting your head forward just 15 degrees can increase the force on your neck to 27 pounds.”
The Science Behind It
Our head weighs around 10 to 12 pounds in a neutral position. When you look down, you’re changing the mechanics of your neck and spine. As you tilt your head forward, the muscles in the back of your neck and shoulders must work harder to counterbalance the weight of your head and prevent it from falling forward.
This constant strain on your neck muscles and ligaments over a long period can lead to fatigue, pain, and stiffness. It can also cause the natural curve of your cervical spine (the neck region) to flatten, increasing disc compression and nerve irritation.
Reason 3. Heavy Lifting and Improper Luggage Technique
We often feel a jerk or a muscle twitch when we lift something with improper posture. Improperly lifting heavy bags, especially with a twisting motion, can lead to muscle strains, micro-tears, or even a herniated disc. Research on occupational lifting shows that lifting heavy loads is a significant risk factor for back pain.
“A meta-analysis published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that lifting over 25 kg (about 55 pounds) and lifting frequently both significantly increased the risk of low back pain.”
The Science Behind It
When you bend at your waist to lift a heavy object, you bypass the powerful muscles in your legs and rely on the smaller, more vulnerable muscles of your lower back. This posture puts pressure on your lumbar spine.
Adding a twisting motion, the discs in your spine are not designed to handle force with a rotational twist. This combination of heavy weight and poor form can cause the gelatinous centre of your disc (the nucleus pulposus) to bulge or rupture through its outer ring (the annulus fibrosus).
Reason 4. Inactivity Or The Stagnation Effect
Travel often forces us into long periods of inactivity, whether you’re sitting on a plane, train, or in a car. This lack of movement is a serious problem for your spine.
“World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends light physical activity or stretching to combat the effects of prolonged sedentary behaviour.”
The Science Behind It
Your spinal discs lack a direct blood supply, so they get nutrients and hydration from the movement (compression-decompression) of the spine. Whenever you move, walk, or stretch, a fluid containing nutrients is transported to the discs, and waste products are pushed out.
And, when your body is inactive for long periods, this nutrient swap stops. The discs become dehydrated and stiff. This means the discs become more rigid and less effective as shock absorbers. This lack of proper fluid circulation makes them highly vulnerable to injury and degeneration.
Conclusion
So, this is how to protect your spine while travelling. Your travel doesn’t have to cause you pain. By now, you know precisely what stresses your spine and how you can actively prevent it with the suggested smart habits. We are confident that you will be able to enjoy your journeys without pain. It’s not the number of miles that tires you, but it’s the condition of your spine that determines how far you go.
