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The seats in cars, airplanes, buses, and trains aren’t always comfortable, and sitting still for an extended time can intensify the painful area in the lower back.
Traveling requires us to use our bodies in ways we're not used to, such as raising luggage over our heads into the bin and pulling it off the moving baggage claim. For many people with back pain, the prospect of a long trip can be unnerving. The seats in cars, airplanes, buses, and trains aren’t always comfortable, and sitting still for an extended time can intensify the painful area in the lower back.
Lower back pain can be mild to very severe depending on its underlying causes, how long it’s been left untreated and the state of someone’s overall health. The good news is that the pain often goes away on its own, and people usually recover in a week or two. To help you reduce discomfort from your back pain after traveling, here are a number of things that you can try:
1. Do some gentle physical activities
Getting up and moving around on long trips is one of the best things you can do to avoid back pain. Instead of laying all day in your modern contemporary sofa and reading your favourite novel, start moving your feet because you need to do some fun under the sun.
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If you’re traveling by car, plan stops along your route to get out and stretch your legs. If you are traveling by plane, it is important to get up and move around, even if it’s just walking up and down the aisle for a few minutes. If you are not able to get out of your seat, try stretching as much as you can while seated. This helps to stimulate the soft tissues in your back and keeps them from stiffening, which can reduce aches. Avoid positions or exercises that cause pain.
While being active is recommended during an episode of back pain, doing back exercises or stretches to ease acute back pain is not. For acute pain, it is not wise to be doing specific back exercises so much as trying to maintain your normal exercise routine.
Start doing exercises that strengthen the muscles in the back can help reduce back pain by increasing flexibility, helping you maintain a healthy weight, reducing inflammation, improving posture and reducing muscular compensations/weakness.
So far, it seems that a combination of strength training, stretching exercises, and aerobic activity is most effective. If back pain episodes become frequent, you may need more exercise. It may be a warning sign that you need to strengthen the muscles that you need to support your backs.
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2. Use ice packs
The use of cold compress has not been scientifically proven to resolve short-term back pain, but it might help you feel better. One rule of thumb is during the first 24-72 hours after a back injury or back pain use ice packs for 15 to 20 minutes every hour to help reduce the inflammation. Bring out your Ziploc bag and fill it with ice. Always remember to protect your skin from direct exposure to the ice packs. Place it between your lower back and leave it for 20 minutes. You can also use cold packs that are manually activated. If security will let you, bring a small gel ice pack on the airplane.
3. Have some rest
After going back from your trip with a backache, try to get comfortable with your 10.5 tog duvet, listen to some soothing music, or even googling “what is mattress in a box?” while snuggling in your shifman mattress. If you need to, try some deep breathing exercises or meditation techniques.
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Although it may not sound like a back pain remedy, rest is vital when you are trying to relieve back pain naturally. Your muscles are in a state of shock and injury. Further insult will only make the pain worse and can lead to further injury of the musculature of the back. Staying in your solid platform bed from Awara for a long while suffering with back pain is not recommended by sleep experts. Instead, use a bedtime calculator to plan out your good night’s sleep.
Another treat to consider: a massage. Try visiting a spa after your trip is a great way to soothe any lingering aches. Or even a comforting massage from your partner in your resident home can bring real lower back pain relief. According to a study in 2017, more than half of participants told researchers that a series of massage therapy sessions eased their backache. The study can give primary care providers the confidence to tell patients with chronic low back pain to try massage if the patients can afford to do so.
Tell them not to massage directly over the spine, as this can cause harm to that delicate collection of anatomical structures. Long, smooth strokes over the entirety of the back are the best. These are called gliding movements, and they help to relax the muscles under the skin. Work the muscles up and down the back to either side of the spine, allowing the hands to glide over the problem area and work the cream into the muscle to provide maximum, natural healing.
The more relaxed you are, the more you’ll feel better after getting back from your vacation.
You can also take a look from The Spine and Rehab Group if you want to know other kinds of pain on your body and treat them well.
4. Consider using essential oils
There are many benefits to using essential oils for lower back pain, and some of the benefits go beyond pain relief. Some people with chronic lower back pain might feel a sense of anxiety or depression brought on by the constant pain. Essential oils can bring about a sense of peace and tranquility. Those who have difficulty sleeping due to the pain will find relief from insomnia by using essential oils. And when other ailments accompany the lower back pain, such as a headache, essential oils can help. You may put some essential oils in your bed sheets, pillowcase or even in your 5×8 rugs to heighten the scent in your room.
Some of the best essential oils to help lower back pain include:
Peppermint Essential Oil
The soothing and anti-inflammatory nature of peppermint essential oil can give you quick relief lower back pain. Peppermint oil also exhibits antispasmodic properties, which can help in relieving muscle spasms. It also eases headaches and nausea. The refreshing scent can lift the spirits and soothe stress that comes from dealing with steady pain.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender oil has many medicinal uses. It has anti-inflammatory properties that make it ideal for easing lower back pain. It can also calm the nerves, reduce stress, and ease insomnia.
5. Warm Shower
Soaking in warm water is one of the oldest forms of alternative therapy, and there's a good reason why this practice has stood the test of time. Research has shown warm water therapy works wonders for all kinds of musculoskeletal conditions, including fibromyalgia, arthritis and low back pain.
A warm shower is not just relaxing but can also help you combat back pain. The pain-relieving nature of heat, combined with the healing effect of water, is proven to relieve the pain and inflammation associated with back pain.
So, how long should you soak? A maximum of about 20 minutes is beneficial. Also, make sure you drink water before and afterward to stay well hydrated. Here are some other simple steps to make the most of your next bath.
Check your water temperature. It must be between 92 and 100 degrees are a healthy range. If you have cardiovascular problems, beware of water that’s too hot because it can put stress on the heart. Anything over 104 degrees is considered dangerous for everyone.
Move while bathing. Warm water is great for relaxing, but it is also good for moving. Warm water stimulates blood flow to stiff muscles and frozen joints, making a warm tub or pool an ideal place to do some gentle stretching. To ease low back pain, trap a tennis ball between the small of your back and the bottom or back of the tub, then lean into it and roll it against knotted muscles.
