The modern conveniences that driving a vehicle has provided us helped humanity move into the modern century and created new travel and supply chain opportunities for the world. Unfortunately, our progress into an easier way of getting around has brought health risks along with it, since it contributes to a more sedentary lifestyle. Those whose livelihood or careers consist of driving for most of their day are especially at risk for back pain. Ensuring that your posture is correct while you drive can save you from lifelong chronic pain and lower back damage.
What Happens to Our Backs When We Drive
Sitting down for long periods can exacerbate lower back conditions, and a moving car subjects the human body to various motions that force the body into multiple different directions. The vibrations experienced by the lumbar area of the spine overload the natural frequency of our vertebrae that can misalign our backs. In addition, using our feet to work the brake and accelerator pedals (or a clutch when driving a manual-transmission vehicle) makes it impossible to support our lower bodies when driving. Every movement is then directly absorbed by our lower back region without any support for the duration of each trip.
How to Avoid Back Pain When Driving
A few simple adjustments to your driving posture can bring you much-needed relief.
- Start with a spine check and adjust your seat to avoid sitting too far back or too far forward.
- Your seat should not be too high or too low, and your arms should be able to relax when placed on the steering wheel.
- Relaxing your head on the headrest while you drive will bring relief to your spine and neck by elongating your spine.
- During long drives, make sure to take a break every two hours and stretch if you need to. Using cruise control will give you the opportunity to place your feet flat on the floor, which will give your spine additional support.
Once you’ve adjusted your seat to the proper settings, modify your mirrors to match those settings. If you find that you can’t see out of them consistently, try changing your posture instead of moving your mirrors.
Invest in Comfort Aids
Every car and everyone’s bodies are different, which means that there is no one size fits all seat. Investing in a few additions to your seat could be just what you need to ride comfortably in your car every time you drive. Padded seat cushions or rolling up a towel and placing it in the small of your back can help reduce pain and discomfort. If your car has heated seat cushions, then utilizing this feature can help to bring blood and oxygen to aggravated lower joints. If your vehicle doesn’t have built-in seat warmers, then purchasing a heated seat cushion can also help.
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Abigail Baker is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. in partnership with physical therapy services provider, Burger Physical Therapy.
