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Old 12th June 2020, 08:55   #106
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Originally Posted by madhav14 View Post
Was just trying. Getting pain even in the XUV. Hence, almost ruling it out.
Actually, at this stage you might pretty much get pain in any car you drive, because it has more to do with the fact that your back muscles may be more fragile than usual at this moment. However, this will definitely improve with time and yoga exercises, and thereafter, you should be able to drive pretty much any car. That has been my experience, and most people with back issues (which is pretty much a large section of the population at some point of time in their lives) recover with time to a large extent. My suggestion is - keep your car for the time being and see if things improve with slight reduced amount of driving with adequate breaks, as well as back cushions. And if things still do not improve, then you can think about switching to a car with more comfortable seats.

Last edited by arindambasu13 : 12th June 2020 at 09:02.
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Old 12th June 2020, 10:34   #107
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Hello Guys,

I currently drive a BMW 3 series and last year I've been diagnosed with L5-S1 Disc Bulge causing severe lower back pain which is increasing with time (I took it seriously just recently and started a strict exercise regimen).
Hi Madhav, i am not a doctor or an expert but just trying to quote what i feel. Is your driving position optimum? Too relaxed or too much near steering wheel can also be an issue.

Your seating position even when out of car ( on Sofa/Chair ) should be good ,since you would be spending much more time there then in your car.

If you can afford a monthly hire, try out a SUV and evaluate.
And if need be , change your car since your back is more valuable than any car.

Last edited by silverado : 12th June 2020 at 10:36.
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Old 12th June 2020, 11:23   #108
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Hello Guys,

I currently drive a BMW 3 series and last year I've been diagnosed with L5-S1 Disc Bulge causing severe lower back pain .... Doctor says the major problem is the car itself as it has very low driving position and suggests to STOP DRIVING immediately
I've been there and back again like a proper Hobbit. Actually, an expert physiotherapist magically cured me by correctly diagnosing my pain as being caused by tight hamstrings rather than by my prolapsed discs. 2 or 3 pin-pricks was all it took and her dry-needling therapy (a method to hit nerve-muscle junctions in order to reactivate unused muscles) cured my back pain permanently

But here's what I've learnt on back pain in cars- you need to be able to sit such that your lower back maintains lordosis (it's that thing that insta-butt-grammers do where they arch their lower backs so as to better display their backsides to the world). To achieve the S curve in the back, your thighs need to be parallel to the ground at an absolute 0 to maybe 20 degrees at a maximum. In doing so, your feet would be nicely planted on the floor and you can push your bottom into the seat and get really comfortable. That position right there is how nature intended our spine to be!

I'm 6'4" tall with longer limbs (like Curtly Ambrose) and when seated anywhere, my thighs are usually angled upwards so that my knees point at the skies at a 45 degree angle and I can feel pressure on my spine's discs. As far as cars go, my thighs are parallel to the ground only in these cars-
* 1st gen WagonR
* American pick-up trucks

That's it. It's a very short list.

Most SUVs don't offer me a proper driving position. SUVs are built to suit the average population's height, which is on the shorter side in India, and so it is counter-intuitively true that most SUVs do not give tall people an optimum seating position in the Indian market. For you - please see which SUVs give you a nice seating position, because I don't know your height and your limb-to-upper body ratio.

I'd advise a loooong sedan instead where you have horizontal clearance to stretch your legs properly and where your thighs can be properly parallel to the ground and pressure is taken off of your lower back. Nissan Teana is a good option in India...or Toyota Camry, a Skoda Superb etc. All the best!

Last edited by locusjag : 12th June 2020 at 11:25.
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Old 17th June 2020, 12:40   #109
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Originally Posted by madhav14 View Post

Can anyone confirm if Sedans & their Low Driving Position really causes/aggravates the lower back pain? Especially that extremely low slung BMW 3 Series combined with a serious problem like mine?
Not a doctor, but have a poor back.

When my back is out, it is nearly impossible to get in & out of any low slung car for the first few days, so I generally am driven around in the S-Cross or the Tiguan.

That being said, on a holiday when I drove around a high MPV for a considerable amount of time, I had some upper back & neck pain.

With these two thoughts in mind, and that the XUV isn't helping much - I would avoid the higher and bigger Endeavour definitely - it is supremely comfortable, but poor under thigh support is a deal breaker.

If possible, would test drive the Tucson, X1, X3, Kodiaq extensively as well as they could be feasible options. European manufacturers generally manage to offer a good driving position and the Hyundai with it's softer ride quality and powerful engine could be a good bet for overall use.
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Old 17th June 2020, 13:43   #110
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

Most back-friendly car in India? Duster, Duster, Duster. Period. Not sure of its cousin Kicks though but some reviews indicate it's as good as Duster.
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Old 27th June 2020, 13:50   #111
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Originally Posted by madhav14 View Post
Hello Guys,

I currently drive a BMW 3 series and last year I've been diagnosed with L5-S1 Disc Bulge causing severe lower back pain which is increasing with time (I took it seriously just recently and started a strict exercise regimen).

