Wyndham Wisdom

Watch Your Back

How to be kind to your spine when you're on the road

The last thing you need on vacation is to throw your back out and spend the week bent over in pain. But when you're squeezed into economy class for hours and then hoist a heavy carry-on from the overhead bin, it's easy to see how injuries occur. "Your muscles stiffen up while you're sitting, and when you get up that's exactly when you need to remove your luggage," says Arya Nick Shamie, M.D., an associate professor at UCLA's Comprehensive Spine Center. An estimated 50,000 Americans were treated for luggage-related injuries in 2007 alone. Fortunately, these strategies can help.

1. BUY A BETTER SUITCASE
Some cases are even heavy when they're empty. When choosing a new one, be sure it's easy to lift and ergonomically sound. Some new luggage lines use materials such as Teflon or polycarbonate that are both resilient and lightweight. We like Delsey's Helium Pilot series and Titan Luggage's X2 Special Edition line.

2. TRAVEL LIGHT, LIFT SMART
Even if your suitcase has wheels, you still have to carry it up and down stairs and heave it off the baggage carousel. Ideally, says Dr. Shamie, your packed carry-on should weigh no more than 15 percent of your body weight. Checked luggage with wheels can be heavier, but you should still minimize your lifting, and bend at the knees when you do it, using your leg and abdominal muscles. Never twist your torso. Even with a lighter carry-on, "bring your bag up to the waist and then pivot the feet rather than rotating the back," advises Jason Brewton, director of physical therapy at the Texas Back Institute. And if necessary, pay a baggage handler.

3. STASH THE CARRYON OVERHEAD
According to Dr. Shamie, reaching for something on the floor while you're sitting is a "very dangerous move" that puts additional stress on your back. Tuck items you'll need into the seat pocket; if you drop something, move into the aisle and bend at the knees to retrieve it.

4. STAND UP
Whether you're traveling by car, plane or train, get up and stretch. Brewton says that stretching every half-hour is ideal, but every two hours is still beneficial. He recommends movements like backbends (put hands on hips and tilt back), rotation stretches (bend to the side and hold for 10-30 seconds) and "dynamic standing" (shifting from foot to foot).

5. PACK A ROLL
Most airline seats are cramped and bucketed--terrible for the back. Brewton advises traveling with a lumbar roll (foam, he says, is more supportive than the inflated kind). Try NapForm's memory foam lumbar pillow ($50 at brookstone.com) or the McKenzie lumbar roll ($18 at relaxtheback.com). A rolled up towel can also help.

6. UPGRADE
Business or First Class is a splurge, yes, but if you have a herniated disc or recently had back surgery, it could be worth it.

7. TRY YOGA
In his book Travel Yoga (Chronicle; $10), Darrin Zeer suggests poses that can help travelers stay calm and limber, such as the "heavy suitcase stretch," the in-air "turbulence tension tamer" and, once you arrive, the indispensable "luggage carousel lunge."