In today’s world, 4-wheelers run our life! It is impossible to think of a day without them. They have almost become an inseparable part of our life. We are always driving- whether it is coming from and going to work or going for a relaxing drive- everything depends on driving!
Associated things with driving start coming to the surface while we are into it. Back pain from driving is the most common problem faced by people nowadays. While this is not the only pain that we experience, Back pain from driving, knee pain from driving, sciatica pain while driving, and shoulder pain from driving are some of the tagged disturbances that happen to us!
This article will tell you some very important and useful tips about things to do and things not to do while driving in order to experience the minimum of such pains!
A brief about “What causes the pain while driving”
As relaxing as it sounds, driving is also one of the most tedious works among all our everyday chores. Along with back pain from driving, people tend to experience several other pains that generally start from the lower end of the body and go up to the legs.
We are here to discuss some of the causes of the main pains that can help you in taking better precautions for it-
- Lower Back Pain- Since the lower back plays the main function in the case of driving, it is quite natural to have lower back pain while driving after a certain point in time. This happens because of the posture we are in while driving for hours at a stretch. Sometimes, the back support for a car driver is not good enough to relax. That is why it is always advisable to stretch yourself first after getting down of the car.
- Knee Pain- How does it feel when you have to sit in one place, in the same position for hours? Terrible! What happens to your knees and legs if you sit in the same posture? It starts paining! Exactly that is what happens in the case of driving. Knee pain from driving happens because of the same sitting position for hours. The knee joints start to hurt because of no movement.
- Sciatica Pain- While many are familiar with this term if you are one of those who are not, then you have arrived at the perfect place! Sciatica pain is the pain of the nerves that run down from the lower back to the legs. Not to the wonder of many, sciatica pain while driving is the most common pain that people suffer from. This happens because of two reasons- one, the back support of the car driver is not relaxing. Instead, it fuels the intensity of your pain, and second, staying in the same position for hours of your driving!
- Shoulder Pain- There is not a single minute when both the hands of the driver are at rest and relaxed. For the whole time of driving, both hands are stuck to the steering wheel of the car. Stretching out your hands for a long on a regular basis is the real cause of your shoulder pain. This shoulder pain from driving may feel to vanish once you are home and relaxing. But it will resume again the moment you start driving!
What to do in order to reduce these pains?
Everything that is cherished, comes with baggage! Rightly said and perfectly proven by the only thing that is driving! The pains accompanied by driving are not difficult to deal with, but for that, there are a few things that need to be taken care of!
Reducing the pain is an easy task, provided you are attentive and alert.
- Back support- Since back pain from driving still tops the list of pains caused by driving, proper back support for the driver’s seat is of major importance. Lumbar support for driving is a helpful tool in this respect. The support provided by the cushions and belt in your back and lower back is a real pain reliever! This will reduce back pain from driving and help you enjoy your drive in a better way!
- Knee space- Among many other important factors while buying a car, looking for knee space in the driver’s seat is of foremost importance as well. The knee spacing of the car from the driver’s seat would decide the intensity of the knee pain while driving. If it were spacious, the driver would be able to stretch his legs without stepping out of the car. This will ensure that the driver can do a bit of movement and not make his muscles and joints stiff.
- Shoulder spacing- Well, there is no option of not putting your hands on the steering wheel while driving! The distance between the steering and the hands should be comfortable. It should not be too distant, as it will strain the hands to hold out in that position for long hours whereas it should not be too short distanced as keeping the hands in a folded manner for long can also lead to unbearable shoulder pain after a certain amount of time. The shoulder pain from driving needs to be looked after at the very starting stage because if it increases, there is a chance of it disturbing you in your daily life as well.
- A comfortable driver’s seat- The back support for a car driver is the utmost important thing that needs to be noticed while buying any car. A comfortable driver’s seat will neither lead to back pain from driving nor sciatica pain while driving. A comfortable seat where the knees, legs, and lower back are in a relaxed position even while driving is the ideal seat for any driver!
Small details make a huge difference! Noticing and taking care of these minute details while buying a car and driving will not just make your life better and free from pain but also let you enjoy your drive without any hassle and disturbance!
Things that can increase your pains
Certain things can increase your already existing pains. The sad part about the pains of driving is these pains do not go away even if you stop driving. They stay with you like an unwanted guest in your body and make your life difficult. With these pains in the back and joints, even doing daily work can make you experience the worst kind of pain!
In order to avoid your pain from increasing, there are a few things that you should keep in mind because these are the very basic things that you SHOULD NOT do! Though ‘basic’, we tend to do it unintentionally and in turn, land up in a mess.
- DO NOT force yourself into driving for long hours if, at any point in time, you feel uneasy and experience some pain in your body. Take a break and stretch yourself by stepping out of the car. In case you are stuck in traffic in this situation, make it to the side of the road so that you can pause for a bit and relax. Always remember, forcing yourself to drive is one of the worst things you can do to yourself!
- In situations where you have back pain from driving, do not put ice packs in your painful area in order to reduce pain. For cases like this, ice packs DO NOT work. Instead, have a warm water bath and relax. If you have knee pain from driving, use a hot-water bag, and allow yourself to be hot compressed. This will reduce back pain from driving as well as ease your knee pains.
- If you have a long distance to cover, make sure that you DO NOT drive for long at a stretch. Take frequent gaps even if it delays your time to reach the destination! Sciatica pain while driving tends to increase manifold if the legs and knees are not relaxed and stretched in regular intervals.
- Not using a lumbar back support for driving may cause you some serious back pain from driving. Even if your back support for the car is not comfortable, check out the belts that are available in order to reduce your pain and ease you out.
Driving is no doubt, a fun activity! Nothing beats a long drive on a weekend- to relax and get off your workload! As fun as it is, it is also immensely important for you to take care of your body while driving. Driving is one such thing that brings the company along with it- knee pains and backaches! Since back pain from driving is on the verge of overtaking all other pains caused by driving, it is been considered one of our major responsibility to guide you on this because, at the end of the day, a safe drive is a happy drive!’
Hi, I am Valerie. I love working out and trying out various products which help me maintain my fitness. I love reviewing products related to posture and pain relief that will help people in some way. I like to spend my extra time swimming, Running and Wall Climbing. I am a physiotherapist and have helped countless people lead a pain free life.
