Prevention of injuries plays a major part in any treatment plan. Many of us travel many miles a week from and back to work, or driving the offspring around. Driving distances can bring on back pain and leg pain. Because prevention is always better than treatment, I have put together a three step plan that will help reducing back pain and neck pain whilst driving.

First of all, it is important to realise, that any posture can lead to discomfort if it is held for too long. The best posture is the next posture! One needs to make frequent changes in posture to avoid or to delay the onset of discomfort or pain.

The Highway Code recommends taking a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours. On each break, you should get out of your car and walk around.

We start by getting the seat into the “initial Set-Up Position” by:

– Putting your steering wheel fully up and fully forward
– Lower your seat height as much as possible
– Put your back rest thirty degrees reclined from vertical
– No lumbar adjustments in the seat
– Seat fully rearwards

Step one:

– Move your seat forwards until you can fully depress the clutch and accelerator pedal
– Adjust your seat height as high as comfortable to improve your vision of the road, but do not lose good pedal control

Step two:

– Adjust the seat cushion angle so that the thighs are supported along the length of the cushion

– Avoid pressure behind the knee. When seated in your car, scoot your tail bone as far back to the seat back as possible. You should be able to place your hand comfortably between the back of your knee and the front of the seat. Use a pillow or a back cushion to move you forward if you can’t.

Step three:

– Adjust your seat so it supports the length of the back and is in contact up to shoulder height. Ensure the lumbar support “fits” your back, with no pressure points or gaps.

– Avoid reclining the seat too far, as this will cause excessive forward bending of the head and neck. The least amount of pressure on the back occurs when your seat back is tilted at 100 -110 degrees so that you are slight reclined.

Following these steps should help you avoiding back pain. I have advised some of my patients to invest in a car seat cushion. They are not too expensive and can be bought on ebay, typing in “pelvic seat wedge” These seats should not cost you more than 25 pounds. In my opinion, this cushion can be more effective that lumbar support, since they actually promote an active and upright seating position.

Happy driving!

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE
The columns written by Milton Chiropractic Clinic are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured in these columns should only be practiced under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.

Author Bio: Jasper Hulscher is the owner of a private chiropractic clinic in Milton, Cambridge, United Kingdom. He qualified as a physiotherapist as well as a chiropractor. Jasper is part of the medical staff of Cambridge United Football Club. He has treated numerous professional and semi-professional sports players over the years and has completed 500+ hours of post graduate training. If you are looking for a Chiropractor in Cambridge please visit the site.

Category: Education
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