Travel Tips with Chronic Pain

The idea for this post arose from a recent trip.  I love traveling, seeing places, doing things, etc.  Unfortunately, my body does not, so I avoid travel unless necessary. The recent trip was necessary--previously scheduled commitments and not possible to back out at late notice.  I knew the trip would stretch me and I'd need a lot of recovery time.  I was able to break the trip up and make the drive each way over a couple of days each time.  The multiple commitments, meant that I had a few days at the destination to recover from the travel to get there.  It also meant having more time between driving days to recover from the previous part of the trip.

Basic tips:

Stop often!  I know where every rest stop is on my normal travel routes.  I also know where the rest stops without facilities are, where the gas stations are, anything that serves as a good stopping point as sometimes my body is just not going to make it to the next planned stop.

Move!  My body needs to move.  The longer I am forced to be inactive (car rides/driving), the more desperately I need to move.  A lot of my stops are just pacing or doing gentle stretches at rest stops to get my body moving and loosened up again.  Once I reach final destination, if late, it is lying prone with ice packs.  If early enough and access, it is finding a gym, or walking path or pool, or all of the above.  Then, lie prone with ice after that. Lying prone helps stretch out and undo the effects of prolonged sitting.

Ice! I have discovered various systems over the years of managing ice for travel.  I learned after one trip a very good reason to always leave some of my ice packs at home--I will need them once home.  I did not do that once, and there were other complicating factors and the end result was inability to get pain under control for hours. I use my ice packs from the hospital from surgeries as they seem to stay cold longer.  I use a couple of frozen water bottles to help keep ice packs cold, put them in a freezable insulated bag, which I then put inside another insulated lunch bag.  The water bottles work great as ice packs themselves once the ice packs are used up.  I have hip issues, so just set a water bottle at crease in leg, so ices hips pretty well. But, they could work for lumbar spine area as well. With this last trip being so long in the car, so long between stages, dubious access to freezers in the meantime, I ended up getting the instant ice packs. The instant ice packs are a great travel option.  I had boxes of them in the trunk of the car and could get fresh ones at the next stop to get out and move around. I found these ice packs were a good size, but these ice packs were colder. Yes, I got that big of box....or actually two of them as they were buy one, get one free.

Heat.  I do better with ice than heat, but sometimes heat helps. Or, switching back and forth between heat and ice. I have enough heating pads and hot packs to cover entire back at once. I am also grateful to have a car with heated seats.  This last trip, I had ice packs on my hips, and the heated seat on for my back at the same time.  It actually worked pretty well.

Distraction.  This may sound odd when driving.  I mean, when driving one needs to be focused on the road and surrounding environment, other vehicles, etc.  So, what is the use of distraction?  It is to distract from pain.  Every long distance trip, I sooner or later reach a point where I am just done.  I feel like I cannot handle another moment in the car, another moment of the trip, nothing is comfortable, etc.  I find music CDs helpful.  I have a playlist with some of the more intense music.  Anyway, I have some music that is calming, relaxing, soothing, some that is more intense and works well to help distract from pain.  As pain worsens, I also increase volume--within reason.

Driving versus riding.  If I have the option, I prefer riding as I can recline the seat fully, have more freedom to move even though seat belted.  Driving, there is less ability to move around.  I still do some--pelvic tilts, shoulders rolls, etc.  I have the seat adjusted just so, but will change it later if my body seems tired of it. Most who have ever watched me through a class, seminar, conference session, even waiting room or exam room, realize I pretty much never sit still--something is always moving.  Swinging my legs, stretching my back, shifting position almost constantly. Same with driving--almost never still. When driving, cruise control is invaluable, as it gives leg/foot a break.

Support pillows.  I have a back support pillow that I used for years for my back, then to sit on to help with low back/SI joints/hips.  I also have a neck pillow that I use even driving/riding locally. My old car required pillows, rolled towels, etc. to find something halfway decent.  My current car has electric adjustable seats, lumbar support, heated seats, etc.  So much nicer!  I noticed a definite difference in how well I tolerated travel.

Flying. Most of my travel has been road trips.  Flying creates a whole other set of needs.  Having to keep all medications in carry-on bag, carrying empty Ziploc bags to ask for ice once on the plane, having my water bottle with me empty to fill with water later, standing in the aisle once in the air and allowed to be out of seat, doing PT exercises in airport waiting areas between flights, walking/pacing, etc.  I love flying and hate flying.  Flying offers much shorter travel times. However, seating is miserably uncomfortable.  Pressure changes that can bother some peoples' ears bother my joints.  I flew right before my first hip surgery and it never occurred to me the pressure changes would affect my hips even though I knew they affect ears and that weather pressure changes affect my joints.  That was not a fun discovery.

Travel is still feasible with chronic pain and illness.  However, it sometimes takes a bit of advance planning.

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