Traveling with Back Pain Guide 2

Table of Contents

Top Tips for Traveling with Back Pain 3

Bonus: How to Pack Your Chirp Wheel+ for Travel 5

How to Help Your Back Recover after a 5

Long Day of Touring and Hiking
Traveling with Back Pain Guide 3

Traveling with Back Pain Guide

Top Tips for Traveling with Back Pain

Use Pillows to Your Advantage: Some sleeping positions put extra
pressure on your lower back. Even lying on your back with straight
legs can make your lower back feel tight. If you like sleeping on
your back, put a pillow under your knees. If you like sleeping on
your side, put a pillow between your knees. If you like sleeping
on your stomach, put a pillow below your lower abdomen. Doing
these things will keep your spine straight while you sleep and
will keep your back muscles loose and relaxed (National Sleep
Foundation, 2019).
Move Carefully and Pack Lightly: When you get out of bed each
morning whether at a nice resort or at your aunt’s house, lift your
body slowly with your hands and slide to the edge of the bed. If
your back is tight, this will prevent you from harming it further.
Even carrying around heavy luggage can be a strain on your back,
so try to pack light items, making lifting luggage onto the overhead
storage on the plane a breeze. If you have heavy items you must
bring on your trip, place heavy objects at the bottom of the bag.
This will help relieve pressure from your back if you are carrying
your luggage on your back or if you have to lift it. If you think your
bag is too heavy, there is a way to check. The general rule is that
you should carry only 15% of your body weight or less (The Joint
Chiropractic, 2019). If your bag is heavier than this, it might be a
good idea to sacrifice some of the heavy items to save you from
back pain.
Pick Luggage That Is Easy to Lug around: Invest in luggage
that rolls around so you don’t have to lift anything at all. Or use
a backpack rather than a side bag so that the weight is evenly
distributed on both shoulders, keeping your spine straight. If
carrying a backpack, use both straps because it will help distribute
Traveling with Back Pain Guide 4

the weight evenly throughout your back, avoiding sore muscles.

When you have to lift your luggage, never twist while lifting.
Twisting can cause muscle sprain or strain. Always bend your
knees and keep your core engaged when lifting any luggage.
Get up and Move: Whether you are flying or driving to your
vacation, take the time to get up and move. Mobility will help
loosen your muscles, providing relief from the pain.
Work out: I know you’re on vacation, but exercise can help reduce
your back pain dramatically. Learn stretches and exercises
specifically for your back pain. If you have muscle strain, the first
few days of rest can help, but after that, you’ll want to strengthen
your muscles again so that they can heal faster (Morrison, 2018).
Stay Calm: When you’re stressed, your muscles tighten causing
your back pain. If you’re late for your flight, you’re short on
money, or your boyfriend broke up with you, this stress can cause
you physical pain. Your nervous system will keep your body in a
state of alert, which is what will keep your muscles tense. Because
stress is bad for your muscles, when you travel, try to arrive to
your activities early. At an airport, give yourself plenty of time
before your flight to get through security. If you do happen to be
late, try to relax. Take a deep breath, imagine you’re sitting on the
beach, tell yourself that everything will be okay. Life goes on.
Make Room for Back Accessories in Your Luggage: If your
back pain often limits the activities you can do, make your back
a priority. Bring cooling or heating pads, lumbar pillows, or seat
cushions to help support your back on the trip (Schlichter, 2017).
Chirp has a lot of easy-to-pack back and neck support items,
such as items in our neck collection, upper back collection, or
lower back collection. We can have them sent to wherever you are
this summer.
Traveling with Back Pain Guide 5

Bonus: How to Pack Your Chirp Wheel+ for Travel

You can place any size Chirp Wheel+ in your luggage and
strategically put clothes in the middle of the wheel and around the
wheel. The Chirp Wheel+ hardly takes up any space and is very
lightweight.

How to Help Your Back Recover after a Long Day of Touring

and Hiking
Bring Gear That Fits: A lot of travel is about preparation. Bring
hiking gear or a backpack for touring that fits well and doesn’t hurt
you. This includes packing clothes and shoes that are comfortable.
Bring clothes and shoes that you have worn before so that you
know they won’t give you blisters or bother you as you walk far
distances.
Don’t Forget Nutrition and Hydration: Your body needs energy
and your muscles need nutrients when you exert a lot of strength.
Stay hydrated during your trip and eat frequent small meals
throughout your day. This will give you the constant burst of
energy throughout your day so that winding down after your tour
Traveling with Back Pain Guide 6

or hike will be easier.

Listen to Your Body: You might need to take breaks from standing
or even sitting throughout your day. If you feel fatigued, stop and
sit down and hydrate. If you are sore from sitting on a long bus
ride, get up whenever you can and stretch. When your body has
had too much, it will tell you. Listen.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Start your day off slowly like
you’re warming up for a run. If you know you will be on your feet
all day, it is a good idea to stretch before you leave. You will also
need to slow down at the end of the day as a cool down from your
“workout.” Stretching at the end of your cool down will also help
you heal faster and will prepare you for another day or touring and
hiking.
Prepare Your Body before Your Trip: Before you even leave on
your trip, strengthen you muscles by doing the exercises and
stretches in this course. Having a strong core will limit the amount
of back pain you have from your trip (Knapp, 2019).