Bottom Line:
Holiday travel can be brutal on your body. Long hours spent jammed into a small seat on an airplane has the potential to cause a flare up of pain in your low back or neck. Even if you are traveling by car, be careful when lifting suitcases that are stuffed with an entire closet worth of clothes and gifts. Proper spinal alignment can help your body function at it’s the highest level and keep the holiday back pain at bay!
Why it Matters:
Your spine performs at its best when it has a balance of strength and flexibility. Chiropractic adjustments help your spine move comfortably through its entire range of motion. What’s more, when your spine is in alignment and balanced, your muscles perform better. Lifting too much weight at awkward angles can put a tremendous amount of stress on your spine and cause injuries, and after a few hours of sitting still in a plane or a car, your body isn't prepared to immediately start lifting 50 lb. suitcases. Be prepared and take a few moments during your travel to stretch, move your body, and warm up before doing any heavy lifting.
- Stop in and get adjusted before you leave on vacation to improve how you feel and function.
- If your flight is more than an hour, be sure to get up and stretch your legs.
- Be cautious and lift with your legs when moving suitcases and gifts.
Next Steps:
A lot of patients have told us that getting that adjustment before leaving for their vacation helped them avoid having a relapse of pain. Give your back a gift and consider coming in to get an adjustment before leaving on your vacation, and from our family to yours, happy holidays!
Science Source:
The effect of spinal manipulative therapy on spinal range of motion: a systematic literature review. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2012
Dr. Ryno Tope is a Doctor of Chiropractic, a member of the New Zealand Chiropractic Association, and owner of Structural Chiropractic in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay. Dr. Tope focuses on an area of chiropractic called Structural Correction and has been in practice for 6 years. You can reach Dr. Tope at drryno@structuralchiro.co.nz or 06•651•1004. You can also follow the Structural Chiropractic Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StructuralChiropracticHB).
Everybody experiences stress - job stress, family stress, financial stress, physical stress, holiday stress - and we may not like to admit it, but stress can impact our health.
