[CowlFlap]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

This leads to pain in the right foot:
1) Pain in the heel: Bruising of the heel because of constantly resting the foot on the heel.
2) Pain in the toes/ball of the foot: Caused due to the constant pressure on the pedals (accelerator/brake)
3) Pain just above the ankle: Caused by constantly flexing the ankle when operating against pedal resistance

In extreme cases, the foot can feel numb, which represents real danger when driving.

Remedies:

1) Walk around and flex foot and ankle at rest stops.
2) Take off the shoes and wash feet in cold water for a few minutes at rest stops
3) Wear comfortable shoes with cushioned heels - if that is not not possible use Dr. Scholls insoles which can cushion the heel.
4) And most importantly be aware of the condition of your feet at all times.

Can you share your own experience and how you mitigated this issue?

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Interesting point. Yes I agree, people with a pre-existing condition such as a healed fracture or ligament tear, may be more likely to feel pain.
However, in my case, I have never had any injury on any part of my legs. So it's not a pre-existing condition in my case.

Are the people without this problem doing things differently than those with it?

I can relate (exactly) to the pain in 2 and 3, but not so much in the heel. In fact, both of those are felt on the left foot as well when driving for long hours in city traffic. It becomes extremely difficult to give short breaks and/or flex while driving, and yes, extremely dangerous. The pain starts to get so intense, you suddenly realize that you have very little control on the extent to which you are depressing or releasing the pedal. Very frustrating, very dangerous.

Pain in 3 is somewhat in the shin, if that's what you meant. This I try and release whenever I can by flexing the muscle. However, the pain in 2, the onset of which is usually after 3, is very difficult to get over; particularly when wearing shoes.

Stopping and taking rests appears to be the only remedy. I think that seat position also has an effect on this. I tend to sit up front to avoid stressing the knees since I have a knee condition. Maybe its because of this seat position that the pain in 2 and 3 are so adverse. If it helps, I am not overweight. So, that might not be the issue.

Also, on long drives, I try and support my right foot by resting it partially on the "wheel well ( slight buldge on the right side of the gas pedal ) - as described by the person earlier. But never (ever) use the heel on the gas pedal. IMO, that is more dangerous than the effect of the pain.
If you wear a broad shoe, you can try using the big toe part of it on the pedal, with the small side supported by the "wheel well slight buldge..."

[bbhavan]

Fortunately I haven't experienced any issue with the right foot/leg.

But of course I have experienced pain in the left knee joint, not on the highways, but on the bumper to bumper city traffic.

Sorry, if I am slightly off topic here.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Can you share your own experience and how you mitigated this issue?

It is stressful (mentally and physically) to constantly use your right foot in a particular angle, for long periods of time, to maintain variable speeds. Totally agree with you on this one.

I mitigated this issue by buying a car with cruise control (Honda City V AT). I strongly suggest to people planning to buy new cars to consider cruise control as an essential feature, rather than a frill feature.

I did not buy Ecosport AT, and Verna AT precisely for the absence of CC. I also bought the City during August knowing fully well that it was being replaced, because I thought that Honda may remove that feature in future models. Of course, I have been proved wrong now.

[alpha1]

I believe the issue is because the levels of Accelerator, Brake and Clutch pedals are not lined up according to their usage.
This is what I mean:

Most of the times, when you press the A pedal, you are pressing very lightly. That means, this pedals should be sunk in by design.
Most of the times, when you press the C pedal, you depress it quit fully. That means this pedals should be floating high.
Most of the time, when you press the B pedal, you press it just like the A pedal. But since you do require more pressing during urgent braking, the level of this pedal should be between A and C, closer to A.


BUT What do I see in most vehicles?
All of these 3 are lined up at same level! How can you adjust your seat's height and depth - because if you do based on accelerator, then you will get strained by the clutch pedal, or if you do based on clutch pedal, then your accelerator foot will get strained.

[vivekiny2k]

Moving from my mistubishi galant to nissan quest I realized the quest was missing under-thigh support. With my low bodyfat level every bump and curve in the seat can dig in and hurt. After a long search and research I just plonked the bottom part of a cushy office chair firmly secured with a nylon tie and have not been able to find a better alternative since then (whole setup is covered under a seat over). Still looking for my dream car which has my current level of comfort in stock seats. This way my legs are completely supported on the seat and only the foot part moves when needed. Most car seats require us to use foot strength to support the legs.

the other problem was elbow support which I resolved by using lowest setting for the steering wheel so I could rest my elbow/wrist on armrest/lap.

