Travelling with Chronic Pain: Tips for Road Trips

Last week, I took a road trip with my mother.  Driving 6 hours to visit family was quite a challenge, but it wasn't impossible.  Over the past decade or so, I haven't travelled more than an hour or so in a car or bus.  I did hop a train to Sydney and I did fly a few times.  However, road trips were something I just wasn't prepared to do. There was a time, when more than an hour in the car was simply impossible.  Don't get me wrong, a 6 hour drive was not exactly easy, but I managed.  In fact, I managed quite well.

Here is how I did it.

1. Be Prepared:

I would give everyone this advice regardless of their health status because it's good advice.  As a person who lives with chronic pain, I am always prepared for the worst.  I carry pain medication with me all the time (most of the time) and I don't go anywhere overnight without an icepack.  If you are going to survive a long drive; you need to be prepared and plan ahead.

2. Plan Rest Stops

Know that you will need to rest regularly.  If you can only cope with an hour in the car, then you need to plan rest stops hourly.  I could manage an hour and a half to two hours. So, we planned accordingly. We also identified extra places we could stop, just in case.

3. Stretch

Make sure that "rest" includes stretching as well as a toilet break and a cup of tea.  Focus on your problem areas and repeat those stretches as often as you can.  It is so worth it.

4. Pillows are your Friend

Make sure you maintain good posture.  Use pillows and lumbar supports if you need to and use them well.  This is probably the most important thing you can do.  All the stops and stretches in the world won't do you any good if your posture is poor.  We all know poor posture is a contributing factor to neck and back pain.  While we have pain for other reasons, we don't need to make things worse with poor posture.  The best advice my physio gave me was so simple - use the head rest.  Make sure your head is in contact with it and tuck your chin in.  It kept me in check.  I also used pillows to support my elbows and a lumbar support behind my back.  This made such a difference!

5. Communicate!

We all know that the best thing about road trips is sharing the experience with someone.  My mum had to do all the driving and she was anxious to get to where we were going.  It was important for me to let her know when I needed a break.  It was also important for me to tell her if I wasn't ready to get back into the car. There were a few times when a short stretch and a sandwich wasn't enough of a break.  I needed to go for a walk up the street and back.

It was a great trip and I got through it. There was some pain the day after we arrived and I needed to organise some time for resting (more resting), but it was manageable because I was smart.  I didn't push through and ignore my body.

So, listen to your body.  Take the time to take care of yourself.  PAUSE (see what I did there?) it's not a race. Relax.  Enjoy the ride.

Until Next Time,