Sciatica Travel Insurance
As the largest single nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve runs all the way from your hips to your feet. It connects your spinal cord to every muscle in your legs and feet.
Sciatica is a condition that occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated, usually by something that rubs or puts pressure on it. The most common cause of sciatica is a slipped disc, which is when one of the discs of cartilage in the spine slips out of position, potentially pressing on the sciatic nerve.
If you have or have had sciatica, there’s no reason why travel should be off the agenda, as long as your doctor is happy for you to go and you take out travel insurance for sciatica beforehand.
Why do I need travel insurance for sciatica?
Sciatica can recur or worsen without warning, so if you’ve ever experienced the condition, it’s important to have travel insurance in place that covers it.
Unexpected health problems can easily disrupt a long-awaited holiday but there’s no need to let your condition leave you open to a large medical bill if you need medical attention for it while you’re away. Should your condition flare up before your departure date and stop you from going, travel insurance that covers sciatica can help you recoup the accommodation and flight costs you have already spent*.
You may have found that many travel insurance companies will not offer to cover you if you have an existing health condition like sciatica. As a specialist travel insurance provider, we work differently, aiming to cover almost any medical condition or disability for people of any age.
Our specialist cover includes cancellation insurance, protection for your important travel documents against loss, damage and theft, cover for missed flights and delayed departures.
We even offer cover to get you home again if you need time to recover from an illness or injury overseas. Having to book an extra flight home after being unable to take your original one can be very expensive, especially if your sciatica means you need more than one seat on the plane.
You can see a full list of what our medical travel insurance for sciatica includes here.
*Cover is subject to the terms, conditions and limits of the Insurance Policy.
How can I get travel insurance for sciatica?
If you’d like a no-obligation quote for sciatica travel insurance, simply get in touch with us. We can provide quotes for travel insurance online or over the phone, once you have answered a few questions about your sciatica and how it affects you. This will allow us to provide the most suitable policy for you and your circumstances.
You can expect to be asked questions such as the following, although these may vary:
- In the last five years, has your sciatica affected your ability to wash, dress or feed yourself?
- Do you take pain relief daily for your sciatica?
- Have you had surgery and/or injections into your back and/or neck in the last 12 months?
- Are you awaiting any further scans, injections or surgery for your back or neck?
If you’d like to apply for sciatica travel insurance online, you can use our simple online application system, or if you’d prefer to speak to someone, please call us on 02392 419 080.
Tips for travelling with sciatica
If you are keeping your symptoms of sciatica under control through medication and/or exercise, it’s worth speaking to your GP before making any travel bookings. They will let you know if they think your holiday plans are suitable in terms of your condition and will be able to advise you how best to look after yourself while you’re away. For example, you’ll need to maintain any recommended exercise routines. You may also want to take more than enough pain medication away with you, split between two different bags, just in case one goes missing during your holiday.
It’s important to keep mobile when you have sciatica, so you may want to consider this if you plan to fly, especially if it’s a long-haul flight. Ahead of your flight, you could request an aisle seat or one with additional legroom, as this will give you more room to stretch and remember to get up and move around the cabin often. Try to drink plenty of water while you’re in the air, especially if you are taking painkillers; it’s important to avoid becoming dehydrated when flying.
You can also get help at the airport if you think you might struggle with carrying your luggage or reaching your gate. Your airline should be able to arrange this if you enquire with them. Be mindful not to overpack your bag, and make sure you use one with wheels to make it as easy as possible to transport.
While many standard travel insurance companies decline to cover pre-existing conditions such as sciatica, a specialist provider like Free Spirit is dedicated to offering medical travel cover. Our travel insurance can cover people of any age with medical conditions*.
In many parts of the world it often does not take much to run up large medical costs, should the unexpected happen. Therefore, Free Spirit travel insurance specifically designed to cover sciatica is essential. You need to be certain that you will be able to access the health care you might need wherever your travels take you, and that you won’t be left with the bill. Our policy also provides, as standard, cover for cancellation, repatriation, cutting short your trip, personal possessions, passport & documents, travel delay and missed connections.
Contact us today to find out more about our travel insurance for sciatica. You can apply for a no-obligation quote online or, if you’d rather speak to someone, call our friendly team of UK-based travel insurance specialists on 02392 419 080.
*subject to terms, conditions and limits of the insurance policy.