Happy Holidays! I want to thank my good friend Dr. Michael Geraci for writing our 1st ever Guest Blog on Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN. Michael is an invaluable asset and resource to me personally, my family, my company, and most importantly my clients. I’m proud to be able to call him a colleague and a mentor. Holiday Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN is a timely and important blog. Many of us have done if before. You don’t have to. Please read over these simple tips on how to make your trip much more enjoyable and less painful.
Sincerely,
Joe Fox President TrainSMART Personal Fitness LLC
Holiday Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN
Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN can be tough. Whether you are traveling by plane, car, bus, or train this holiday season, remember one of the rewards of you being the one to make the effort could be back pain. Long rides while seated, for more than just 50 minutes, starts to deform the healthiest of discs in your lower back. You have to be careful when Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN.
So what can you do to make sure you don’t show up at your relatives’ house for the holidays with back pain that will last till the New Year? Remember, you may not always be in control of when you can get up but you can be creative. When Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN, Bring a lumbar support (McKenzie or McGill type, figures 1 & 2). These easily fit in a carry-on if traveling by plane. If for whatever reason you can’t get one before Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN no problem, you can simply use a folded up jacket, fleece, or even a towel.
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Figure 2. McGill LumbAir[/caption][caption id="attachment_364" align="alignright" width="300"]
Figure 1. McKenzie Roll[/caption]
When Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN, These supports allow you to sit for longer periods of time keeping your spine in a more neutral posture preventing your spine from flexing (flattening) which increases your disc pressure and deforms the disc. Simply place these supports in the small of your back or at your belt line. However when you can get up you should, even if you don’t need to go to the restroom, just walk back to the restrooms in the back of the plane, train or bus and do about 10-15 backward bends (Figure 3). This simple exercise reduces the negative effects of sitting. Once you arrive at your destination and can get down on a carpeted floor do about 10-15 press-ups (Figure 4). These simple little steps can make a huge difference when Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN.
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Figure 4. Prone Press-up[/caption][caption id="attachment_372" align="alignright" width="300"]
Figure 3. Standing Extension[/caption]
About Michael C. Geraci, Jr., MD PT
Dr. Geraci received his Bachelor of Science Degrees in Business Commerce at Niagara University in 1975 and Physical Therapy from Daemen College in Amherst, NY, in 1979. His medical training began at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico receiving his medical degree in 1983 and additional medical training and residency at the SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from 1984-1988. Currently he is the Owner and Medical Director of his own private practice. He was the Sports Medicine and Fellowship Program Director at Buffalo Spine & Sports Institute, P.C., which he co-founded in 1991, through 2011. Also, he is a Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SUNY at Buffalo and Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. His current research is in use of stem cells and platelet rich plasma in peripheral joints and the lumbar discs.
Dr. Geraci is board certified and a fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with subspecialty board certification in Sports Medicine. Some of the most rewarding experiences has been training 24 fellows in spine care, sports medicine, manual medicine/exercise and fluoroscopically guided injections since 1992. The author of over 20 articles and book chapters.
Dr. Geraci has presented more than 70 invited presentations at national meetings, chaired more than 30 courses, and given more than 130 lectures and workshops. Among the research and teaching awards he received are the Prince Visiting Professor Fellowship and Mike Hage Lectureship Award for Passion, Compassion & Willingness to Share, from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation, Excellence in Clinical Practice Award, The Avalon Cole Lectureship Award, University of Virginia, and the PASSOR 2006 Distinguished Clinician Award. He is the only physician in his field selected by his peers to be included in the Best Doctors in America Database for 10 years in a row, 2005-2014. Dr. Geraci was also named to America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly, Ltd., 2013 & 2014. He played two years of professional soccer after playing 4 years of Division I college soccer, and continues to serve as consulting team physician to a number of high schools, colleges and professional sports teams. He was team physician to a National Professional Soccer League team, the Buffalo Blizzard, from 1992-2001.
If you have any questions for Michael about this blog or Traveling with LOW BACK PAIN please call his office at 716-247-5320.
