I just recently caught wind of the fact that Jennifer Lopez was treated for back pain while in Argentina for part of her "Dance Again" Tour. If you have ever suffered from low back pain I don't need to tell you that it SUCKS!
Given the attention that back pain is now getting in the media I want to take some time to talk about back pain and traveling. Although I have never treated Jennifer Lopez, I suspect that her hectic travel and tour schedule may have played a role in her back injury.
Unfortunately many people, myself included, already know from experience that traveling can cause back pain to flare-up seemingly out of nowhere. Having quite a heavy travel schedule has given me lots of personal experience with muscle and joint pain while on the road. Here are some insights I can share to help you avoid some of the common pit falls that can cause or worsen your back pain.
Some of the reasons why back pain gets worse when we travel:
- Increased sitting time
- Changes in diet and hydration that typically occur with travel
- Alteration to your fitness routine
- Sleep disruption due to time changes, a new bed or even cultural differences.
- Changes that occur in the structures of the back because of air travel
What can you do to prevent pain while you are traveling?
Take Breaks: if you are stuck on a plane, get up and move around as often as possible. If you are on the road make sure you stop the car every once and a while to stretch out your legs and move around.
Drink Water: Make sure that you are drinking often. Flying dehydrates your body, since your joints need lubrication, lack of water intake will cause bigger problems than just a dry mouth. Plus frequent water intake will ensure frequent trips to the bathroom which will get you out of your seat more often (see #1).
Get as much sleep as possible (especially if you are dealing with a time change). Give yourself permission to take a nap. Expose yourself to daylight to help you reset your internal clock.
Prepare! If you know that you have a hectic travel schedule you should prepare your body with some simple core strengthening exercises.
Physical preparation involves more than just routine exercise and what you do to look good. The type of physical preparation I am referring to involves strengthening the small muscles of your body. These are the muscles that support and stabilize your joints.
Within your body you have two sets of muscles, those that create motion and those that control motion. Following a core activation program that focuses on the smaller muscles involved with control and stability can pay off by protecting your body against such things as low back pain, hip pain and knee pain.
The good news is that successful programs are performed daily in as little as 20 minutes to achieve the best results. So for individuals that have a current fitness routine these exercises are easy to integrate into your current physical activity.
For those of you with "no time" to fit exercise into your schedule these programs are short enough that they come be squeezed into your "daily grind". For frequent travelers, luckily, the type of resistance needed to perform such exercises involves only your body weight so you can perform the routine anywhere, anytime.
I personally perform this type of program and advocate that my patients and athletes do the same in order to keep strong and prevent low back pain. It has worked for them and it can work for you.
