- Joint pains
- Swelling of the feet( gravitational oedema, common in the eldery)
- Stiffness in the neck and back
- Numbness of the hands and feet
- Nausea or the urge to vomit
Joint pains can be caused due to reduced movement of the same by which lubrication becomes less amd joints also will be in a stationary state which can make the soft tissues like ligaments around the joints to tighten and can increase pain especially in artharitic joints where already the joint space is compramised. In order to prevent this it is highly essential that the joint mobility is maintained so that the blood circulation is improved and will make the soft tissues more viable.
Swelling of the feet may be due to the decreased tension or strength in the lower limb muscles especially the calf muscle which plays a major role in pumping blood back to the heart.This can be solved by doing the ankle pumps or by moving the ankle and feet up and down.
Stiffness on the postural muscles happens due to continuous weight load for longer time. Usually the seats in a luxury bus have good ergonomic design to support the curvature of the back including the neck so that the body weight will be evenly distributed to the seats through the prominence on the seats. The seats will be of standard size and a short person may find it difficult to get support from the neck cushion which is a convexity at the top portion of the seat. This will lead to unequal weight distribution at the neck and lower back because of difference in supporting contours. This can be corrected by keeping a towel rolled at the back of the neck if possible at lower back also so that the difference will be corrected. Some stretching movements should be done whenever possible for the back and neck.
Numbness occurs due to the reduced blood supply to the nerve mainly situated at the pressure bearing areas. By maintaing free movements for the limbs, this can be avoided.
Nausea or vomiting is a very common problem faced by passengers while going for a long journey. The reason for this beyond the scope of this article. you can greatly reduce this problem by doing regular deep breathing exercises.
Hope this article will help to make your journey much more comfortable here after.