Traveling? Here’s How to Keep Your Body From Paying the Price

From long drives to cramped flights to sleeping on a lumpy guest bed — holiday travel can take a toll on your body. If you’re someone who struggles with tight hips, an achy lower back, or a stiff neck after being on the road, you’re not alone.

At Off The Block Performance Physical Therapy in Easley, we see it every year: active people who feel great most of the time suddenly show up in our clinic after the holidays sore, stiff, and wondering what went wrong.

Here’s how to avoid that this year — and what to do if it’s already started.

Why Travel Wrecks Your Body (and What to Do About It)

When you sit for long periods or sleep in unfamiliar positions, your body adapts — but not in a good way. Common problems we see around the holidays include:

- Lower back tightness

- Hip and hamstring stiffness

- Neck and upper back tension

- Increased joint discomfort from inactivity

The key isn’t avoiding travel. It’s moving intentionally before, during, and after your trip.

Client Story: How We Helped Marcus from Travelers Rest After Holiday Travel

Marcus, a 41-year-old recreational runner from Travelers Rest, came to our Easley clinic last January with nagging low back and hip pain after flying to visit family and then driving 6+ hours on the return.

He had been doing great with training until that trip—then suddenly every run felt tight, and bending forward gave him sharp twinges in his hip.

During his evaluation, we found:

- Limited hip flexor mobility

- Weak deep core engagement

- Poor glute activation after prolonged sitting

- Thoracic spine stiffness from hours hunched in a car

We created a plan that included:

✅ Manual therapy to restore mobility
✅ Specific warm-up and recovery drills for travel days
✅ Core and glute activation work
✅ Simple movement routines to do mid-flight or at rest stops

Within two weeks, Marcus was back to running without pain—and now uses our “travel reset” routine every time he hits the road.

What We Recommend to Stay Comfortable During Travel

✅ Stand and move every 1-2 hours — even 5 minutes helps
✅ Use a lumbar support or rolled towel in car or plane seats
✅ Pack a lacrosse ball to self-release tight muscles
✅ Start each day with 5 minutes of mobility work
✅ Don’t skip your warm-up when you return to training

Traveling doesn’t have to wreck your body. We can help you stay strong, mobile, and pain-free—no matter where you’re headed.

We serve active people in Easley, Travelers Rest, Greenville, Pickens, and surrounding areas who want to move better all winter long.

📞 Call or text (864) 633-9272 to schedule a recovery or mobility session before or after your trip.