A Chiropractor Explains How to Avoid Back/Neck Pain While Traveling 

Staff Writer

So many people live with the constant urge to travel, and why not? A lot of excitement comes from seeing new places, eating new foods, and having new experiences. Yes, traveling is good for the heart and good for the soul. Still, traveling can be incredibly hard on your health, as maintaining a good routine when you’re out of your everyday environment can become quite a task.

A Pre-travel Check Up

An assessment and appropriate care from your chiropractor before you go may help eliminate potential sources of pain, helping you feel fresh and ready for whatever you have planned for that vacation time.

Travel Means Interrupting Your Routine

As we have all found at one time or another, taking a vacation or even a weekend away may also mean eating unhealthy foods, skipping workouts, and getting less sleep. This can lead to weight gain, aches and pains, and a general decline in health.

So, how can chiropractors help? For one, doctors of chiropractic know many ways to ease tension and pain in the body, ultimately leading to a more comfortable and healthier body overall – better balance, greater range of motion, etc.

With their knowledge of the human body’s structures and systems, count on chiropractors to know and suggest many healthy habits right for you, both at home and when you’re on the go.

Traveling = Movement and Inactivity

Traveling often means a lot of movement. You might walk more during the day, visit new places, and constantly be on the move. Nevertheless, in many ways, it also means:

• You might have too much time crammed into a car, on a bus, or plane
• You might spend a lot of time sitting during various events
• You might skip a daily workout to see new sights or sample the local cuisine
• Your “not quite right” hotel bed can lead to lingering pain or discomfort.

None of this is a bad thing long-term, but these change-of-pace activities (or nonactivity) can definitely cause stiffness and soreness.

Even if you exercise at your hotel, eat healthy, and maintain a relatively healthy existence, traveling is hard on the body. And since chiropractic care is a great way to ease aches and pains and promote flexibility, as well as a healthier body overall, it remains a great choice.

Remember the Post-trip Chiropractic Care

One of the best things people can do for themselves after a vacation is to see their chiropractor and make sure they’re ready to re-enter their everyday world. Regardless of your age or physical condition, traveling takes a toll on the body, making it necessary to relax and rejuvenate after returning home.

Examples:

• Traveling tends to allow a lot of kinks to develop, especially after sitting for hours on a long plane or car ride.
• Individuals who travel to faraway locations often experience trouble sleeping when they arrive back home.
• Some people return from their trip completely exhausted; others are sore, and unable to move and function because they’ve put too much strain on their bodies.

The goal of taking a vacation is to get away from the stresses of life. Some people, however, (and you know who you are) come back stressed out or worn out physically from new activities.

Either way, know that your chiropractor is a specialist whose goal is preserving, restoring, and optimizing health. The practice of chiropractic emphasizes the body’s ability to heal without drugs or surgery by focusing on the proper relationship between the body’s structures and its nervous system.

CUKC Chiropractic Health Center

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), founded in 1922, is a private, nonprofit, chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas. The CUKC on-campus Chiropractic Health Center is open to the public and treats patients from Kansas City’s 15-county metro area. Our goal is to provide care and solutions for a better, more productive life for our patients.