Ban back ache from your camp site

Ban back ache from your camp site

It’s the time of year when people all over the country, if they haven’t already, start to pull out tents, dust off collapsible chairs and get ready to enjoy the fun of camping in New Zealand.

If you’re anything like me the long break between last and this summer puts a romantic glow on the concept of eating, entertaining and sleeping in a tent. I forget the mozzies, rain, and of course the back ache and stiff joints accompanied with living in the great outdoors.

There’s not much I can do about mosquitos and the weather but I can give you an antidote to ensure your next camping trip isn’t accompanied by unnecessary pain.

First of all, I’ll explain why we often end up uncomfortable while camping – and the stretcher and air bed can’t take all the blame for this.

People often assume that sudden back or joint pain will be caused by a major incident of some kind. But many times my clients end up with aches or in discomfort due to subtle changes to their everyday movements.

When we camp we switch from doing lots of waist height movements – like getting out of a car and getting up from a bed or office chair – to making much lower movements because our camp beds, chairs and bags are typically closer to the ground than those we have at home. And in order to get up from these lower positions our bodies work a bit harder to help propel a little higher than normal.

Surprisingly, small actions like this can be harder on the body than a full gym workout simply because when we relax on holiday we’re usually less controlled in the way we move than we would if lifting weights. So while searching for togs in a bag on the tent floor doesn’t sound like it would be harmful, often just one day of activity like this is enough to cause people discomfort.

And here it is, my antidote to camping back and muscle pain, an exercise known as the thoracic rotation. Simply take one large step forward and place your front foot on a raised surface like a low chilly bin. Push the knee of your front leg forward until it lines up with the front of your toes in a lunge position. Lift your arms up to shoulder height and out to the sides like you’re reliving your childhood and pretending to be a plane. Then twist and rotate your chest and arms towards your forward leg (while keeping your hips straight and forward). Do this slowly three to four times and then switch sides.

This exercise will help lengthen the muscles required for twisting that little bit further when you get up from your camp chair to check the BBQ or grab a drink. Do it in preparation before you go camping and daily while you’re there and then you’ll only have the mozzies and the weather to worry about!

Barbara Kelly, xalt. 110% sports performance
www.xalt.co.nz

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