This post is a bit late as it involves something I learned on the last day of my road trip to Kentucky. Which was two and a half months ago.

As you all know, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can cause a person to slowly hunch forward. For this reason, physical therapists and Rock Steady Boxing coaches continuously try to get us to constantly pay attention to our posture. But staying focused on posture is not always easy.

As I drove all over Kentucky, I occasionally noticed that my posture had completely abandoned me while I was behind the wheel. I wasn’t slouching straight forward, but forward and to the right – towards the radio. Usually, I wasn’t aware of this posture problem until it started hurting my back. So I was definitely not looking forward to the long drive back to Charlotte.

Thus, in preparation for the long drive home, I adjusted the driver’s seat so that the seat back was straight up. I hoped this would decrease the slouching a little, since there was no room for my spine to recline. This worked far better than I had imaged it would.

Y’see, with both the seat back and my own back being perpendicular to gravity, the back of my head very lightly rested against the head restraint. So lightly, that every single little bump in the road caused my head to bounce just a little. So there was a constant (and kinda fun) jostling as long as I maintained my posture. Every time my head stopped bouncin’ around, I immediately noticed the change and corrected my posture.

The results? I completed the five-hour drive home with zero back pain! And this was no fluke. I still keep the seat back as vertical as vertical can be, and the ol’ driving fatigue and back pain haven’t been happening. So, it looks like we have ourselves another PD Travel Tip!

PD Travel Tip: When travelling by car, keep your seat back as upright as possible to improve posture and to prevent fatigue and back pain.