Summer is here and with it our yearnings to take those long awaited vacations to far away destinations. While taking a break in itself is good therapy for any back aches and pains you may be experiencing, we wanted to offer a few more tips on keeping your back safe from injury or strain while traveling. Whether your trek is by plane, train or automobile, keep these tips in mind to preserve your back safety. 

• Take ziplock bags for ice (hotels/restaurants/flight attendants can usually provide the ice if you have the bag), which is handy for end-of-the-day relief or acute pain.
  Remember to pack tubes of Biofreeze and Traumeel, two effective ointments for pain relief of back, shoulder and neck pain, joint discomfort, and muscle strains and sprains.
  
  
• Also pack travel packets or small bottles of ibuprofin or the analgesic of choice and gel packs if you plan to stay somewhere where you’ll have access to a freezer. Backs on Burnside carries Formula 303, a terrific homeopathic herbal muscle relaxant.

• While seated on long flights or car drives, bring a lumbar-supporting travel pillow or roll up a jacket or sweater to place behind the small of your back. (If you’re flying double-check to make sure you put travel pillows in your carryon and not your checked baggage.)

• Get up and walk every hour or so, even if traveling by plane. You’ll be amazed what just a quick walk to the loo will do to relieve or prevent muscle strain. If driving, try to take a brisk 5-minute walk every couple of hours and do a few quick stretches.

• If you’re having trouble sleeping at night in a bed you’re not used to, place a rolled-up towel across the shoulders below the pillow to provide proper cervical support.

• When waiting in line at security or to check in at the airport, try not to lock your knees, which causes bad posture and puts pressure on the lower back. Instead, bend your knees slightly and keep your pelvis tucked in.

• If walking long distances in airports with several pieces of luggage, don’t hesitate to use the wheeled carts available for rental in most airports and bring or rent strollers for small children.

• When flying, keep your carryon pieces a manageable weight and use the small suitcases with wheels or backpacks that distribute the weight evenly across your back. Don’t overload yourself with heavy or unwieldy carry-ons that you'll be dragging and hoisting them a lot and don’t hesitate to ask an airline attendant for assistance when lifting and extricating your luggage from overhead bins.

• To reduce stress, take whatever opportunities you have to stop and take a break at the coffee shop in the airport and read a newspaper or an engaging book. If you’re driving, give yourself permission to stop en route to take a break. Another hour of delayed travel will not make much difference and if it gives you the opportunity to avoid peak travel times when driving through big cities, will be well worth the stress you’ll avoid in tied-up traffic.

• Always be mindful of your posture: bring your food or reading material to a position that allows you to keep your eyes straight ahead, your head high, and does not require you to crane your neck forward.

• If you feel yourself tensing up, practice relaxing your back muscles, when you're sitting in one place for a long time – close your eyes and imagine yourself on that beach you're hopefully destined for and take deep breaths.

• Distinguish between the feeling of exertion and pain -- pain is a signal from your nerves that what you are doing is wrong for you. When you get such signals, do some mild back exercises that feel comfortable. Try the side slide, knee hug and pelvic tilt.

• When driving your seat should be close enough to the pedals to prevent undue stretching and straining of the lower back. Be aware that the old hand positions of 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock have been updated to 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock for cars having air bags. Wrong hand positions risk extreme shoulder injuries in the event of airbag deployment.

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