Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day

Can you believe it is already Memorial Day weekend?  This is the time of year that marks the summer travel season.  Many of you will be going on long car rides and or plane rides to beautiful places.  You will also be staying in strange beds, lifting loads of luggage, and doing crazy things you only do once a year. With that in mind, I wanted to give you a couple of my tips for having pain free travel.

I have a few must travel with items that I call my “MacGyver Travel Kit”.  Many of you may remember the TV Show from the late 80’s (yes I am dating myself here!) called MacGyver. The show always seemed to have the protagonist trapped in some danger with only a few unrelated items like a paper clip, two cotton balls and a #2 pencil in the room and he would problem solve and make a contraption that freed him and others just in a nick of time from impending doom.

Well, the items in my travel kit are the same things. Unrelated items that can keep you from impending doom on your travels. The first item you need is a gallon ziplock freezer bag. This mighty bag can get you out of many a tight spot.  How you might ask? First, it is easy to put in your carry on luggage for the airplane, second, anywhere you go from a plane to a hotel to a convenience store or to Disney World, you can put ice in the bag to place on your lower back, knee, neck or anywhere else you may be hurting.  See when you overdo it, you now have an instant way to calm the inflammation.  You can do it anywhere and don’t have to worry about freezing a gel pack etc.,  You can use the ice in the bag to cool you down on a hot day and when the ice melts you can use it to drink it or you can dump it and put the bag back in your travel backpack.

The next item you need is a tennis ball.  Yes, this can be used to keep your dog happy on a trip or play actual tennis with it, but the real value is so much more.  First, it is small and will easily fit in your travel bag for the plane.  Second, you can use this ball for self massage of tight muscles whenever you want.  On a long plane flight or car ride and those mid back muscles are getting tight? Bam! Put the ball behind you, press against it slightly and move back and forth. Instant massage and decreased pain and spasms. Had a long day walking in the theme park?  Wham!  Place the ball on the ground, take off your shoe and roll the ball under your feet for sweet relief.

The third item is a sweatshirt.  I recommend this item for a few reasons. One, obviously you can use it if the weather changes or the air conditioning is on full blast and you get cold. In addition, it fits into your travel bag for the plane. Second, you can ball that sucker up and now you have a pillow to lean against in the car or plane window and save your neck from imminent disaster.  And third, you can fold it up and put it in the small of your back for an instant lumbar support pillow to save your lower back.

So there you have it. Three totally unrelated objects to get you out of any travel jam you get into.  I hope you all have safe travels this weekend and great pain-free vacations this summer. As always thank you for letting me be your Raleigh Chiropractor.

Monday8:00am - 12:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm
Tuesday3:00pm - 6:00pm
Wednesday8:00am - 12:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday8:00am - 12:00pm
3:00pm - 6:00pm
Friday9:00am - 12:00pm
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Ashforth Chiropractic Family Wellness Center
6512 Six Forks Road #103
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 844-6560


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6512 Six Forks Road #103
Raleigh, NC 27615