TAKING CARE OF YOUR BACK: AIR TRAVEL-CARRYING LUGGAGE
Airline seats vary in comfort according to the price. Economy-class seats are designed to be particularly mean with elbow and leg room, but on long journeys, even the more expensive seats can leave you feeling stiff. Get up and walk about at least every hour if you possibly can.
Sleeping in your seat has to be done in one position – leaning back – and that is usually a sure way to a stiff neck. The inadequate little cushions handed out by the airlines on
long-distance flights are not much help: placed behind the neck, they are unyielding and slide out. Most airport shops and luggage shops sell U-shaped inflatable cushions which support the neck quite efficiently, and the airline’s cushion can go in the small of your back or be used as and additional arm support.
A shoulder bag, such as an airline carry-on bag, is better than a hand-held bag, provided this does not lead to uneven posture on one side – try putting the strap diagonally across the body rather than over one shoulder. Or carry two evenly loaded bags, one in each hand.
Suitcases and holdalls can be troublesome to someone liable to back pain. The logical solution to carrying luggage is to divide the load into three: in a rucksack over your shoulders, and one small case in each hand. The rucksack certainly distributes the weight more evenly and allows the back muscles to contract more evenly on both sides.
A suitcase with its own wheels can take much of the lifting out of moving luggage. Make sure that the handle is at a comfortable height, that the suitcase comes with a strap to pull it along, otherwise trying to wheel a small suitcase with castors underneath would mean walking with an awkwardly twisted spine.
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