How to reduce the risk of back pain on long haul flights

Osteopath advises how to reduce the risk of back pain on long haul flights

Are you planning a long-haul flight this summer? Do you get back pain from flying? Wellington osteopath Martin Rooke has some tips for looking after your back on long haul flights. These tips will also help prevent the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Martin says that although there’s a lot we can’t control when flying, such as leg room, seats reclining into your space and crying babies, there are still plenty of things we can do to optimise our comfort. “The main things that will help with flying comfort are increasing your blood circulation and looking after your posture” says Martin.

“Many airline seats don’t have good lumbar support – they allow your back to collapse into a C curve, rather than supporting you to hold your natural S curve.

“You can take your own back support on board, but most portable supports are too thick” says Martin. Martin’s product design company Morfit Ltd is currently developing a back support especially for airline seats but, for now, he recommends taking a small towel in your hand luggage and folding this into a pad (usually about 4 folds and the size of a baby's pillow) and placing it in the small of your back. (Do not roll it up as this will produce an uncomfortable sausage.) Adjust the thickness and position of this pad until you can feel that your low back & pelvis are supported to hold the S curve of your back (see the Morfit website advice on how to recognise your S curve http://www.morfit.co.nz/wp/back-health/).

Martin says that people weren’t designed to sit still for hours at a time, and one of the biggest health issues this causes is the reduction in general circulation which leads to discomfort and, at worst, DVT. So, the easy golden rule is to do things that increase your blood circulation. This means standing up and walking about as often as is practical, and also doing some exercises to increase your blood flow.

Exercises to do when standing

Half squats - this is the greatest way to get your blood flowing again. With your legs at hip-width apart, angle your toes out slightly and do a half squat by bending your knees and poking out your bottom, as if you’re about to sit on a chair, then straighten up again. With each squat, bring your arms up level with your shoulders.

This will have a much better and longer lasting effect than stretching, which is what we often think we need when we feel stiff. It’s better to do 10-15 squats every chance you get rather than try to do lots at once. “This exercise can make you feel like a bit of an attention-seeker, so we’ve also devised some other exercises you can do while sitting!” says Martin.

Sitting exercises: repeat each exercise at least 5 times, once every 30 mins.

1. Lower leg muscles: push your heels up, pointing your toes, to work your calves, then lower your heels back to the floor. Then, keeping your heels on the floor, lift your toes and the ball of your foot up to work your front lower leg muscles.
2.Thigh muscles: with your feet flat on the floor, imagine that you are trying to push the carpet forward away from you with your feet flat on the floor and then try and pull it back towards you. Your feet do not actually move on the carpet. You should feel that this activates the muscles in the back and front of your thighs (quads and hams).
3. Hip/buttock muscles: clench your buttocks off and on: you should be able to make your whole body rise up and down if you are doing this correctly.

For information about how to tell when you are sitting in good posture visit the Back Health section of the Morfit website http://www.morfit.co.nz/

ENDS

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