Sunday 7 June 2015

Tips For Flying And Travelling With Sciatica And Backpain

Practical Solutions To Flying With Sciatica And Backpain. Make Travelling Easier On Your Back.

Travel solutions for people travelling and especially flying with sciatica or back pain whether its for vacations or for business. Much of what you read here can also be applied to many other forms of travel by car, train or coach. I hope you find this useful, it draws on my own personal experience with sciatica as well as experts in the field.

Back Pain With A Few Changes You Can Make Travel Easier.

For many of us with back issues and sciatica sitting presents a big problem and a big pain! Travel often involves a lot of sitting followed by a lot of standing around, both present issues. You can travel but you have to be smart about it and to know your body and its needs.

Sciatic and lower back pain can certainly affect travel plans and especially sitting on a flight. We want solutions to the challenges flying with sciatica and back pain presents. Flying to go on holiday, visit family for the Holidays or for business can put a strain on our physical body and especially our backs.

By understanding your back, your body, by getting your back some support and by treating it right and giving it the correct rest and exercise you can make travel a more pleasurable experience. By taking note of a few hints and tips and suggestions to try when travelling it can make life just that little bit easier for you.

Of course as always do check with your doctor/healthcare provider if you have any health issues, to check that you are OK to travel.

Orthopedic Lowback Backrest Support is just one of the back supports you may find useful while travelling. With its ergonomic design it will help to keep your back in a good position and posture. It is difficult when traveling for a long time, especially if you are tired to keep a good posture and then your back suffers so this kind of support can help. 

Obus Forme Ergonomic Orthopedic Low Back Backrest, Black


Plan for your travelling needs

For many of us with existing back pain and sciatica symptoms just the very thought of a long flight - waiting around at the airport, cramped uncomfortable seating, carrying luggage and a long journey just doesn't seem worth it.

However with some forward planning, practical tips and appropriate back pain supports and products to help you, yes flying with sciatica and back pain can be done!

Prepare for your journey with back pain issues.

  1. Contact your doctor to see if you are safe to travel with your back condition. You need to be aware if flying with sciatica would be likely to aggrevate your sciatica.
  2. Check you can get proper travel insurance and do shop around and make sure you are well covered.
  3. If you require medication for sciatica back pain make sure you carry enough for the duration of your travels and take some extra in case of delays. Ensure you carry your medications in your hand luggage and in their original labelled containers. Check with airline before booking your flights for the latest regulations on this.
  4. Carry your back pain medications and anything else that you know helps you to get releif from sciatic pain with you in hand luggage. Check with the airline if you are unsure of what you can carry on.
  5. Try to book an aisle seat. It is easier to get in and out of for you , disturbs others less and gives you slightly more room to move and stretch.
  6. Pack lightly, especially if you are carrying your own luggage.
  7. Use suitcases with wheels; they are a necessity if you have sciatica back issues.
  8. Pack some relaxation music or stress reduction CD's to use on the plane. They will help you relax more and ease tension in your back. See below for ideas.
  9. Do consider "lose the back pain" which is a back pain relief stretching and strengthening system to assist you in getting rid of your back and sciatic pain.
  10. If you find sitting aggravates your sciatic and backpain, keep moving about before your journey. You will have a lot of sitting to do so take the opportunity to walk about, stand up and stretch.
  11. Allow lots of time to get to the airport. Stress increases back and sciatic pain. Get there a little earlier than you need to then you will remain relaxed.

Gseat G Seat Orthopedic Gel Chair Comfort Cushion - Lumbar support gel seating great for travel.

Sometimes it is the comfort of what you are sitting on that is important. Good gel seating can help to relieve pressure off the hips and spine. Lumbar support, gel seating which is very useful when traveling to help you to be much more comfortable.
Gseat G Seat Orthopedic Gel Chair Comfort Cushion NEW



Flying With Sciatica? "Secret "Seats On Airlines.

 

Travelling Dehydration Risk. Travelling with Back Pain Why You Should Drink Plenty Of Water.

