There may be a lucky few people in the world for whom airline seats are designed to fit. For the rest of us, it is helpful to modify our seats while flying in order to try to get a bit more comfortable.If the headrest on the seat is adjustable, adjust it to the correct height for your head. If the seat looks like the headrest is a separate piece, try pulling the headrest up or pushing it down because there is a good chance it will move. Some of them even fold in from the sides which is useful if you are sleepy.
Headrest unfortunately cannot always be adjusted. This is because whoever designed them valued profit over people. Read on for advice on dealing with these types of seats if they don’t support your head correctly.
For lumbar support, it’s a good idea to bring a self-inflating backrest which can easily become completely flat for packing. The backrest can be used either horizontally or vertically. Used vertically, it can reduce the discomfort of sitting in seats like the blue seats above if the headrest is too high, too low, or too far forward for your body.
Self inflating lumbar back supports are available on amazon.com and other retailers. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MPXQD0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=26M5ZNCGM13O7&coliid=ILNKR9H8PRR5M
A travel footrest is a good thing to use if you have legs that don’t touch the floor when sitting in an airline seat, have varicose veins, or are pregnant. If you have children with you, this can also work for them. Legs hanging off the edge of a seat without any support causes leg compression which is a ergonomics risk factor.
Travel footrests are available from amazon.com and other retailers. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AXTU62/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=26M5ZNCGM13O7&coliid=ILR553T4M5FPE
If you have the opposite problem because you are tall, try to sit in the bulkhead or emergency exit seats in order to have a little more leg room. Check the seats a day before your flight to see if any of these seats have been released if they weren’t available when you first bought your ticket.
Armrests on planes are notorious for being fought over. They are also usually rock hard. This causes compression of the forearm which is an ergonomics risk factor. To combat this, try to put something soft on top of them. A thick scarf or jacket can work well for this.
