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Originally Posted by DCEite  Why would you say that, Steeroid and VenkateshG. What has a low slung car to do with back support, other than the fact that one has to bend down to get into the car. Isnt this a purely seat problem? |
I think it should've been very apparent, DCEite - in a low slung car you sit with your legs either stretched horizontally or with your knees bent on either side of the steering wheel. Neither of these are optimal seating positions, especially when you spend a bit of time in the car (everyone does, these days - thanks to traffic). The more 'normal' your seating position is, the more comfortable your back is. No amount of additional back support is going to help when your basic posture is bad to start with.
Remember that things like Disc Prolapse are more often than not RSI (Repetitive Stress Injuries) and not Trauma (caused by one incident/accident). Which means that when you stress your discs using the wrong position repeatedly, it ultimately results in injury. These injuries result out of wrong posture
over a period of time, even if they ultimately show up on account of one incident of severe trauma.
Maintaining the right posture is of utmost importance if you wish to avoid RSI. Once you've had an incident, you need to take extra care not to aggravate your injury.
I spend long hours on the road in India - hence I bought myself a larger vehicle that helps me sit upright and isolates me from the shocks of bad roads. Here in Dubai I spend a max of an hour a day on the road - half an hour each way, sometimes stretching to an hour and a half. I dont mind using a regular roadcar here, though I must admit the Smart was much more comfortable to drive in than my current car.
I am not an expert in these matters - TBHP member Brainscooper who is a very close friend of mine and was involved in the process that put 17 stitches on my spine should be able to elaborate more on this since he is a well-known neurosurgeon.