Drink lots of water on the flight. Particularly if you are taking back pain medication and as you are at altitude your body will easily get dehydrated which is not good for anyone and especially not if you have back pain and disc problems.

However the easy solution is to keep drinking water and to avoid tea, coffee and alcohol as these only dehydrate you further.

OPTP Original McKenzie Self Inflating Airback - Back support for travel

Great back support for travel and easier packing.
Portable back support, simply inflates as and when you require to use it. An easy option when packing space is small and a very useful back support to have for when you need it handy.

The Self-Inflating AirBack can be adjusted to any type of seat OPTP Original McKenzie Self Inflating


Minimise Sciatic Back Pain Sitting In An Aircraft Seat - Ease Flying With Sciatica While Sitting.

 

Seating Support For Your Back Health. Flying using lumbar back support pillows

Airline seats in economy or standard class at least were not designed for those of us with bad backs. Using pillows the aircraft provide or a rolled up blanket can help to make the seat more comfortable for your back. However I have found it is much better to take my own properly designed back or lumbar support.

If you have long legs you will know about the discomfort you have trying to squish your legs in. If you have shorter legs you may have more room but may have difficulties getting into a comfortable position as they do not reach the ground.

In either case it is useful to have something on the floor to raise you legs and provide you with extra support. If it helps you put your feet on a raised area to bring your knees and hips in a better alignment, you will need to experiment with this.
When flying with back pain or sciatica ask for support. Do ask for assistance; do not try to struggle with putting luggage in the overhead bins for example.

Pinzon Basics Micro Bead Therapy Pillow with Cover - Pillow for neck or back support

A very useful pillow to have with you when traveling. You can use this as a pillow behind your neck or as lower back support. You could even try this one under your knees if you find that helps relieve pressure off your hips. Comfortable effective support.


Travelling With A Bad Back? Keep Moving

Sitting for long periods of time on a journey can make sciatic and back pain worse. 

When travelling with back pain, move around as much as possible and at least once an hour get out of your seat and walk up and down the aisles, to the bathroom etc. This will ease pressure on your lumbar spine.

If you are following a back care stretching and strengthening back pain exercise system then try to do some of these.Do be courteous to other passengers but it is possible to do especially the standing back pain exercises in the aisles or in the galley part if you request politely of the cabin crew at times when it is not too busy.

Try not to fall asleep. This can be difficult and on a long flight may be impossible. However it is better to stay awake and move than to fall asleep and be in an uncomfortable position which may aggravate your back pain. On longer flights where you may well fall asleep make sure your back and neck are well supported.

If you are flying with back problems and find you need to be moving around a lot then do tell one of the cabin crew the reason why and usually in my experience they are very helpful.

It is better in my experience to have an aisle seat so that particularly on long flights you are not disturbing anyone if you need to keep getting up and walking around.


Flying With Sciatica Try Lose The Back Pain System - 

Try Lose The Back Pain System at least a month preferably three months before you fly.

If you are seeking to get rid of your back pain you may like to consider this really good system which I used to help me. With
Lose the Back Pain you'll learn all the details about muscle imbalances and how they are causing and contributing to your pain.

Then self assessments help find out which physical dysfunctions you have and see how they are responsible for your pain. Then there are corrective exercises, stretches and self treatments that are specific to your physical condition to re-balance your body and eliminate your pain.

If you've been diagnosed with a specific condition, it gives you specific recommendations, techniques and treatments you may also want to consider. Once you begin using the system, they work with you to ensure you get the best possible results.

There is an online version as well as the physical version, whichever suits you best.
Portable lumbar support to make seats more comfortable for your lumbar back. I have one of these back supports. It is my lower back that was very painful and I still like to give it as much support as possible especially if I am sitting for a long time. It is very portable and useful when travelling or going to meetings etc especially when you do not know how comfortable the seating will be.

Duro -Med Relax-a-Bac is sized 14" x 13" so great for most seats and bodies and made from This cushion is made of moulded, highly-resilient foam. It comes in different colours - you can check what is available at Amazon. The covers are washable as well.



