Many of us experience lower back pain while driving. Several investigations have investigated the relationship between driving and back pain, which has revealed some interesting results. One finding is a comparison of drivers in the US and Sweden which found that 50% of people surveyed in both countries reported low back pain.

So what is the connection between driving and back pain?

So far, research has found three factors for lower back pain while driving. The first is engine vibration (something you can’t change), the second factor is sitting position, and the third is driving time.

Laboratory scientists have investigated the effects of our body vibration while driving. The lumbar spine (lower back) naturally resonates at a frequency of 4-5 Hertz, and research has found that this natural frequency can be distorted. This distortion can result in higher spinal loads (compression) on the lower back, causing a higher chance of low back pain. As mentioned before, you can’t change engine vibration, but what you can do to reduce the effects of this on your lower back is to ride for shorter periods at a time.

It’s much easier to get comfortable in your seat when the car is stationary, a bit like sitting in a regular chair. But once you start driving, your body will be subjected to various forces, such as accelerations and decelerations, side-to-side lateral movements, and whole-body vibrations. While driving, our abdominal muscles cannot provide enough stability to the upper body and arms when turning the wheel. This will result in significantly increased torsional stresses on the lower back, which in turn will significantly increase the risk of low back pain.

To begin with, we must first address a more important issue: we are all guilty when it comes to properly adjusting our car seats! In 2004, one of the largest car insurance companies (I won’t mention a name, after all, you may think I’m getting paid to write about this), published the results of an investigation into how we sit in our cars. (about 2,000 people participated in this).

The investigation resulted in the following:

• The headrest was found to be at the wrong angle when driving in 61% of the people involved in the study. This will increase the chance of spinal ligament ruptures or worse when involved in an accident.

• 50% showed a stooped or hunched position over the steering wheel.

• About a third of drivers had back pain while driving.

• 25% tilted their heads or shifted in their seats every time they had to look in the “rearview mirror.”

• The use of inappropriate footwear or clothing happened to 34% of drivers.

Below is a list of 10 ways that can help you improve your seating position and make your driving experience more comfortable.

The seat

Make sure your butt sits fully on the back of the seat, where the seat base and seat back meet. This will help you sit more upright and maintain the natural curve of your spine, minimizing stress on your spinal ligaments. If your seat has a built-in lumbar roll, make it all the way out: Most cars with lumbar support I’ve tested don’t allow enough support from this lumbar roll, so it would be best to have it all the way out.

The length of the base and the height of the seat

The base of the seat should never touch the back of your knees and the front of the base should be slightly higher than the backrest, which helps provide more support and allows you to press down on the pedals without changing your posture. .

The backup

First relax in your seat, position the seat at an incline of approximately 10-15 degrees from upright. If this seems unnatural to you, it probably means that the backrest is not upright enough for you. This can lead to neck strain and/or coccyx (sitting bone) pain. Move the backrest more vertically, or if that doesn’t help, you can place a small towel (folded in three) against your mid-spine, between your shoulder blades.

the headrest

Have you ever noticed when watching an American movie that the headrests of the seats are often missing? It gives me goosebumps every time I see this (ooch). So far for setting a good example for our children. The position of your headrest will not only help minimize injury from an accident, it will also help allow for better posture. The bony part at the back of the head (known as the ‘inion’) is a good guide point, the headrest should be level with this. There should be about 1 inch (2.3 cm for non-metric measurements) between the back of your head and the headrest, when seated, as described above. This to absorb shock as much as possible. This allows the ligaments and muscles of the neck to better control the posture of the head and provide better support in the event of an accident.

Seat – Pedal Distance

Make sure you have the distance between the seat and the pedals so that operating the pedals does not cause you to overstretch your legs or twist your body in any way. Therefore, your legs should not be straight when you push the throttle or clutch all the way down. Obviously, your knees shouldn’t bend to the point where you can’t easily move from one pedal to another. Normally it is recommended to bend the knees about 45 degrees.

arm position

Your arms should be as relaxed as possible, elbows bent around 20-30 degrees. If your steering wheel is adjustable, place it in the mid-low position (make sure the steering wheel is not partially obstructing the instrument panel), this will help reduce stress on your shoulders. Your hands should be set to ’10 past 10′ and not as suggested, left hand at 9 o’clock and right hand at 3 o’clock.

the armrests

If your seat has armrests, it is recommended to use them. As a guide, you should position your armrests so that they gently support your elbows, as more will cause your shoulders to rise and increase the tension shift in your neck.

The mirrors

These only need to be adjusted once you have positioned your seat as described above. If you are not sure, please refer back to the information on how to adjust your seat. Mirrors should be adjusted so you can look at them freely without having to move your head a lot. either you have adjusted the mirrors incorrectly or you are too close to the steering wheel.

Interval seat adjustment

This sounds great in theory, but for most of us this can be uncomfortable while driving. For those with electric seats it is easier (although it is always advisable to stop first), just press the buttons to adjust the seat without having to divert our attention from the road. It is said that you should be doing this every 30 minutes. to reduce incidents of back pain. This allows changing the pressure that is exerted on the spine is varied regularly. Once you reach your destination, it would be good to stretch! (don’t worry if it sounds like fun, soon everyone in the parking lot will be joining in; you can be proud to have started a new ‘healthy’ trend)

have breaks

We’ve all seen the ‘take a break’ sign on the roads, helping you not to fall asleep at the wheel. Taking a break also helps your back, so when you need to rest you can do a stretch at the same time to help your back. An hour at most is the current thought, although these tips should be taken as a general rule. This is a great time to adjust your seating position!