Family stress and delayed flights may be unavoidable pains during the holiday season, but one pain you can avoid this winter is back pain when traveling. A Baylor College of Medicine expert provides tips for minimizing pain in the airport, on the plane, and in your hotel.

“Back pain can be chronic or acute. Most people can experience both,” said Dr. Mike Renprimary care physician and assistant professor at Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College.

“Anyone can develop this pain, it’s around their mid-30s that people will start to notice this sort of thing more often, especially on long trips.”

Carry less baggage

Even if vacation travel requires lots of outfits or carrying gifts, handling overloaded luggage can lead to injury. When packing, Ren advises considering the amount of handling you’ll do during the trip, including traveling from terminal to terminal, loading luggage into overhead bins on planes, and carrying bags to airports. hotels or other accommodations. Distribute the weight of the items you bring evenly so the cargo is easier to handle, and think about the type of luggage you want to travel with.

Backpacks and duffel bags should be prioritized for trips with shorter stays that don’t require a lot of packing, and rolling luggage can be used when you’re carrying more items. Although rolling luggage may seem easier to manage, lifting an overweight suitcase, especially in the confined space of an airplane, can cause injury. Ren encourages people to ask airline crew for help to avoid pain.

Fly away, don’t be sore

Many people traveling economy or coach this holiday season will find themselves faced with uncomfortable plane seats. These seats often do not have sufficient padding and can cause numbness and pain on longer flights. To help, Ren advises using a jacket or travel pillow to place behind your lower back to provide lumbar support and maintain the natural curve of your spine. Additionally, if it’s safe to do so, getting up and walking around the cabin will also help keep you limber, especially for people with longer legs who may face more discomfort in a confined space.

When sleeping on a plane, Ren says spending money on a neck pillow is worth it. The main goal of the neck pillow should be to support your neck as much as possible. The way your head falls when you sleep will determine the correct way to carry the pillow, but it should keep your neck as straight as possible, like when you sleep on a bed. If a conventionally shaped neck pillow doesn’t provide the proper support, Ren advises looking into other options to see which one works best for you.

Hotel, motel, how to sleep

Hotel beds are often medium firm to try to accommodate all sleepers. People used to a softer or harder mattress may feel discomfort with this setting and experience pain after a night’s sleep. Extra pillows on your back and between your legs and arms can help ease discomfort and prevent you from tossing and turning during the night, which will impact your sleep quality.

“If you know that hotel beds have a real impact on your body, ask if the hotel offers harder or softer mattresses when you make your reservations,” Ren said.

Back pain can also be avoided with daily stretching, before or after your outings during your trip. If your route requires a lot of walking, making sure you bring the right shoes can also help alleviate back pain. Finally, Ren says it’s a good idea to bring anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or pain relievers like acetaminophen to ease body aches.