How to Travel When You Have a Bad Back


Hi, my name is Sebrin and I’m a grandma. Thanks to my old lady aches in my lower back, traveling can be a real pain in the ass (literally). But after many planes, trains and automobiles, I’ve learned several tricks to travel when you have a bad back. If you have a bad back and traveling causes you discomfort or pain, try these tips and tricks so that you can have excellent spinal health without sacrificing your travel plans.

Seriously though, I’m not lying when I say I have an old lady back. People with my particular diagnosis usually get this in their 50’s and up. I’m just the lucky duck who got it at the ripe old age of 24!

Lumbar spinal stenosis is when there is a narrowing of space between vertabrae causing the spinal nerve roots in the lower back to become compressed and cause inflammation, sciatica symptoms and a lot of pain. Pair that with my mild scoliosis (“Scolio-Joe” as my family calls me) and you’ve got a seriously fucked up back. Whoopee!

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And unless I pop crazy pills, get corrective bracing or back surgery, I’m pretty much stuck this way.

Naturally, this can cause issues on the road. Sitting for long periods of time in uncomfortable seats or stiff, hostel mattresses does a number on my sad excuse for a spine.

(I was reminded just how much of an old lady I am during my road trip around Arizona. We totaled 22 hours of driving and towards the end of our journey, my back was killing me!)

However, after traveling with a bad back for some time now, I’ve found a lot of remedies and utilized these tips so that I could travel comfortably.

Thanks to a combination of exercise, physical therapy and meds (not the pill-poppin’ kind), I can now travel relatively pain-free! Now, you can too!

1. Stretch Every Day 

Stretching is a miracle cure. It’s free, it’s easy and if done consistently, goes a very long way! This is especially true if you’re experiencing sciatica pain as a result of your bad back. Here are some amazing stretches you can do before your flight, during your flight or throughout your vacation. (Although if you have lumbar spinal stenosis like me, you might want to skip #3!)

Travel When You Have a Bad Back; girl stretching and yoga outside
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2. Travel with a Foam Roller

When it comes to back pain, the foam roller might just be the greatest invention of all time! Foam rollers help to untie the knots in your muscles by breaking down adhesions and helping to heal the tissue. Since your nerve endings are sending pain signals to your brain, the muscles around that nerve tighten up and become stiff and painful, making your back worse. The only issue is how bulky these things can be. However if you can find the room to travel with this wonderful invention, I highly suggest it!

2. Bring a Golf Ball

Much like a foam roller, using a golf ball can break up the tiny knots in and around those hard to reach areas. While the foam roller is much more effective for evenly distributing the pressure, golfballs work wonders too! You just need to focus on smaller areas, one step at a time. The great thing about a golfball is that they’re easy to travel with and can be stowed in your luggage, carry-on or purse.

3. Exercise Every Day

Contrary to your inner voice telling you to avoid that work out while in pain, exercise can actually help your back. Movement is life’s ultimate cure. Movement and strength can help cure many physical problems as well as mental problems, so it’s no surprise that working out can help ease the inflammation and stress on your body. Getting to the gym while you’re preparing for your vacation is one thing. Trying to fit in a work out on the road is another endeavor entirely. Try utilizing hotel gyms or 10-minute YouTube workout videos. If that’s a no-go, walk everywhere, tour on bikes, take the stairs and try some exercises in the park!

Travel When You Have a Bad Back; tourist girl stretch on bike in Paris France
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4. Invest in Icy Hot Patches

Icy Hot can be a godsend if you’re feeling immediate, sharp pain in your back or neck. The temperature helps to reduce inflammation and release tension in your muscles while the medicine helps ease your poor nerves. Plus, the patch takes the guesswork out of wondering if you should be heating or icing your back (spoiler: it does both!). And while I do love this patch, I try to wait until I’m really sore to use these chemicals. Use if you’re about to get on a long flight or if you’re sitting on a long bus/train ride.

5. Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Food is a very powerful component to your back’s health. Certain foods cause inflammation in the body. If your body is constantly inflammed then certain areas receive less oxygen and blood flow. This causes your nerve endings to feel a lot of pressure. Sugar is the biggest culprit, but there are other foods that cause inflammation, too. This can include dairy, grains, grain-fed meat and vegetable oils. So that sugary piña colada or that triple-decker burger SOUNDS super delicious, but maybe stick to something that will keep your joints and muscles from becoming inflamed.

6. Practice Good Posture

To be fair, this should be done ALWAYS (especially if you want to make your long journey on your flight comfortable). As a blogger, I’ll often find myself hunched over my computer for hours until I realize my back is hurting. Try to remember to hold you shoulders back and sit up straight with your feet apart. Try using habit-forming techniques (like cell phone apps or rewarding yourself) to get the job done. Cause you don’t want to end up like “Ol’ Lady Sebrin!”

Travel When You Have a Bad Back; girl facing mountains and blue lake blake hat travel wanderlust
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7. Try NSAIDS

This is my last tip and should only be used if absolutely necessary. If done every, single day, the tips above should reduce a lot of back pain. But if you have a more serious condition or have just come out of surgery, sometimes meds are necessary. NSAIDS, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is a type of medication that reduces pain and inflammation. Make sure to take these when your back pain just ain’t quitting and you need a little help to stand up!

How Do You Travel When You Have a Bad Back? Share Some Tips With Us!

**Please note that I am not a doctor or medical professional in any way and that these tips are personal anecdotes that have provided me with intermediate success. Consult with your doctor for the best treatment for back pain before travelling.

13 comments on “How to Travel When You Have a Bad Back”

  1. I found your post very informative and very useful. I have a missing vertebrae in my lower back, and I love to travel. Some of what you recommend I use but much of it was new information for me. Thanks.

  2. Brilliant post! I also suffer from a bad back (thanks do a disc injury) that I have to manage and sitting for long periods, different beds, etc. is also a culprit for me, yet I LOVE travelling. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    1. Thanks for reading Dan! I don’t know exercises that heal a lower back (I know mine can’t ever be healed, but can decrease pain.) However when it comes to fitness, I love reverse crunches! They’re good on the back and help strengthen your core, which ultimately makes the muscles around the lower back stronger 🙂

  3. Sorry you have had troubles, but it’s great to hear that you live your life to the full. My 23 year old daughter also has chronic pain, and she tries to do as much as she possible can. She is going travelling in a few months and we are worried about back packs etc,. Have you any advise by any chance ?! All the best 🙂

  4. I personally very crazy about travelling but, from past few months I’m facing pack pain issues and I was not sure whether I can travel this holidays or not. But, these mentioned tips sounds very effective and worth to try out. Thanks for sharing.

  5. I really appreciate your tip to stretch your back before and during your flight to make sure that you can avoid back pain. My wife and I have been thinking of flying to the coast so we can celebrate our anniversary this weekend. I will be sure to tell my wife that she should stretch our her bad back before and during the flight!

  6. Traveling with low back pain: By far the best tip I could give anybody is do whatever it takes to get yourself a business class seat if you’re going to fly 12 or 13 hours. Laying down takes huge amounts of pressure off the spine. You can combine this with a sleeping aid, and you’ve got the best experience you’re going get on a long-distance flight.

    Okay, I get it you don’t have $4000 over the $1000. So what to do if stuck in coach? Lots of good tips here already. Get an aisle seat and try to get up once an hour. Your muscles need oxygen, and moving around is the best way to get it. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Those drinks are for the morons who don’t know better. I normally drink several cups of coffee a day, but on the day of my travel, I tend to stick with just one. And this is usually to avoid a caffeine headache. Caffeine can stay in your system for 5+ hours and make your muscles tight. Stay hydrated. Not only is is going to make your muscles feel better, it’s going to force you to get up and use the bathroom often. Do it.

