Holiday Travel Survival Guide: Keep Your Back and Joints Happy
Photo by Eva Darron on Unsplash
The holidays are a time for joy, celebration, and family—but the travel that comes with it can leave your body aching. Long drives, cramped flights, and hauling luggage often result in stiff backs, sore hips, and cranky shoulders. At PAR 5 Physical Therapy, we see a spike in post-holiday patients dealing with travel-related pain. The good news? A few proactive strategies can make your holiday travel much more comfortable.
Why Travel Causes Pain
When you sit for long periods, your muscles tighten, circulation slows, and joints stiffen. Poor posture and awkward lifting add even more stress. The result? A body that feels like it aged ten years by the time you arrive.
Top PT-Approved Travel Tips:
Move every hour – Stop on road trips or stand up on flights. Even a few minutes of walking restores circulation.
Support your spine – Use lumbar support like a small pillow or rolled jacket to maintain neutral posture.
Lift luggage smart – Bend at the knees, not your back. Don’t twist when lifting bags into overhead bins.
Pack light – Two smaller bags are better than one oversized, heavy suitcase.
Do travel exercises – Seated ankle pumps, shoulder rolls, and neck stretches fight stiffness.
Bonus Tip: When you arrive, do a short mobility routine. On our YouTube channel, you’ll find quick exercises for hips, backs, and shoulders that are perfect after long trips.
Treat travel like an athletic event: warm up, use proper form, and recover afterward. That way, you’ll arrive pain-free and ready to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.
PAR 5 Physical Therapy specializes in helping active individuals in Morris County, NJ, get back to exercising and working out pain-free without taking time off or relying on injections or pain medication. PAR5PT offers physical therapy and performance services to all populations, with specialties in Orthopedics, Golf Fitness Training and Rehab, Manual Therapy Techniques, and Wellness Services.
If you have questions about anything, big or small, just call or text 973-490-4955.