Yesterday I arrived in Colorado Springs. Destination: the United States Olympic Training Center. Mission: to assist in the medical care of the Olympic Athletes preparing for the Olympics in China this coming August.
As I travelled to Colorado Springs, I was reminded of some of the common aches and pains of traveling. Cramps. Lower back pain. Stiffness. Below are some travel tips which will help to ease the pains of traveling this summer.
Dehydration - Remarkably, simply keeping yourself well-hydrated during travel can relieve and prevent several of the most common issues travelers' experience. Avoid dehydration by:
·Drinking water and sports drink 60 minutes before your flight
·Slowly nibbling on salty snacks like pretzels or chips every 45 minutes
·Maintaining a 50% water/50% Gatorade fluid consumption ratio for the remainder of the flight and 60 minutes after landing
Low back tightness - Uncomfortable seats. Standing in long lines to get through security. Keeping your body in the same position for many hours...these can all contribute to lower back pain and tightness. Help relieve by:
·Placing rolled towels, blankets or t-shirts under the back half of your butt cheeks and behind the low back to keep your pelvis rolled forward to create the necessary support of the low back
·Keeping a tennis ball handy to roll under the side of your butt cheeks keeping your hip rotators relaxed
·Standing up and stretching your hamstrings every 45 minutes
Knee stiffness - Again, this can be a symptom of sitting in the same position for long periods of time. Help relieve and avoid by:
·Taking Advil or aspirin before the flight
·Doing submaximal knee extensions (knee extension using less than your full capacity) against the bottom of the seat in front of you
·Massaging your distal thighs (thigh area just above the knee) and around the knee caps every 45 minutes
I hope these tips help to make your traveling experiences more relaxing and comfortable. If you have a common ache or pain when traveling you need a solution to, go to http://www.mikeryanfitness.com/faq.php , and click on "Submit a question." Describe the ache or pain and be sure to mention this occurs when you are traveling. Look for more tips from on the road next week!
With Healthy Regards,
Mike Ryan PT,
ATC, PES
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