Tips for Airline Passengers with Back Pain

It’s hot and the roads and airports are full of summer vacation travelers. For those that suffer from chronic back pain, a long flight is torture on your back. So we’ve got some very helpful tips to help you avoid having a miserable flight.

1. Utilize Your Doctor

Your doctor is one of your best advocates when preparing for a vacation. Here’s why.

• A doctor may be able to provide a letter about your lower back pain to the airline and flight crew, which may then make accommodations for your needs.

2. Contact the Airline

Generally speaking, it usually cannot hurt to contact the airline a couple of weeks prior to the flight and let them know of your back pain. You may be surprised that the airline may be able to make accommodations for your back pain, especially when you give them a decent notice of your condition. As just a couple of examples, the airline may be able to:

• Provide you with medical attention (if necessary) via wheelchair assistance and early boarding
• Have airline personnel carry your luggage for you and/or lift it into the overhead bin for you
• Accommodate you with special shuttles and elevator platforms for boarding
• Allow non-medical assistants to accompany you through security and boarding.

3. Put More Thought into Scheduling Your Flight

Take into account how you can make your flight less stressful on your back rather than rushing to book tickets by:

• Exploring the possibility of taking a flight when there will be less people on board and more room for you to lie down across seats.
• Contacting the airline prior to scheduling a flight and let them know of your back pain. They may be able to provide you with more insight on when flights tend to be very crowded and much lighter.
• Trying to limit the down time between in-flight connections or layovers, if applicable.

4. Bring Over-the-Counter Pain Medication

Utilize over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and Nuprin) or naproxen (Aleve), to provide back pain relief on your flight.

• Take your pain medication one hour before your flight to give it time to get into your system
• Carry your pain medications together in a clear plastic bag and have them on you at all times, in case you need to resort to them during the flight.
• Inform flight attendants that you are on medication. This way they can monitor you if necessary.

5. Provide Support to Your Back While in the Air

For lower back pain, providing support behind your lower back, often with a back roll or even a couple of pillows (which a flight attendant may be more than willing to give you), is a good way to prevent slouching that may lead to back pain and to keep your spine straight.

• Bring a neck pillow on board to help with his neck pain.
• Back braces, tube-shaped pillows with microfibers inside and other materials providing support are common companions of passengers with back pain and can be purchased inexpensively at many stores.

6. Watch How You Are Sitting

Airplane rides can be a bit tight and uncomfortable at times, especially if you’re not in a luxury class.

• If your legs are not positioned at a right angle when you sit in an airplane seat, ask for something (pillows, blankets) to prop up your feet and keep your knees at a right angle. Doing so keeps stress off the lower back.
• If you have long legs, request an exit row or bulkhead seat, which generally has more leg room.

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Read the rest of the tips over at Spine-Health.com

Tags: Back Pain, back posture, Back Safety, Medical Tips, Pain, Travel