Back Packing

One of our friends is just about to embark on a round the world trip taking in Singapore, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Fiji. Apart from being exceedingly envious, I’ve been advising her on how to correctly carry her luggage as she will be carrying everything that she needs for six months on her back.

As many readers or friends and relatives of readers will be considering a gap year (whether they are 18 or 58 – exploring the world as part of an early retirement plan is increasingly popular), I thought that I’d share with you the advice that I’ve been offering my backpacking friend.

It may sound obvious but travelling light is the first principle. When I first started hill walking I got another friend, who used to be in the army, to advise me on what to take; it was about half of what I thought I needed. He told me two rules to follow when packing: firstly scrutinize every item and consider if it is really necessary (for safety and comfort, not for fashion or luxury); secondly invest in ultra light, high quality equipment. It’s essential to go to a specialist outdoor gear shop to buy your backpack and ask them to fit it to you. Remember that an overly heavy pack will increase your risk of fatigue related injuries, such as heat exhaustion and falls, and will place undue stress on your back, neck, shoulders, legs, knees and feet.

Learning how to maintain a good posture when carrying a backpack will help you avoid back pain. When wearing a backpack, there is a tendency to throw your shoulders back too far and over arch the spine with the lower back then supporting not only your pack but the weight of your upper back too. This excessive inward curving of the back is called hyperlordosis and will cause pain in the joints and soft tissue of your lower back.

A healthier backpacking posture is to stand with your shoulder, hip, knees and ankles in a straight vertical line. You may find that you need to tuck your tailbone under a little to achieve this. Ask a friend to assess your posture from the side and tell you when you’re in line and get used to this position.

Your feet are the foundations of your body and poor footwear is the midwife of back pain. It’s worth investing in a professionally fitted lightweight walking boot or shoe and to consider having your feet assessed for potential problems before you set off.

Chiropractic adjustments of your feet and elsewhere in your body as required can restore function, relieve pain and help prevent future problems. In addition, at my clinic we examine patients to determine whether orthotics (shoe inserts) will offer relief. We can order special activity orthotics that slip into your boots or outdoor boots or shoes with built in orthotics moulded to your feet. In general we tend to go with good quality off the shelf orthotics as opposed to tailer made orthotics as unless you are on your feet day in day out, the cost benefit ratio is not often worth it.

Life really is an adventure so don’t let back pain spoil your travels.

Top tips

As more people choose to travel the world the we have put together some top tips to make sure it’s only your bank balance that takes the strain……

  •  Bag the best – choose wisely, buy the lightest bag possible and make sure that it is de- signed to take more weight in the centre of your back.
  • Get a good night’s sleep – travelling when tired increases your chances of injury so make sure you sleep well the night before a flight and avoid rushing around.
  • Air-exercise – you will be restricted to your seat for most of the flight but avoid stiffness by doing shoulder shrugs, buttock clenches and foot circles.
  • Flying high – If you’re flying, drink plenty of soft drinks during the flight as alcohol, as this will cause dehydration, which can aggravate muscle pain.
  • Pack a pillow – Most backpackers will stay in an array of hostels and beach huts with old and bad quality beds. Although hard beds are not necessarily comfortable they are easier to make softer by putting a bed roll across.
  • Fine dining: Be sensible with what you eat and drink to avoid food poisoning as not only can the action of vomiting strain your back but dehydration can cause musculoskeletal pain.

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