Once that was resolved, all my pains in long drives (lumber, calf, ankle, shoulders) vanished. Drove Florida to Ohio (about 14 hrs) in one day with no issues earlier this year.

Edit: Yes, in addition, automatic transmission, cruise control and hassle free US highways give us a lot of advantage in long drives.

[amitayu]

unless your sitting position is extremely uncomfortable/awkward, you have a greater chance of having backpain than pain in the right foot on long drives.

As far as my personal advice goes, I would suggest to change your seating position for long drives, compared to your normal setting for city drives.

I usually shift my seat back on long drives, and raise the backrest for some firmer support.

But the best remedy for long trips is periodic breaks...it helps retain concentration, stretch your limbs for comfort, and provided opportunity for the occasional cigarette

[kutts]

My left knee and ankle does pain after driving 6-7 hrs along Kerala's bumper to bumper highways. Never felt so in a proper highway.

This gets exaggerated when I drive the Polo since the left knee kind of rests against the center console which is quite hard.

[zenren]

I've felt eye strain after long drives but considering the crowded and unruly highways in Kerala that passes through the towns and cities, it should be normal. I would equate those drives to continuous 6-7 hours of city driving. Even in such conditions, I haven't felt any pain in legs with the relaxed driving posture.

I'll add a couple more variables to the equation. The specific car and the driver height.

From my experience, Zen is not as friendly as Swift in case you are closer to 6 ft. since the dashboard has some projections that prevent your legs from being rested in the most comfortable position. I'm 5'8 and okay with the Zen's driving position but my brother being slightly taller at 5'10 finds the cigarette lighter projection interfering with his left leg while using the clutch even with the seat pushed back all the way. So he'll have to use the left leg at an angle that's not the most comfortable, which leads to discomfort over long distances if he has to drive the whole distance.

I feel it might be useful to quote the cars that you are driving too, in case a specific model is not ergonomically friendly for people of a specific height. From my experience, some European cars are more comfortable for taller folks while some of the Japanese cars are more comfortable for the shorter drivers. The reason could be the average height of Japs and Germans which might play a role in designing the ideal seating position for these cars. The range is usually +/- 10cm or so from this position. If you are a shorter driver, you are more likely to be frustrated with some of the European designs where you may not be fully comfortable even with the seat pulled up all the way forward. My dad was not too happy with the posture and visibility in Punto while he was okay with the old Fiesta.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Interesting point. Yes I agree, people with a pre-existing condition such as a healed fracture or ligament tear, may be more likely to feel pain.
However, in my case, I have never had any injury on any part of my legs. So it's not a pre-existing condition in my case.

Does being overweight make some people more susceptible than others.

Strictly speaking, you don't need to get a knee injury or ligament tear to get to a situation where your knees are in a weaker state than others.

I've heard of overweight people (among relatives and friends of parents) developing pain in knee or ankle over time, though in most cases its by around the age of 50 or so and not directly linked with driving.

Legs need to support the weight of the whole body, which could put strain on your knees over a long period if you are consistently overweight. I've heard at least 3 instances of problems with knee cap but all are among the 'heavier' elder generation who are also active from an exercise perspective.

[DWind]

Originally Posted by alpha1

All of these 3 are lined up at same level! How can you adjust your seat's height and depth - because if you do based on accelerator, then you will get strained by the clutch pedal, or if you do based on clutch pedal, then your accelerator foot will get strained.

Exactly for this reason, I have 2 different positions for highway and city driving. For me City driving, the seats are closer and more upright so that
1. I do not have straighten my legs while pressing the clutch. Lets my leg muscles (more importantly stress my calf muscle) do more work then the muscles in hip and upper thigh. I believe this reduces the stress on your lower back.
2. I also need not use my shoulder muscles to stress while steering and reaching for gear / handbrake levers which happens frequently and needs to be done suddenly.

This position can be pain during long highway drives where your left tarsus muscles acts up since your knees are always bent more and you are flexing your ankles more. So for highways I let the seat slide back and make it closer to floor but at the same time not too far back that I have to reach the pedals. This gives me least fatigue during driving.

Purely my experience!

