Spine tips for road trips
Good evening, New Day! I hope you have had a lovely weekend 🌆
Road trips can be such a fun part of summer. They’re a great way to get to know this country we live in, and a great way to get to know the person you are travelling with!
One minute you’re speeding down the open road, singing along with your favorite song circa 1996. But then as time goes on. . . “Oww! my back!” (or insert neck/shoulder/hip, etc) 😂😱🙏
Are you just getting old? Or hey, maybe this chiropractic care you’ve been getting isn’t working very well??
Increased physical pain and tension during long car rides is extremely common, and I would go so far as to say highly likely and NORMAL. So don’t freak out!
The confluence of factors– the lack of physical activity and normal movement, the horrible ergonomics, and the possible dehydration and the eating of pro-inflammatory foods on the road– makes pain and soreness a likely outcome
Do stop and pay attention to your body. Pain, soreness, and difficulty with your range of motion is your body crying out for help, saying that unless you change something joint and tissue damage will occur 🛑
It is possible to mitigate these factors to prevent issues and enjoy your road trip more! Here are my top tips for doing that ✨✨✨
Tip #1 Change (and keep changing) the ergonomics
Keep in mind that there are different physical stressors you might endure being the driver of the car compared to in the passenger seat or the back seat 🚗
I actually think that the passenger seat and the back seat can be worse for you than being the driver!
The reason for this is that if your car was made in the last 10-15 years, the seats most likely have head rests that JUT FORWARD. It is difficult, if not impossible to adjust and change this feature.
As you can probably tell by my tone, I have a major bone to pick with car companies over this trend. I’m guessing that this is some sort of “safety” feature that helps you in the case of an accident. But the rest of the time… it’s KILLING YOU SLOWLY minute by minute ⚰️⚰️⚰️
Seriously, the too-far forward head rest is sooo bad for your spine, arms, and shoulders (and all the important nerves and structures therein!)
The driver’s seat, of course, has the jutting head rest too. But when you’re driving you are more likely to be sitting forward in your seat and so this problem may affect you less.
Plus as the driver you have the steering wheel for resting your arms and shoulders which helps with this too (I’ll talk more about that in a minute).
So here is what I want you to do before a trip, especially if you are the passenger. First, see if it is possible to adjust the head rest back so that your head can be in line with the rest of your spine.
If not, bring several pillows with you to place behind your lower back. You might need one under your booty as well. Put the pillows behind you so that you will be able to lean back and have your head and shoulders are not being pushed forward.
You might find that you come up with a comfortable arrangement, but then a couple hours in you start feeling stiff. That’s normal– just change it up a little bit with the pillow arrangement. Nothing’s going to work perfectly the whole time because we are humans and we are meant to be moving. Plan on changing it up 😊
Tip #2 Support the arms and shoulders
Ok, you’re going to start to think that I want you to fill your entire car with pillows before your road trip.
I’m not NOT saying that 😂😂😂
Seriously though, pillows are your friend. In addition to the pillows you might want behind your mid and lower back due to the head rest issue, you might want one or two to support your neck, arms. and shoulders.
Simply having a pillow on your lap so that you can rest your arms can help a lot, especially if you are a passenger.
As the driver, you also might want to support one or both arms. For example, you can wedge one between the door/window and your body and rest your left elbow there while you drive.
Running low on pillows? 😰😰😰
Sometimes purses and small backpacks can work great for this. Get creative with how you can arrange things and keep changing it up as needed.
Tip #3 Move your body
Normally, when you are getting adjusted regularly with Network Spinal care, one of the helpful side effects of having your brain and body working better is that you tend to feel more helpful little urges to stretch, move, or change your posture ☀️💖💥
Much of it is subconscious, but you also probably notice yourself readjusting as well.
Humans are meant to move. I would go so far as to consider movement and exercise a necessary “nutrient” for your nervous system and body. If you’re not moving, your nervous system thinks that something is wrong and starts releasing a lot of stress hormones.
Even though we may have just gotten adjusted at New Day recently, when we are on a long road trip we can easily become disconnected.
Whether it’s the monotony of driving through downstate Illinois that puts you into a trance-like fugue state, being overly tired, or being overly sugar’ed or caffeinated, we can easily find ourselves holding uncomfortable and spine-damaging positions for longer periods of time than normal 😫
Be proactive about this issue. Make a point of doing some shoulder rolls and neck circles at regular intervals. Like maybe in between podcasts episodes or during the commercials if you listen to the radio. Periodically move your jaw back and forth as well. Cross one ankle over one knee.
If you have friends or family in the car with you, they might try to make fun of you for doing this, but don’t you worry about it.
Chances are, they’ll soon be doing the movements along with you, and it will become one of the cherished memories you share from this trip together 🤗🤗🤗
Tip #4 Attend to your nutrition and hydration
Being dehydrated (from not drinking enough water, from drinking sugary drinks or too much coffee, from not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables) will increase sensations of physical pain in your body. This is true during road trips and during normal life!
In addition sugar, caffeine, dairy, and fried foods cooked in seed oils promote inflammation in your body.
It’s not always possible to avoid these types of foods on a road trip.
And sometimes, eating a “treat” is part of the adventure and you need to be able to roll with it 🍗🍟🍦
So plan ahead. Have your water bottle and make sure you are filling it up every time you gas up.
Bring your vitamins! Some of the most important nutrients that help your body in myriad biochemical processes to maintain your health and ability to feel good are Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Probiotics, and a high-quality Omega 3 Fish Oil.
These are the supplements that I would recommend that most people use most of the time.
On a road trip you are going to need them even more than usual because they help your body mitigate the additional physical and chemical stressors.
Additionally, you might want to bring some digestive enzymes to help your stomach break down heavy, carb-y foods.
And a calcium and magnesium supplement can help relax the nerves and muscles.
Thanks for taking the time to read these tips! I hope they help you next time you are on a long car ride or road trip.
I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you at your adjustments with me this week 💖