Happy Thanksgiving! Many will be traveling this weekend and that can cause a lot of joint stiffness. There are MANY excellent stretches and movements you can perform after traveling by car/train/bus/airplane – here are three of my personal favorites.
After traveling, I like to stretch my thoracic spine.
I feel like when I’m in the car or squished into a seat on an airplane I’m forced into an awkward, uncomfortable posture. The movement of the thoracic spine (the part of the spine where the ribs attach) affects the segments both above and below it. This means that treating stiffness in the thoracic spine will alleviate tightness in the cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (low back region). Here’s what I like to do for it:
Thread the Needle:
Get on all fours, then reach one arm under and across your body. Move into a comfortable rotation of your spine. Hold 15 seconds, 3-4 times on each side.
Another great place to stretch is the hip flexor region
All that sitting during travel can cause the hip flexors to tighten up (at least mine do!). These are the muscles at the front of your hips that raise your leg when you’re standing. During sitting, these muscles are in a shortened position. Spending several hours this way can cause tightness and discomfort. Here are two ways to stretch them:
- Runner’s Stretch: Begin in a deep lunge position with one knee resting on the floor. Tuck your pelvis (think of tucking in your “tail”) as you slightly move that hip in a forwards direction. You shouldn’t have to go very far before feeling a big stretch in the front of your hip. If you don’t feel a stretch, you’re allowing your pelvis to tip forwards (“untucking your tail”). This happens when you bend forwards or arch your back. Hold 30 seconds, 2-3 times on each leg.
- Standing Flexor Stretch: Place one foot on a chair or bench in front of you. Position your standing leg so that your foot rests comfortably on the chair and you aren’t off-center. Just as above, tuck your “tail” for a stretch at the front of your hip. Again, if you don’t feel a stretch you are likely either bending forwards or arching your back. Hold for 30 seconds, 2-3 times on each side.
Lastly, I love stretching all the muscles along my back.
There are several muscles that go vertically along our spine. These include the paraspinals, the lats, and quadratus lumborum. Here is an effective and easy way to stretch all of these at once.
- Lateral Child’s Pose: Get on all fours, then sit your hips down on your feet and allow your torso to bend over your knees with your arms out in front. Next, walk your arms to one side until you feel a comfortable stretch. Hold 15-30 seconds, 3-4 times on each side. You can also perform this stretch by walking your arms to the side while on all fours then sitting back.
***If you have trouble kneeling, you can perform this stretch in standing with your upper body supported on a table***
This is not an exhaustive list of stretches to perform after traveling
It’s not always necessary to stretch after traveling, but it can keep your body moving well on your trip! There are MANY stretches you could do after traveling. I don’t recommend doing ALL of them (unless you really want to). I suggest picking three stretches that feel really good and prioritize those. The above three are the priority areas for me, but might not be for you. For more stretching ideas you can check out this video. Safe travels, everyone!
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