Do you experience back pain with prolonged sitting--especially driving in the car or sitting on a plane? This is a fairly common complaint regardless of whether you have a back problem or not.  

And with some of the busiest travel days of the year are ahead -- appx. 28.5 million people will be traveling on Thanksgiving weekend alone – there’s no better time than now to educate yourself on some simple and easy ways to avoid back pain before your next trip. 

As a Chiropractor and Functional Movement Specialist at ReBalance NYC, I see dozens of patients around the holidays experiencing travel-related back pain. It’s typically caused by a compression of the lower back discs and joints due to an unusual over-flexed position of your back and hips in the car seat as well as a very limited mobility of the muscles that are already in jeopardy, working hard to compensate the unhappy spine."

In general -- whether on a plane, train or car –here are some quick things you can do before your journey:

• Know the best sitting ergonomics: The best sitting ergonomics is to have your hips higher than your knees which insures much less spinal flexion and therefore, reduces the pressure on the spinal discs and joints.
• Adjust your seat to a slight incline: If you recline too far, your head will not be comfortably resting against the head rest which can cause extra tension in the neck and upper back. Research suggest that sitting at 110-130 degree angle places the least pressure on the vertebral discs and associated structures.
• Remove everything from your back pockets to avoid pelvic and spinal misalignment and muscle spasm.

If you are one of the many with a long car trip planned to see family and friends, here are some simple tips to avoid the dreaded back pain in the car:

• Try to stop every hour for 5 to 10 minutes to stretch out your legs. Do some light stretching and warm-up exercises with your neck, shoulders, back and hips.
• If you feel that your car has a poor shock absorption you can use a car seat cushion that’s especially designed for shock absorption.
• Use cruise control when you can: This will allow you to rest your legs in a more comfortable position and reduce the tension on the spine.
• Use a cold or heat pack, depending on which works betterfor you to lax back muscles and alleviate spasms and pain. Alternatively, if your car has heated seats, you can use it instead of hot pack to make your journey more comfortable.

And if you’re among the millions that will be flying over Thanksgiving weekend, a few additional tips to ease back pain during your flight:

• Elevate your legs to reduce the pressure on the spine and improve blood circulation in your legs. 
• Try to move around regularly at least every 30 minutes.

Safe travels and happy holidays!

ABOUT DR. LIPNITSKY

Arkady Aaron Lipnitsky, DC, DACRB, CICE, is a highly experienced chiropractor, having been in practice for more than 20 years. His undoubted expertise has earned him the honor of being named a 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Top Doctor in New York. His medical career began in 1998, when he graduated from the prestigious New York Chiropractic College. In his postgraduate education Dr. Lipnitsky became board certified as a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board, as well as, board certified as an Independent Chiropractic Examiner. He also holds postgraduate certifications from Dry Needling Institute and Certification in Manipulation Under Anesthesia. www.rebalancenyc.com