Travel tips from your physiotherapist

You have travelled before on a Tourbus, Car or Plane, to get to your excited destination. You also remember the feeling of cramped muscles and stiffness from sitting too long in one position and a sense of fatigue after the journey.....

Good posture plays a key role in the prevention of back pain and excessive strain on joints, ligaments and veins. However ,even good posture can become uncomfortable over an extended period of time.

Frequent posture changes help minimize discomfort.

Physiotherapists recommend these posture tips

Support the hollow in your lower back with a rolled up t-shirt or lumbar roll.
Hips and knees should be as close to a 90 degree angle as possible to maintain good spinal alignment
Depending on transportation policy ,a backpack or a piece of carry-on luggage can act as a footrest to bring legs and knees to a comfortable height, preferable at 90 degrees.
Position the arm rest so your elbows are at 90 degrees.If your arm rest too low,use a small pillow under your forearm.
Shift your weight frequently to reduce prolonged pressure points when sitting, including moving hips and knees.
When driving keep the headrest centered in the back of your head, adjust the chair to an upright position so your seat is at the back of the chair.
Take breaks, stand up, move around

Recommended exercises from each of the following groups before, during and after the journey, to maintain good general circulation , and decrease stiffness by moving the joints. Repeating twice on both sides

Head and Neck

Turn head slowly over right shoulder, back to centre then turn over left shoulder ( go as far as comfortable)
Head Tilt: bring ear towards shoulder without turning or lifting shoulder
Neck Bend: tuck in chin and slowly bring towards chest.Slowly return to sarting position
Neck extension: raise chin towards ceiling and look up as far as you can. Slowly return

Shoulders

Shoulder Stretch: link fingers together and push up with palms facing upwards
Shoulders Back: squeeze shoulder blades together. Expand rib cage with each breath
Shoulders Forward: cross arms across chest and hold back of shoulders with hands.Hug shoulders forward so the stretch is felt between the shoulder blades
Shoulder Rolls: roll shoulders backwards 5X , relax and repeat 3 times

Trunk

Body Twist: turn body and head to look over right shoulder. Reach left hand across the body to hold on top of right edge of chair. Repeat on opposite side
Back Arch: arch back until pelvis tilts forward. Try to breath normally
Back Slump: slump forwards and bring shoulders towards knees as far as comfortable
Body Stretch: find suitable location , stand with feet shoulder width apart, interlock fingers and reach arms with palms up straight above head . While you bring the arms up take a deep breath in . Exhale bringing your arms down. You can do this exercise also in sit.

Foot and Ankles

Sitting Calf Stretch: keep the heels on the floor, pull up your toes and the front of the foot as far as possible off the floor
Foot Pumping: pump each foot several times, as if working a car accelerator
Heel Lifts: lean forward , rest your elbows on your knees. Keeping full weight on elbows, lift heels off the floor as far as you can, keeping the balls of the feet in contact with the floor. Gently lower down and repeat several times.
Ankle Circles : slowly make the circle as big as possible,but only move the ankle, clockwise and counter clickwise each 10 times

Have fun and enjoy the trip!

Physiotherapy Association of BC