Severe back pain and driving!

[avimal]

Hi shivmarwaha ,

Are you a software engineer or someone who works for long hour in sitting position?

If yes, then it may be your job not car which is at fault.

This is becoming a common problem for software engineers. I know many of my friend including me who are having one or other back problem. I have a smaller degree of slipped disc which was very painful 2 years back.

I must have seen 10 doctors already and most of them were interested in making money by giving steriods or by surgery etc.

Finally one of the doctor ( a leading neuro-surgeon) in Bangalore gave me advice for some basic exercises. Exercises should basically stretch lower back muscles. Those exercises did wonder to me. If you are interested I can share about those exercises in detail. Also swimming is a very good option to impove your back.
Some precautions - do not bend forward, do not lift weights, do not sit for long hours etc etc. I can talk at length as I have done lot of research on this topic and I felt medical treatment is not at all a solution to this problem. I can not comment much on car seat though. I am having old Maruti 800 and I use one small pillow at lower back for support. It really helps. I am not totally pain-free but all this has considerably reduced the pain.

avimal

[priyank]

Back pain could prop up if the seat is too low and you have to stoop up to see the road clearly,

To avoid this, use a cushion to raise the height, or use accupuncture stuff available so that there is enough blood circulation.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by avimal

Hi shivmarwaha ,

Are you a software engineer or someone who works for long hour in sitting position?

If yes, then it may be your job not car which is at fault.

This is becoming a common problem for software engineers. I know many of my friend including me who are having one or other back problem. I have a smaller degree of slipped disc which was very painful 2 years back.

I must have seen 10 doctors already and most of them were interested in making money by giving steriods or by surgery etc.

Finally one of the doctor ( a leading neuro-surgeon) in Bangalore gave me advice for some basic exercises. Exercises should basically stretch lower back muscles. Those exercises did wonder to me. If you are interested I can share about those exercises in detail. Also swimming is a very good option to impove your back.
Some precautions - do not bend forward, do not lift weights, do not sit for long hours etc etc. I can talk at length as I have done lot of research on this topic and I felt medical treatment is not at all a solution to this problem. I can not comment much on car seat though. I am having old Maruti 800 and I use one small pillow at lower back for support. It really helps. I am not totally pain-free but all this has considerably reduced the pain.

avimal

Avimal

Can you be kind enough to share the exercises with everyone, it will be of great help to me atleast.

cheers: on me when we meet.

[avimal]

Hi lambuhere1 and all,

for back pain, one should go for exercises that stress and relax the back muscles.
1. Swimming is the best exercise if you can do regularly.
2. do not bend forward instead bend down to pick anything.
3. best 2 exercises that I like and I do:
a) lie down with head facing the roof and relax the whole body. arms straight closed to the hips. Now lift the body above waist. do not bend knees or take help of hands for lifting. By doing this, u should feel stress in your back. come back to normal lying position. Do this 10 to 20 times.
b) lie down with head facing ground. Lift your face/head and legs but not belly. you will make an arc like shape and will be touching ground on belly only. Try to lift the leg and head as much as possible. By doing this, u should feel stress in your back. come back to normal lying position. Do this 10 to 20 times.
4. do not sit in one position for long. Take a small walk after 30 min. Use a pillow on the back as support. Most of the chairs are not designed correctly.
5. Consult some good doctor which is very difficult to find.

[bike-lover]

Hi,
Can anyone suggest the correct posture when sitting in driver's seat.

To be more specific, I am confused with respect to how far should we push the seat.
In my i10, if I pust my seat sufficiently back such that my thighs can rest on the seat then, pushing the clutch becomes a pain. On the other hand, when I pull the seat forward so that pressing the clutch becomes easier, I find that my thighs do not get any support. Catch 22 ??!!

Thanks in advance for all your expert comments :-).

Regards,
bike lover (but driving car these days)

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by avimal

Hi lambuhere1 and all,

2. do not bend forward instead bend down to pick anything.
5. Consult some good doctor which is very difficult to find.

Thanks a lot for the info. Pretty Interesting, esp Point 2 and 5

Point 2 CONFUSING

Point 5 REALITY

lambuhere1

[swale84]

Originally Posted by avimal

2. do not bend forward instead bend down to pick anything.
.

I think what he means is instead of bending from your waist (i.e while keeping your legs straight) you should kee your back straight and bend your knees to be able to reach the floor.

[avimal]

Originally Posted by swale84

I think what he means is instead of bending from your waist (i.e while keeping your legs straight) you should kee your back straight and bend your knees to be able to reach the floor.

Hi Swale84,

You are absolutely right. Sorry for the confusion.

[Rotorhead]

Originally Posted by avimal

Hi shivmarwaha ,

Are you a software engineer or someone who works for long hour in sitting position?

If yes, then it may be your job not car which is at fault.

This is becoming a common problem for software engineers. I know many of my friend including me who are having one or other back problem. I have a smaller degree of slipped disc which was very painful 2 years back.

I must have seen 10 doctors already and most of them were interested in making money by giving steriods or by surgery etc.