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by DWind

Exactly for this reason, I have 2 different positions for highway and city driving. For me City driving, the seats are closer and more upright so that
1. I do not have straighten my legs while pressing the clutch. Lets my leg muscles (more importantly stress my calf muscle) do more work then the muscles in hip and upper thigh. I believe this reduces the stress on your lower back.
2. I also need not use my shoulder muscles to stress while steering and reaching for gear / handbrake levers which happens frequently and needs to be done suddenly.

This position can be pain during long highway drives where your left tarsus muscles acts up since your knees are always bent more and you are flexing your ankles more. So for highways I let the seat slide back and make it closer to floor but at the same time not too far back that I have to reach the pedals. This gives me least fatigue during driving.

Purely my experience!

Exactly what I do. Perhaps my reasons might be slightly different. I use clutch extensively in the city (hence close position). And accelerator extensively in the highways (hence distant position).

But still it is a case of poor ergonomics from the vehicle manufacturers ...

[Joe M]

I used to get pain on my ankles when we do long drives ( 10-11 hrs almost continuous drive with only couple of short breaks). The left foot is mostly resting on the dead pedal or on the floor, as the highway to our hometown is pretty good, and there's no need of frequent gear changes.

But the right ankle gets pain, and it's felt most just after a long, continuous part of the journey or the next morning.

As of remedies, Cruise control is the proper solution but many of us can't just afford cars with cruise control.

These are the methods I try because ankle pain is the most notable pain I get on long trips:

1. Stop once in a while, twist and turn the foot in different directions, walk around.

2. Whenever there's a gap, like while in signal or a downgrade or stuck in block, try to keep the foot flat on the floor and do the above exercise. It's quite simple, and once practiced, we'll do it without even thinking of it.

3. Sometimes I try pressing the accelerator pedal at different positions just to keep the right foot at a different position. For some distance I'll be keeping my foot turned towards left, touching the right edge of the pedal and sometimes to the right, touching the left edge of the pedal. On a free highway we get the freedom to do all these.

4. Adjust the seating position. When we move the seat forward or backward, the ankles will be at different positions, thus getting a change from the usual position. But we should be comfortable with both the seating positions to try this.

5. Remove shoes and try using the pedal barefoot when it's paining after long time driving with shoes.

I don't know how good these are, or if it can be fitted for all the cars, but you can have a look at aftermarket cruise control systems, too:

1. http://www.ebay.com/gds/Aftermarket-...7633242/g.html

2. http://www.rostra.com/universal-afte...-by-rostra.php

[jhaji]

I have experienced pain in my right ankle apart from knee pain on very long drives (five to eight hundred kilometers on a single day). I usually take a tea break every two hours or so and walk around and stretch a little. Towards the last part of such long drives, I really miss cruise control. This was especially so when returning from Varanasi to Delhi and the last part of the journey was on the Yamuna Expressway. What I do to alleviate this ankle pain is to use my heel on the accelerator instead of the toe. Because of a more stretched leg position it provides some relief.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by geeash

I am a orthopaedic surgeon.I haven't heard of such a disease till now.The pain in foot may come because of number of other reasons. What you have found out may me a medical miracle :-)

Ditto! If the foot has issues any which way - this may result in expressing the issues rather than causing them per se. Correlation is not causation!

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Remedies:

3) Wear comfortable shoes with cushioned heels - if that is not not possible use Dr. Scholls insoles which can cushion the heel.

Sir,

It makes no conceivable sense to me that pressing with your toes/ metatarsal area causes pain which is alleviated by wearing shoes that are padded AT THE HEEL!

That said - Clearly you havenot been to Tamil Nadu, the barefoot capital of India. A large number of People here often walk around or drive around (even bikes!) barefoot with no issues whatsoever. I don't agree with this prescription / advise.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Ditto! If the foot has issues any which way - this may result in expressing the issues rather than causing them per se. Correlation is not causation!

I don't agree with this prescription / advise.

I think it is established by now that quite a few people on this thread have evidenced pain specifically in the areas mentioned.
Perhaps you may not agree, and better still you may have never experienced this (and I really hope you never do) - however, the pain is quite real for others.

Someone has suggested occasional barefoot driving to alleviate the symptom.
Others have suggested moving the seat back on its rails.
I think these are no-cost options that can certainly be tried on my next long drive.

[mercedised]

I place a wooden block on the floor and try to get the foot just as high as the accelerator pedal. This makes sure that the foot is as close to 180 deg. as possible.