The old saying goes: “Vacations are fun, but traveling is a pain in the neck!” Actually, traveling can be an even bigger pain in the back.

The stress of making plans, packing the essentials, getting to the airport on time, waiting to check in and the whole security scenario really pack a tough one-two psychological punch to the low back.

Then there’s the physical stress and strain of lifting bags, dragging them through the parking lots and airport, carrying all those over-stuffed carry-ons with gifts and paperbacks.

But the number one complaint by plain, train and automobile travelers - when describing the onset of their back pain - is sitting for too long. Airplanes and even trains advertise that their seats were ergonomically designed by specialists to properly support to low back and neck during travel. But I know the one’s I sit in feel horrible. And it’s not only me… people complain about them all the time, and their continuous pain gives them fair reason.

Luckily, the pain associated with travel can be greatly reduced, and in many cases avoided, with these simple tips:

- To reduce stress-induced muscle cramping and pain in the neck, shoulders and low back, it is advisable to plan your trip well in advance, pack two days before, load suitcases in the car the night before, use online check-in to reserve your seat, and check your bags at the curb. These seemingly little things can reduce the stress and anxiety of rushing around, waiting in lines, and dragging bags. If planned and executed well, the low back pain associated with stress can be avoided.

- Only pack what is absolutely necessary for your carry on. Each family member gets one carry on, plus a purse (for ladies). To avoid the neck and shoulder strain of lugging these around, and of trying to place them into and remove them from the overhead compartment, the lighter the better.

- The poor seating designs of most travel vehicles cause back pain due to incorrect support of the spine, and forward pitching of the shoulders. To avoid this, always bring a small pillow, or use one that is offered and place it behind your low back or neck for support. If I can’t find an in-flight pillow to use, I will roll up my jacket or even the inflight magazines, and use them as supports. Seated posture is so important for preventing strain to the spine, and pain to the neck, shoulders and low back that by whatever means… find and use a support.

- Be sure to remain well hydrated during your travel time. One of the most basic, yet common, causes of pain is dehydration. Not having enough fluid in the body to keep the body cool, the blood moving, the muscles supple and the tendons relaxed. Not only must you drink plenty of water, but you must also avoid coffee, tea and soda during travel, as these all cause you to sweat, urinate… to dehydrate.

- If you are taking a long drive, train ride or flight, be sure to get up and move every hour. Simply standing up for a few minutes and doing some light stretching, twisting or bending will help keep you limber, relaxed and the blood moving in and out of the muscles. And when the blood does not move or moves too slowly, the muscles and tendons become tight and painful!

- And lastly, be sure that when lifting bags, holding children and reaching for items that you plant your feet flat for support and bend from the knees. Incorrect lifting or over-reaching for items is one of the most common causes of back pain… and one of the easiest to avoid.

Travel does not have to be as stressful or painful as many of us make it out to be. If we plan well, execute well and take care of our bodies while in transit… the trip will be painless. And what better way to relax on vacation or arrive on business after travel, than stress free, hydrated, supple and… pain free!

The electrifying pain comes from your lower back, directed through your sciatic nerve into your feet and back to your lower back again.

It is unbearable isn’t it?

Having sciatica is a curse. You can’t walk for long. You can’t sit long at the same position either. Even laying on the bed could not help easing off the pain because your damaged sciatic muscles keep alarming. If you’re a sciatica patient you should understand what I mean.

Often, sciatica patients are a little misled by the ways of treatment. Just a quick question for yourself. What have you tried over the years to cure sciatica? I mean, to cure sciatica, not the pain.

The most common methods you were taught are massaging therapy, reflexology and acupuncture. These methods are very effective indeed. You can see almost immediate relief after taking these treatment. However, try look a little deeper into these treatment.

Is your sciatica fully cured by any of these treatment? Relief yes, but not getting rid of the pain once and for all. So why is the pain keep bugging you?

