Going on a “road trip” can mean different things from person to person. It may mean a fun, adventurous time for the family or going on long drives for work. If you are regularly driving for long periods of time, there’s a good chance that you’ll be afflicted with back pain.
Back pain can make a supposedly fun and relaxing drive into a practice in agonizing pain. According to the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, people who are frequently subjected to whole body vibrations (ie. driving) have double the risk of developing low back pain and sciatica.
How do you get rid of lower back pain due to driving? Here are some tips to help you alleviate the pain.
3 Tips to Help Alleviate Lower Back Pain
1. Keep Moving and Stay Strong
One of the best ways to manage and prevent back pain is to engage in an active lifestyle.
Like the rest of our body, our spines are meant to move. Keep moving as much as you can – walk the dog, make your bed, walk through the parking lot, use the stairs. Once you are feeling a lot better, it’s recommended that you engage in regular aerobic exercises such as swimming, strength training and bicycling. Just don’t overdo it!
2. Stay Flexible
As you become older, recovering from soreness becomes a lot more difficult. However, regardless of your age, it’s important to stay flexible. Developing a regular exercise routine is not only important for staying in shape but it can alleviate and prevent lower back pain.
As mentioned, doing daily walks and aerobic exercises can help you become more flexible and feeling great. While you’re at it, consider doing a full body stretch routine regularly as it can do wonders for improving your flexibility and range of motion – all of which are important for the full use of your back.
3. Have a More Ergonomic Lifestyle
This tip for lower back pain relief is more geared towards preventing future episodes and improving the overall quality of life.
With that said, a more ergonomic lifestyle will help you say goodbye to back pain episodes. For starters, make sure that the driver’s seat is ergonomically beneficial. So you need to make adjustments such as the distance from the steering wheel, reclining the seat properly, adjusting the seat height, and adjusting the lumbar support.
To add to that, you can also change your beds and shoes to more ergonomic options. If your bed is too soft or too hard, you’ll find yourself aching all over every morning and it won’t do your back pain any favors. The incorrect pair of shoes will ruin your posture and make your lower back pain worse.
It’s about rearranging your lifestyle so it fits your body, not the other way around.
Be Free From Back Pain
These tips should help you get on the right track of relieving and preventing lower back pain. With these tips, you can bring back the fun on road trips once again.
