After a 5 hour flight every joint in my body hurts. Most people dont seem to have this issue. What’s wrong with me?
Business class. Any flight over 4 hours is when I evaluate whether I should pay for an upgrade out of pocket.
I’m about to have this issue in about 10 hours. Are you older than 30? Cuz I really started feeling the pain after 30. I recently bought an awesome inflatable pillow that keeps my head upright, so I can maybe possibly sleep instead of just fidgeting and suffering through the whole flight. I feel your pain, internet stranger.
Also, constipation. It’s so hard to shit the day after flying. Most people don’t seem to have this issue.
I’m over 30, but it’s always been a problem. I’ve only slept on a plane when I’ve taken muscle relaxers pre-emptively, which is what I should be doing going forward i guess.
EDS? That’s why I hurt when I sit still too long, my joints literally slide out of place without muscle activation to hold them steady
i don’t think so, but that sounds uncomfortable!
It’s not my favorite. It does mean I prefer to not be a couch potato. Sitting still and playing video games all day hurts so much worse than gardening or cleaning the house.
Nothing is wrong with you. Flying sucks.
Choose an aisle or window seat to your preference, bearing in mind that one of the solutions to body soreness when airplane traveling is getting at standing up for 10 mins every 30-40 mins.
If you can swing it, fly first class, since the seats are wider and you can more easily shift your body weight.
i usually pay more for extra legroom, but going up to 1st class is a big jump.
- (I will be so happy when transporters get invented)
- as others have mentioned, outside of an actual medical condition, best you can hope for is mitigation
- compression socks, neck pillow, eye mask, noise cancelling headphones
- stay hydrated – one of the big drivers behind jet lag is plain old dehydration
- aisle seat – you can get up, walk around a bit, hit up the bathroom, all without having to climb over your neighbors every single time
i rarely sleep when traveling. I’ll consider a neck pillow next time. i’m pretty good about jet lag, and yeah i’ve been picking aisle seats every time i fly.
Do you have scoliosis?
Do you have some kind of condition? Flying is uncomfortable but it’s not typical to be in “excruciating pain”
not to my knowledge.
Mention this next time you see a doctor. Some discomfort on a flight is normal, but excruciating pain indicates a potential medical problem
They serve alcohol on planes.
flying first class helps a lot let me tell you
Mid Forties… 20 hour flight. Agony. No sleeping, got up a bunch of times, didn’t stop joint pain, back pain… Ugh. Some people can’t sit still for that long without issues.
Get into credit card churning and use the points to fly business class for cheaper than what economy would cost.
Arthritis.
Lupus
It’s NOT Lupus
I always buy an aisle seat so I can stretch my legs and get up whenever I need.
I’ve also learned that most airlines (at least here in Europe) fill their seats from the front back. So if you sit near the back and keep an eye on the back row, sometimes it’s completely unoccupied. In which case I move there and can practically lie down.
No, most airlines in the US do not operate that way.
Fair enough. Well hopefully it helps some Europeans out! I only noticed it by accident because I sit by the back toilets due to IBS anyway.
Edit: I’ve done this with easyJet, Wizzair and Vueling - for reference
Does it only happen on planes? Maybe it’s just stress from fear of flying?
If it also happens on trains or long car rides it might be bad posture.
Walk around the cabin every few hours if it’s a long haul flight. For a 5 hour flight, maybe get up once or twice. Get an aisle seat so you won’t disturb anyone when you get up. You’ll also have a litte extra knee space towards the aisle. Bring along ergonomic support like pillows for your neck or lumbar. If you’re really hurting bad, you might have an underlying problem that your doctor can help you diagnose.