There is only one simple reason behind- Your muscle is damaged. It is out of its normal position and constantly pressing on your nerves. That is why you feel intense pain at your leg or hip whenever you move. Even a slight raising of your leg or turning your body just to release muscle stiffness might bring you lots of pain especially when your sciatica condition is at the final stage like me 10 years back.

Look back at the massage, reflexology and acupuncture therapies. All of these treatment are not meant cure sciatica by reconstructing your lower back and leg muscle to its original position.

What they basically did are to relieve your pain, let you to able to walk and stand again with reduced pain after you have attended countless sessions for long term. They do not heal sciatica. In fact, they let you to get used to the way you are injured and after a long period when your body started accepting the pain, you would be able move like a normal person again.

Is curing Sciatica possible?

Yes. It has been proven that Sciatica is able to be fully cured without surgery. Physiotherapy is one of the ways that work but not as effective as the Muscle Balance Therapy. Muscle Balance Therapy is the latest therapy breakthrough that works incredibly well in all kinds of chronic back pain and sciatica cases.

Muscle Balance Therapy is an innovative approach to eliminating every kind of back pain once and for all, starting with a careful yet simple assessment of all the muscles that affect the stability of your hips, pelvis, and spine - from both a strength and a flexibility perspective.

The Muscle Balance Therapy approach uses the results of your assessments to design an individually targeted program of corrective exercises to help take the stress off your muscles, joints, and ligaments so you can achieve a more balanced body and eliminate the cause of your pain.

In a sense, what Muscle Balance Therapy is asking you to do is a very “unbalanced workout” to get your body back into proper balance. Once your muscles are more balanced and you’re feeling better, you will be able to return to your workplace or to your favorite activity with the confidence and security that you need to live a full and productive life.

Up to date, there are more than 200k patients who have back and chronic Sciatica problem managed to cut down 90% of the pain within the first 3 weeks after trying Muscle Balance Therapy exercises at home.

Back pain can be caused by various things. Some of those things include straining, too much standing, pulled muscles, prolonged sitting, not getting enough exercise, and lack of muscle. There are several other things that can cause back pain that are all too numerous to mention here, but what we are going to be talking about is getting rid of your back pain by using Pilates and stretching techniques.

Pilates is a system of physical conditioning that involves low-impact stretches and exercises. Pilates also involves core strengthening movements which are great for the back. Since all of the exercises are extremely low-impact, anyone can do them. They can be done from your home or at the gym. All you need is a mat and the knowledge of how to perform the exercises and stretches and you are all set to go. There are several DVD’s and books available on how to perform Pilates exercises and stretches that can be found most anywhere from libraries to online.

Back pain can inhibit us from living our lives. It can keep us from work, cause us to lose sleep, and prevent us from doing the things that we have always enjoyed. A strong and relaxed back is one that is unlikely to feel pain. When you build up the strength of your back slowly and carefully, you are doing one of the best things that you can do for your body. People often do not realize how important their backs are until they give out on them. I am sure that those of you reading this that have back problems agree completely.

A lot of times back pain is related to poor posture. Did you know that proper stretching combined with the use of Pilates can actually lengthen your spine and improve your posture? You might even find that your height changes in length a bit after performing a series of Pilates exercises. The types of stretches that you do are not at all painful. An example of an effective Pilates stretch would be to lie down face up on a mat on a flat surface while pulling your knees to your chest. While you are doing that, you will slowly lift your head forward until you are in a balled-up position. These are the simple movements that you will be working with when performing Pilates. These types of movements help to strengthen the ligaments and joints in the back that might be weak and are causing your pain.

When our backs are in pain, they let us know it in a big way. We need to care for our backs in the same fashion that we care for the rest of our bodies. If we do not keep it strong, it is going to breakdown and become useless. Pilates and stretching techniques will help you to maintain your back so that you can be strong and continue to take on life’s most demanding responsibilities without giving out.