Finally one of the doctor ( a leading neuro-surgeon) in Bangalore gave me advice for some basic exercises. Exercises should basically stretch lower back muscles. Those exercises did wonder to me. If you are interested I can share about those exercises in detail. Also swimming is a very good option to impove your back.
Some precautions - do not bend forward, do not lift weights, do not sit for long hours etc etc. I can talk at length as I have done lot of research on this topic and I felt medical treatment is not at all a solution to this problem. I can not comment much on car seat though. I am having old Maruti 800 and I use one small pillow at lower back for support. It really helps. I am not totally pain-free but all this has considerably reduced the pain.

avimal

Hi avimal,
a lot of guys seem to be having this issue including me. It would be good if you could explain about the various excercises. Could you also tell me which doctor you consulted.

Moderators/admins - It wud be nice to have a thread discussing various health issues afterall TBHP is like one big family and information such as these does help a lot.

from my end, my father had a prolapse a couple of years ago and he was referred to the command hospital off airport road near ulsoor. There was one Dr.Sahoo(guess neuro surgeon). This guy was simply too good. I am not sure if anyone else other than the defence guys have access to this hospital and probably Mr.Sahoo has been transferred now..but one thing i have seen is that the command hospital seems to have some very good specialists.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by avimal

Hi Swale84,

You are absolutely right. Sorry for the confusion.

Gotcha, You are right

[DieselFan]

Solution to backpain/leg pain, arm pain etc that target software engineers is to pick up a sport that gives you enough all round exercise (Tennis/Squash/Badminton). There is no short cut solution to this problem.

[deetee]

Originally Posted by bike-lover

Hi,
Can anyone suggest the correct posture when sitting in driver's seat.

To be more specific, I am confused with respect to how far should we push the seat.
In my i10, if I pust my seat sufficiently back such that my thighs can rest on the seat then, pushing the clutch becomes a pain. On the other hand, when I pull the seat forward so that pressing the clutch becomes easier, I find that my thighs do not get any support. Catch 22 ??!!

The correct posture would be where your thigh portion(from hip to knee) is flat (horizontal)and almost (yes, almost) perpendicular to your spinalcord . Your spine should be straight and upright or slightly inclined to back depending on your convenience(adjust back rest accordingly).
In some low hung cars like esteem, taller guys may find your thigh portion bent towards your body(angle between thigh and spine is less than 90) and in some cases they even bend forward. That is when you will put load on your back resulting in disc problem etc.,.

EDIT: under thigh support, IMHO, doesnot contribute anything to back pain.It is the angle of your thighs to your back is what matters.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Solution to backpain/leg pain, arm pain etc that target software engineers is to pick up a sport that gives you enough all round exercise (Tennis/Squash/Badminton). There is no short cut solution to this problem.

Add swimming to that. Swimming is quite simply one of the best exercises you can do. It targets just abt every single muscle group.

[turbo_freak]

I used to frequently have this problem too.
Had suffered a minor prolapse a few years back. Was ok after being bedridden for around a month..but never really went for any medical treatment as such.
After a lot of googling on correct driving postures, came across a similar piece of info as this:


"GSHA
Sorry to hear about your back pain Shiv. Do get well soon.
I had back pain in Dec 2006 - started just a week before I sold my Baleno. It lasted into Jan 2007. Though I did not drive a car during that time frame (my Cedia came in Feb 2007), I did use the method below for adjusting car seats to minimize risk of back injury. Lucky for me, the back pain was due to ergonomics and food intake, and not due to car driving.
Hope these steps may help:
1. Move the seat as far back as you can and put the back rest straight
2. Move the seats as high as you can (Driver's seat height adjustment), if equipped. You may want to use cushions. Leave ~4 inches gap between your head and the roof of the car
3. Move the seat forward until the point where, when you depress the clutch completely (floor the clutch pedal), your leg is still bent slightly and not stretched completely. This, I found to be the most important step.
4. Move the back rest to recline from the straight position, until your hand wrist rests on top of the steering wheel.
Well, this method does not result in a sporty looking driving posture. But, I have covered >500km in a day, with no back pain, only the usual fatigue.
Lumbar support: I haven't tried them.
M & M showrooms sell the Lumbar support (pillow like padding on the back rest) for Rs. 750. Fits almost all seat shapes.
__________________
2007 Mitsubishi Cedia "


which helped. I also use a neck rest as lumbar support. Infact, recently did a Bangalore to Mumbai and back trip, without problems at all.

The correct driving posture definitely helps in minimising damage, as well as strong and healthy back muscles. After a lot of trial and error, managed to find the correct seat setting and then promptly marked it so as to find it back, if the setting gets accidently changed, courtesy the service centre mechanics mostly!!
And yeah, i also keep doing back strengthening exercises, intermittently though!!

[redfire]

Originally Posted by GSHA

1. Move the seat as far back as you can and put the back rest straight
2. Move the seats as high as you can (Driver's seat height adjustment), if equipped. You may want to use cushions. Leave ~4 inches gap between your head and the roof of the car
3. Move the seat forward until the point where, when you depress the clutch completely (floor the clutch pedal), your leg is still bent slightly and not stretched completely. This, I found to be the most important step.
4. Move the back rest to recline from the straight position, until your hand wrist rests on top of the steering wheel.

Well, this method does not result in a sporty looking driving posture. But, I have covered >500km in a day, with no back pain, only the usual fatigue.

Exactly what I follow. Unless once in a while my wife drive my car when the other one is engaged, I can continue with this setting. And once the setting is changed by wifie or someone else, I again follow the above method to get back that comfortable position. Thigh fully supported by seat, perpendicualr to spine and the back at a slightly inclined backwards position than upright. Done 500 + KM in a single day many times without any problem, apart from the usual daily city driving. I use a neck rest too.