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There’s no worse way to start off your well deserved holiday than to have to endure back pain whilst traveling.

Cut out the mid-air turbulence when traveling this summer with our 3 simple hacks for reducing onboard back pain and stiffness to ensure that your flight plan goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Pack lightly

Lugging around heavy hand luggage puts you at risk of straining the muscles and ligaments in your back and putting add stress through the joints and discs of your spine. Lifting and twisting those heavy cases into an overhead compartment is just about one of the worst things you can do if you struggle with your back. Make it easier for yourself and pack light. Only pack the bare essentials and don’t be afraid to ask for help lifting your luggage if needs be. 

2. Sit right

Place a pillow or jumper between the curve of your lower back and seat to support your back in the right position and allow the muscles of your lower back to relax. Aim to have your knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor to prevent extra stress on the lower back. 

Most airline seats will have a decline function. Make sure you use this to your advantage. Try adjusting the position of you seat several times throughout your flight. This only needs to be by a few degrees but by varying the angle of load going through your lower back this small adjustment will allow for a more even distribution of weight across your back and prevent the build up of stiffness.

Top tip: once in a comfortable position try tightening the seatbelt across the front of your pelvis to ‘lock’ your hips into a good position. This will allow you to relax without compromising your posture. 

3. Move around

Just as important as sitting in the correct way is to allow your back to be moved regularly. Sitting stationary (even in the correct position) for long periods of time can cause stress to build up in the lower back and can slowly make back pain worse.

Make sure you move every 30-40mins during your flight. Simply walking to the toilet and back should be enough to free up any mid flight stiffness.  If stuck for space, marching on the spot, aiming to get your knees higher than your hips is a great way to get a large amount of movement in the lower back and hips without needing to move too far.

If you know you are going to be struggling with back pain and may need to move around during the flight, request an isle seat to avoid worrying about disturbing other passengers and alert one of the cabin crew to avoid arousing suspicion over your behaviour!! 

So there you have it our 3 simple hacks to prevent back pain and stiffness when flying this summer – making sure that you arrive at your destination pain-free and ready for the holiday ahead. 

 

 

For more tips on avoiding back pain, download our free guide 9 Quick and Easy Ways to Banish Back Pain here.