Driving posture is important for our back’s health that is why the BackShield is designed to keep your spine aligned in the optimal position while you are seated in your RV.
RVs or recreational vehicle sales have been gradually increasing over the last several years but with the pandemic of 2020, the interest in this mode of transportation has exploded.
RVs are a great way to travel. Kitchen, sleeping, and common areas are all contained within the RV allowing for a more leisurely excursion that can be modified to fit any schedule for any journey.
Back pain can be an obstacle for any road trip, and with concerns about COVID-19, more people are getting behind the wheel this holiday season as opposed to risking airline travel.
Here are 5 tips on how to maximize your RV adventure and minimize your road trip woes.
1. Get up.
Too much sitting, whether it be our long driving days or the inviting lawn chairs at our campsites, wreaks havoc on our backs. Set a driving rule that you’ll stop every two hours for 15 minutes.
Be active for those 15 minutes…walking around a rest stop or seeing a roadside attraction.
Even better, do some of our recommended back exercises! The same rules apply for those lawn chairs. Never sit for longer than two hours. Your back will most definitely thank you.
2. Proper Posture
Emily Post was right on this one. Whether sitting, walking, or lifting, it is crucial to use good posture to keep your back healthy.
If you don’t use good posture, your spine can become fixed in abnormal positions, which causes strain on the body and contributes to backaches and injuries.
Our driving posture is important for our back’s health as well. To maintain a correct driving position, make sure your seat has back support (lumbar roll) at the curve of your back.
If it doesn’t, consider purchasing a BackShield. The BackShield is designed to keep your spine aligned in the optimal position while you are seated.
This is of utmost importance due to the compression of the spine when seated. The BackShield lifts the upper spine to relieve the pressure on the lower back to prevent and alleviate conditions like sciatica.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight.
The spine is designed to carry our body’s weight and distribute the loads it encounters, whether we are active, sitting, or resting. But when we carry excess weight in our stomachs, it pulls our pelvis forward and causes our center of gravity to shift forward.
The spine is forced to carry the extra burden, which may lead to structural compromise and injuries. Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce the load on our spine and lessen our chance of back problems.
4. Exercise
You’ve heard this a million times, I’m sure, but I can’t leave this one out of the list. Regular exercise not only can ease your back pain and stiffness, but it will also:
- Strengthen your bones and muscles
- Improve your flexibility
- Increase your energy
- Help you sleep
- Boost your mood
And reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Exercise truly is the best medicine. As a matter of fact, you can even use the BackShield to perform some exercises that will actually enhance your workout!
It’s a great way to start incorporating gentle back exercises into your RV travels. Of course, you should know your limits. If your back is so painful that you can hardly imagine exercising, speak to your doctor about appropriate therapeutic exercises. Start slowly and build from there.
5. Proper Shoes
This one seems so simple but can make all the difference in keeping our backs healthy. When we wear the wrong shoes, an entire kinetic chain of negative events occurs. Our walking gait is thrown out of whack. We compensate by resetting our posture. Our body rebels since it isn’t used to the new posture.
Our back must work overtime to maintain the new posture, and might even sway unnaturally, which ends up stressing our lumbar erector spinae muscle. Bottom line; be mindful of the shoes you put on when you head out the RV door. It could make or break your day’s adventures.
Personally, I’ve become a huge fan of minimalist footwear with a zero “heel” to better simulate walking barefoot. Xero makes some great functional but still fashion-forward shoes. So, we hope these tips make your road trip this holiday season much more bearable. And remember…Love your life, love your back. Just because we may be in a lockdown, doesn’t mean you can’t find #freedomfrombackpain!
