Tips For Safe Travels
Suddenly without any notice you wake up and realize that summer is almost done. But before we start thinking about back packs and their effect on our kids backs, lets think about travel. Typically, August is the biggest month for travel in North America, as more and more people are rushing to get to those vacation spots before the children head back to school.
As people start returning and heading off to and from tropical destinations, we tend to think of travel safety with regard to where and when we travel. A consideration to keep in mind is “how” we travel. We all want to reach our destination safely and this includes not experiencing any pain in our backs as we travel.
We’ve put together our travel tips so that you can avoid injury while traveling.
1) Luggage. Your luggage is going to require you to carry and lift and drag it across airport terminals, in and out of cars and in and out of hotels. Make sure that when you are packing your luggage you are within the recommended weight limit by the airline and that there is an even weight distribution in the luggage. Make sure to inspect it as well so that the wheels are working and there are no tears, rips or other signs of damage that can prevent it from functioning properly. When lifting the luggage, be sure to lift with your knees and avoid sharp twisting motions.
2) Pre-flight. Before leaving for the airport, take some time to do a few quick stretches. You may be stuck in that plane for a while and not have a lot of room to stretch out, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to stretch before getting on the plane.
3) In Flight. Unless you are booked on one of those luxury flying suites, you will be stuck in coach with the rest of us. Where ever you are located on the plane, travel pillows can help you sleep and keep your neck in line so that you aren’t flopping all over the place like a bobble head.
4) Stress. One of the biggest factors to traveling safely is stress. Remember you are on vacation and it’s about having fun with family and friends, not being stressed out. You can only control what you can control, and if you are experiencing stress your body will exhibit certain aspects of that stress. This can even be physical pain like lower back and neck pain.
Traveling is a great way to experience new cultures and have great new adventures. The memories we have from these trips should be about food and fun not lower back pain and cramped muscles. If you are in the Ajax and Durham area make your appointment with us at Somerset Family Chiropractic today and we can help you be ready for your travels.