Traveling With Scoliosis

With the holiday season coming up, so many of us are prepping for the hustle and bustle of holiday travel. But as you know, when you’re dealing with scoliosis, even the most mundane of tasks, like sitting on an airplane, can be extremely difficult (or uncomfortable). 

I wanted to give you some insight into the tips, tricks, and life hacks I use to travel as comfortably as possible with scoliosis. 

Packing Strategically

If you have children, you’re packing gifts for everyone, or you’re staying for a while in one place, having multiple bags is pretty much inevitable. Strategic packing might be a tall order, but the best thing you can do is limit the amount of items you’re carrying and instead load as much as possible into a roller carry-on. 

Wearing a backpack or purse can lead to uneven weight on your spine, which makes it even more difficult on your body. If you do have to carry a backpack, it’s always great to grab one that can go over the handle of your roller bag, so you can roll them with you as one single unit. 

Make Sure You Have Your Comfort Items

If you’re anything like me… you’re a last-minute packer. So I’ve found it extremely helpful to keep a checklist of my go-to items, like my wedges, so that I don’t forget them. 

I also love to pack my yoga strap and fabric belt (both of which I added after going through Schroth training). I pack a deflated Pilates ball to both exercise with and use for a stomach massage. If you struggle with constipation while traveling, this is a life-saver! 

And I never forget my lacrosse ball for my feet or my Theragun (if I have room!). Anything I can use to do some myofacial release is helpful, especially if I’ve been walking a ton that day. 

The best thing about my go-to scoli-tools are their size and weight. All of them are small and light, so they don’t take up too much room or add more weight. 

It’s important to set aside time for self-care while traveling. I promise it will reduce the strain and soreness afterwards! 

Don’t Put The Pressure On

Many of us scoli-warriors have found our perfect routine — aka the things we do on a daily basis that help relieve some of the pain and pressure and balance out our bodies. And as much as we try to keep it up while traveling, that’s just not always possible. 

So if you find yourself falling out of your routine because that 20-minute wind-down is suddenly hard to fit in… don’t worry about it! Just try and pull 1-2 exercises out and practice them at night or in the morning to give your spine some TLC. 

Ask For Help! 

This can be a hard one for most of us to do. I personally love my independence and hate asking for help. But I also have to acknowledge my condition and the limitations it might put on me. 

For example, loading a carry-on into the overhead bin can be hard and painful for us. And when traveling alone, we might want to try and force ourselves to just go ahead and do it, which can, unfortunately, lead to injuries. Don’t be afraid to ask for help — other people are usually wonderful and willing to assist.

Additionally, I’ve found that setting expectations with people ahead of time is really helpful. When I’m flying, I’ll let flight attendants know that I’ll be getting up and stretching during the flight. Or if I’m road-tripping with family, I just make sure we have a conversation about stopping every hour for a quick stretch. 

Change Positions Often

One of the worst things you can do for scoliosis is remain in the same position for too long. Even if that position is a scolio-correction, remaining in the same place and being static will ultimately cause additional pressure. You won’t get fluid flooding your joints and lubricating them, which leads to them drying out. 

All in all, more movement is always better! 

I hope these tips were helpful! If you have any more tips for traveling with scoliosis, I’d love if you could leave them in the comments and help our other scolio-warriors out. 

If you’re interested in working with me in a group capsule for scoliosis improvement, I currently have spaces available to help you with Pilates-based movement that will give you more control and mobility in your body — and reduce pain. You can learn more about my virtual scoliosis treatment programs here.