Avoiding Holiday Back Pain

After eagerly awaiting the long overdue summer holiday the last thing you want to happen is for it all to be spoilt by a case of holiday back pain (either yours or your partners). It’s silly season so Mulberry Osteopaths are always busy over the summer period.  It might be the shock of all that activity after days spent at the office desk, the stress of a holiday with screaming kids, the lumpy bed, or the hours squashed onto an economy flight.

Here are our ten tips to help you avoid holiday back pain:

1. Be Prepared and Loose the Stress – Give yourself plenty of time, don’t start the holiday in a blind panic trying to catch a plane or train. If you’re stressed you’re much more likely to give yourself an injury.

2. Pack Light – With surcharges for excess baggage on flights it’s tempting to over pack the hand luggage with all the heavy stuff. Remember that you’ll have to carry your load around the airport. Besides, do you really think you can lift it above your head to fit it in the overhead lockers on the plane?

3. Use Wheels – If your luggage has wheels, that’s great. If it doesn’t, make use of luggage trolleys if they’re around.

4. Move Around – You’ve arrived at the airport two hours before departure and you’ve got three, four or maybe more hours ahead on a plane. Make the most of the freedom at the airport and move around because you won’t get as much freedom on the flight.

5. Break the Journey – If it’s a long road trip stop off and remind your back how to move, even if it’s just a walk to a café and back. Have a stretch, you know you need it.

6. Back Supports – Let’s face it most plane, train or bus seats aren’t designed for your average human being so they may need a bit of extra padding like a small cushion or rolled up scarf in your low back to make it slightly more comfortable.

7. Walk it Off – After a long journey by car, plane, train or yak have a walk at the end of the trip to get things moving again. Also don’t be in a rush to lift that heavy case out of the boot of the car, loosen the back up a bit first.

8. Take it Easy – After a long trip to your holiday destination don’t shock the body too much on day one. Give your body a chance to recover from the journey with some gentle activity before stepping up the pace.

9. Have a Rest Day – It’s very tempting to cram as much as possible into your precious holiday but you might find it helps to have a rest day.

10. Pre-flight Check – Especially if you’re working like a lunatic in the run up to the well-deserved holiday you may find making a pre-holiday appointment for an osteopathic MOT saves us having to pick up the pieces after the holiday.

Have a great holiday and we’ll see you when you get back!