Contact: Shauna LaFauci [email protected]
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Holiday Travel Survival Guide
While Thanksgiving marks the unofficial start to the holiday season, it is also the busiest travel day of the year. Karen Jacobs, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at BU's Sargent College and President of the American Occupational Therapy Association, offers the following travel
tips:
How to move luggage without straining your muscles:
-The cardinal rule of lifting and carrying is to use your legs primarily, not your back or your arms, to carry most of the weight. Bend at the knees and lift using the leg muscles.
-When loading luggage into a car, break the task down into manageable
steps: first pick it up using the leg muscles, then hold the load close into your body. Make sure you are balanced and that your feet and legs are firmly planted, then go on to put the bag into place.
-Ask for assistance: placing heavy items into a plane's overhead
compartment can be dangerous for the neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists, especially if you lack the upper body strength to lift such a weight over your head. Ask an attendant or fellow passenger for help.
-Use common senseif an item is going to be too difficult to handle
on board, use the luggage check-in. The time you save by carrying it on won't be worth much if you've sustained an injury which puts you in pain for the rest of the trip!
How to sit comfortably on a plane for hours at a time:
-Adjust your seat position for maximum comfort. If you need a footrest to bring your legs and knees to a comfortable height, use a backpack or another piece of carry-on luggage once the plane is airborne.
-Get up and move about the cabin as soon as you're permitted or at least every hour. While you're standing, try to do some back, leg and arm stretches.
-In your seat, stretch your neck by pressing your ear to your shoulder and shrug your shoulder up to your ears.
-Stretches are very important if you are using a laptop computer or doing other work while traveling. Don't become so engrossed that you fail to take a break for hours at a timeyou may end up with great pain and stiffness in your neck or hands upon reaching your destination.
-Use a small pillow for lumbar support.
Tips on staying comfortable while driving for long stretches:
-Use cruise control because it takes the pressure off the right side of your body (your accelerator and brake pedal side).
-Pull over and change the position of your seat frequently to reduce prolonged pressure point, especially hips and knees. Do the same thing with the angle of the steering wheel occasionallyagain, it changes your position.
-If you know you're going to be in the car for a long period of time, do some stretches for the legs and hips before getting into the car. After you arrive, step outside the car and do some more brief stretches to loosen up.
-Eyes are muscles that need attention, too. At the rest stop, focus on something 25 feet away without blinking for 15-20 seconds, then blink normally.
-Use a small pillow for lumbar support.
-Try to keep elbows at 90 degrees. If your arm rest won't help you do this, use a small pillow under your forearm. -No matter what your mode of travel, drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
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