Learn To Relax For Your Back When Flying With Sciatica

It is difficult to relax if you are travelling with back pain , cramped and in pain but becoming stressed and tense will only make pain worse.

Try a few deep controlled relaxed breaths. Close your eyes and visualise a beautiful relaxing scene.

Take a CD or ipod with relaxing music on it and listen to it, or even better a meditation track that you can do while you are sitting on the plane will help to relax you.

Make sure you are neither too hot or too cold. Use the blankets provided or take your own cover up or shawl that you can use to wrap around you if you get too cold.

Wear layers so that you can take them off if you start to get too hot.

Do your lose the back pain exercises and stretches before the journey and whenever you can during the trip.

Free Back Pain Book

Written by the Healthy back Institute- Steve Hefferon and Jesse Cannone- who are the guys who worked with me to help me get my life back from severe sciatic pain in both legs and low back pain.

  • 7 Day Back Pain Cure
    This free book (there is a small shipping/handling fee for physical book) will help to to understand your back and sciatic pain. It will give you more than the first steps, covering reasons for pain, pain relief, possible treatments, action plans and many other things you will find useful.


Focusing on the negative and what you can't do makes it worse, focus on the positive and what you can do. Listen to your body.


As this post was originally written on a different writing platform I have carried over some of the comments from there.   


Sylvestermouse
You have shared a lot of really useful advice for people with back problems and actually for anyone with any medical consideration when flying.
.

RinchenChodron
Loved the "secret seats" - Thanks!



nightbear lm
Some great advice here. You sure know how to take care of your back. Really nice page.


HealthfulMD
Very helpful tips. Thankfully when my sciatica was acting up, I wasn't in a need to fly. I did spend one conference sit/standing on a barstool because that was easier on my back.



bwet 
a very helpful lens indeed for people flying with sciatica. thumbs up!


casquid 
Thank you for writing this, my lower back problems needed more information. Traveling has been lessened to one trip per year, because of the pain and connection flights. A lot of good content for many!
I will feature you as a featured lens master.



happydesertgirl
Very helpful lens. The Orthopedic Lowback Backrest Support looks like it would really help.



BusinessSarah
My very, very tall fiance has all sorts of pain issues when he flies -- he doesn't suffer from sciatica, but I think many of these suggestions will help us land in Seattle for our honeymoon a lot happier than otherwise! Thank you!


MarcoG 
Excellent lens. I've been suffering with Sciatica since October 2011. I know as well as you how painful it is. I've done a lot of flying, and found that rolling up a small towel, and resting it behind my lower back, in the aeroplane seat, really helped. I have a sciatica diary on here, so I'm going to link to this lens on it. Excellent stuff x



desa999 lm
We are lucky we don't suffer from this, but we really feel for any people who. Excellent lens, very well researched.



TonyPayne 
Excellent advice. I have back pain at times since I had a slipped disc in 1987. Sitting at the wrong angle can easily set my back off, and sitting in an airplane seat for long periods can be bad. I always make sure my pillow goes behind my back, and if necessary something else too. It does work. Nicely done, blessed.




Davidfstillwagon 
I have a problem with back pain if the flight is too long.. good lens 5*

Thank you for visiting
Thank you for stopping by on your travels to visit my page. I do hope you found it useful. I do appreciate and read each and every comment 
Gentle Hugs


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Lose The Back Pain System
Lose the Back Pain, is a system of self assessments to determine what physical imbalances you may have that may be causing your pain, then specific and targeted exercises to follow to address the imbalances, along with pain reduction strategies. 

For useful information and suggestions there is a Free Back Pain Book Written by the Healthy back Institute-

7 Day Back Pain Cure
This free book (there is a small shipping/handling fee for physical book) will give you a good starting point for taking back control of your back pain covering reasons for pain, pain relief, possible treatments, action plans and many other things you will find useful.
Follow Jasmine Ann Raintree's board Back And Sciatic Pain Strategies. on Pinterest.

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