    I find products from Therm a rest to be very good. They have trail seats and lumbar supports. Get a few, try them at home first to see which one works the best. Air cushions under your bum and especially behind your lower back make a huge difference. If you gotta support your lower back for 12+ hours, forget it, you’re going to want to kill yourself. The therm a rest cushion is a must-have item on any flight!! The trail cushion is a little bit thinner, and can be used behind your back, to sit on, or folded in half. It’s pretty versatile. I carry one trail cushion and then one back cushion, which is thicker. You can adjust the air pressure or move them around for a new position. A must have!

    Advil is my go to non-steroid anti-inflammatory. A lot of it however can upset your stomach, so try to take with food. I like Xanax before I get to the airport, but I find its effect are very short-lived. Four hours at best and it starts wearing off in about three. The one nice thing is it gets out of your system quickly, so doesn’t leave you groggy. This is preferable to Valium, which stays in your system much longer. Stress makes muscles tight. Xanax for when I 1st start a flight. A must for me.

    For acute pain the opiates are probably the best, but in less you’re talking kidney stone kind of pain I think they can leave you more groggy than not. I take them with me, but have not used yet. Just knowing you have them helps.:) If you still have pain after taking 600 or 800mg or Advil, then see paragraph one. You just don’t belong in coach.

    I’ve tried some of the lidocaine patches and they can help (they are prescription). The icy hot patches would be something else to try. For me, probably the best thing is getting up and moving often. I do stretches by the exit aisles, and generally the attendance leave you be. You don’t want to be doing this during food service obviously, but in the middle of a long flight things are quiet and you can pretty much do what you want. Light meals helps too. Fruits and veggies, not steak and pizza. Stool softeners can help you go without a laxative effect (cramping).

    I tried to adjust my schedule so that I’m having my bowel movements when I would be having layovers. That’s not always possible, but if you can do it I suggest it. If you have no trouble using the disgusting lavatory bathrooms, then more power to you, but I can’t go on the plane. After my 13 hour flight I tend to like to have about four hours layover. This allows me to sit down and have a decent meal and a good cup of coffee. I go to the far end of the airport and find a quiet bathroom. Not only are they cleaner, but they are quiet and you can have yourself a decent dump, read a magazine , etc. If you got a short layover forget it. You’re too stressed. One longer layover after the long flight is good. I also find nearly every time I find someone to talk to as people are experiencing all kinds of adventures. I like my longer layovers. I can skype friends, etc.

    I find some classical music or guided meditation useful as well. Download some tunes before you get on the plane. They generally don’t take up huge amounts of room, and can do a lot to ease your mind.

    Lastly, and eye mask. More than likely some bozo is going to want to watch television for the entire trip or turn the light on right in the middle of your beauty sleep. I generally ask the person sitting in the window if they need to use the bathroom as I’m about to take some medication. It’s amazing how you can persuade people to get up and empty the bladder if they know they’re going to really inconvenience you if they have to get up.

    Traveling long distance sucks. I hate it and tend to fret about it for weeks before I fly. As I said, one of the best things you can do is save your dollars, use your miles an upgrade to business class. It turns what would normally be a extremely uncomfortable flight into something manageable. I fly from Alaska to Thailand each year, and the total time is 26 hours! 19 of those are flying. I have canceled more than one flight if my back is acting up. Don’t push yourself or you will regret it! Best to get the travel insurance, so you don’t end up losing a lot of money if you have to rebook. It’s pretty easy to get a note from a doctor and that’s generally what the airlines require for a refund. Check out the policies before you book.

    Good luck.

  7. HI roy D ,
    I think the stretching is a miracle cure. It’s free, it’s easy and if done consistently, goes a very long way! This is especially true if you’re experiencing sciatica pain as a result of your bad back. Here are some amazing stretches you can do before your flight, during your flight or throughout your vacation.
    thanks.

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