Long-distance travel can be a luxury and a wonderful experience. For most of us, though, it means hours of sitting still. Two problems show up again and again: low back pain, and ankle swelling.
Why your back hurts
The human spine is designed to balance stability and mobility. When the spine is immobilised for long periods (over an hour in a car or plane seat), forces concentrate into one area of the lower back. Excessive force here strains the intervertebral discs, and the spine drifts from an ideal posture into a pain-causing one. A lumbar support cushion or brace helps. So does getting up, moving around, and stretching the back and legs.
Why your ankles swell
Prolonged sitting reduces blood flow back to the heart (venous return). Blood pools in the lower limbs, visible as ankle swelling (oedema). That same blood pooling increases the risk of forming a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg, a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The longer the seated, inactive period, the greater the risk. DVT has its own complications: the clot can dislodge, travel back towards the heart, block a vessel on the way, or block one in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), which is potentially fatal.
Prevention
- Increase water intake; reduce alcohol and caffeine
- Calf-muscle contractions and ankle circles every 30–60 minutes to push blood back up
- Get up and walk every couple of hours if you can
- Compression socks have good evidence behind them, particularly post-surgery and on long-haul flights
- Use a lumbar support cushion or roll a small towel behind the small of your back
If you regularly travel long-haul or have a history of back pain that flares on travel, we can build you a simple in-seat routine and pre-trip check-in to keep it under control.