5 life hacks for pain free plane travel

Holiday travel can be a pain in the neck, literally. Being an osteopath in Byron Bay I see people every week from all over Australia and the world who have travelled a long way to get here and ended up with pain in the back/neck/knee in the process. Whether it’s the cramped plane seats, the heavy suitcase, the holiday traffic with the screaming kids or just standing in the airport line it can make you question why you left in the first place.
I travel a lot, and with 2 young kids so I’ve learned a few tricks. These might not work for everyone but here are a few things you can do to not start out your holiday in pain.

Tape up
For extra support while travelling you can use ‘physio’ or ‘rock’ tape (that stretchy tape you see tennis players wearing). Taping the lower back or neck or shoulder can give you that extra bit of support and keep your posture tip top. You can get this stuff at most chemists or physio clinics and you can simply look how to apply it on youtube!
Unlike bulky braces that limit your mobility, physio tape is thin, comfortable and allows for a full range of motion so you can move about the plane with ease.

Stretch and get creative!
You might look a bit weird but it will be worth it and you might just clear your own row by people moving away from you!
Overhead storage cabins are great for a bit of lower back traction.
Crew seats and emergency door handles are a perfect height for a sneaky hammy stretch.
Easily drop the heel off the escalator stair for a casual calf stretch.

Wait until the final call of your flight
so you’re not standing in line any longer than you have to. You’ve already lined up for check-in, security and customs and that final line takes the longest anyway. Even wait until they are calling your name personally while casually doing that last downward dog at the gate. Also if you’re the last one to the board you can snap up any spare rows for that extra leg room.

Stay hydrated
This applies to long haul flights especially. With the dry cabin air and sitting vertically you’re discs actually get smaller over the hours through water loss. People with existing disc problems will be much worse off if this happens plus the added bonus is the more water you drink the more times you will be getting up to pee which means bit more mobile.

Get massage whenever and wherever you can.
If you are transiting through any large airport chances are they’ll have a spa or massage place. If you’re just gonging from Sydney to Byron use the $2 electric chairs, I love those things!
Needless to say that after the stress of getting work finished up, packing the kids and the trauma of the transit is over you ‘d do well booking a massage for the 1st day or your trip, not the 3rd or last day. It really speeds up the ‘unwinding’ part of any holiday, you know how it takes 2-3 days before you can actually start to feel like your on holiday? Getting some body work will press the reset button for you!