Well March break is almost here and many of us will be traveling with the family off to some exotic place for a little “RnR”. It is often frustrating as physiotherapists when vacationers return home only to tell us that
because of an avoidable injury sustained on the travel portion of their trip that they spent most of the time lying on the hotel floor.
Here are a few tips to hopefully ensure that your trips are full of fun rather than frustration.
- Always try to plan ahead as to what you will need for your trip and don’t pack and haul anything that will stay unused. This is to eliminate unnecessary weight in your luggage.
- Use good lifting techniques when placing your luggage onto conveyer belts, into taxis etc. Try to lift the bags keeping your back straight, bend your knees and avoid twisting during the lift.
- Having luggage that has wheels attached to the underside is helpful when hauling it across the airport or from hotel to the hotel. If you do have wheels it’s advisable to push the luggage rather than pull it. This puts your lower back in a biomechanically better position.
- When flying:
- Wear loose unrestrictive clothing.
- Place nothing under the seat in front of you so that you are able to stretch out your legs.
- Periodically exercise your feet and ankles either by doing some ankle pumping or simply take a mini walk around the plane every 60 to 90 minutes.
If you are currently nursing an injury consult your physiotherapist or health professional for ways in which you can travel without pain and how you can make your trip the most enjoyable as possible.Hopefully using these tips whilst you travel this March will keep you healt
hy and injury free. Enjoy the sun or snow wherever you go.
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