- Ford Endeavour (Used or New)
- BMW x1 or X3 (Used)
- Drive our XUV 500 which is in our garage
- Any other Alternatives in New or Used ones below 25 lacs?

If no, I'd like to keep this car itself. Literally, no car can replace this 3 series for me.

Please help. Thanks in Advance

I have been having a slip disc problem for quite some time now. Shifted to an Innova Crysta AT Z 2.8 about 2 years back and am pretty satisfied with it. Drives like a car, has a high seating, easy entry and exit and the driver seat has got all types of electronic adjustments possible. Would highly recommend.

My other car is a Wagon R AT. Again a wonderful seating configuration, high up, loads of leg room but for the AMT gearbox which I didn't quite like and wish they had a CVT or a regular AT.
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Old 29th June 2020, 11:58   #112
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Most back-friendly car in India? Duster, Duster, Duster. Period. Not sure of its cousin Kicks though but some reviews indicate it's as good as Duster.
I have herniated disc since 2008 or so. I have been driving Honda City since 2011 (both manual and automatic). Due to bad back, I travel as far as 130 kms or so. At the end of the journey, my Sciatica nerve on right leg starts acting up. Last year I visited my sister in Uttarakhand and drove her Duster for more than 5-6 hours. On the same day, I visited few places as well. However, at the end of the day, I didn't feel any pain in back or leg whatsoever. I was surprised. In fact, I was looking out for a petrol automatic used car just last month and was seriously considering Duster CVT. However, there were none in the used car market here in Pune. Since it was urgent, I settled for 4th generation Honda City CVT.
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Old 29th June 2020, 12:53   #113
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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Originally Posted by daredevil View Post
I have herniated disc since 2008 or so. I have been driving Honda City since 2011 (both manual and automatic). Due to bad back, I travel as far as 130 kms or so. At the end of the journey, my Sciatica nerve on right leg starts acting up. Last year I visited my sister in Uttarakhand and drove her Duster for more than 5-6 hours. On the same day, I visited few places as well. However, at the end of the day, I didn't feel any pain in back or leg whatsoever. I was surprised. In fact, I was looking out for a petrol automatic used car just last month and was seriously considering Duster CVT. However, there were none in the used car market here in Pune. Since it was urgent, I settled for 4th generation Honda City CVT.
I'm glad you felt that way. Yes, no car under 40 lakhs can beat Duster in suspension department. My brother bought petrol Duster CVT in 2018-end. He got a good deal as everyone was busy running after Creta. I drove his Duster for a couple of days. It just flew over potholes like I was in a hovercraft. Don't know what kind of suspension they have. It is that good. You should have looked hard for a used Duster CVT. They are never readily available but dropping a word with local dealers sometimes helps. Anyway, enjoy your City CVT.
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Old 29th June 2020, 13:14   #114
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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I'm glad you felt that way. Yes, no car under 40 lakhs can beat Duster in suspension department. My brother bought petrol Duster CVT in 2018-end. He got a good deal as everyone was busy running after Creta. I drove his Duster for a couple of days. It just flew over potholes like I was in a hovercraft. Don't know what kind of suspension they have. It is that good. You should have looked hard for a used Duster CVT. They are never readily available but dropping a word with local dealers sometimes helps. Anyway, enjoy your City CVT.
I came back from UK in march just before lock down. So I did not have a car and dealers did not have CVT model available. Also, I did not TD CVT. So was not sure about the performance either. May be, after couple of years, we will have enough turbo version of Duster, Kicks CVTs in market for us to shop.
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Old 15th October 2021, 14:05   #115
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Re: Back pain - most comfortable car

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So here it goes. After terrible travel for years, I landed up in India with a slipped disc -l1,2. At the time I had a 2010 Ford Figo TDCI. An amazing car focused on handling and fun to drive aspect. The hard clutch on the diesel made me cry in pain while driving and literally. I decided enough was enough and picked up a Nano automatic and I love this car to pieces. The seating height for a 6 footer me, ability to go over potholed roads in Bangalore is just superlative and yeah it's an auto box. Since I started using this car 4.5yrs back absolutely no pain. Yes, once in a while I would drive my Hyundai Verna Transform petrol manual. No pain whatsoever. Then came in my Creta manual.Brilliant. I've doing multiple trips from Bangalore to Goa, Trichy, Thanjavur, Chennai etc etc. this my friend is perfect. Super comfortable for my back, not inched a bit of lower back pain and is incidentally the car I normally use for the highway runs. Absolutely zilch pain and yes it's a manual. The Nano and the Creta still remains. The Verna was sold and then I got my Tin foil City 5 months back. It's a petrol manual. The clutch is harder than the butter soft Creta no doubt and super fun to fly on the highway due to its tin foil material and weight. But, I didn't feel it to be as comfy to d I've on the highway perhaps because of its low seating. Net net I would swear by the Creta even if manual, having tried, driven and currently own a mini suv(Nano), a sedan(City), a pseudo suv(Creta). My going in position will definitely be the Nano - it gave me a new lease of life with his comfort, ease to drive in the city, not an iota of pain and is my daily driver. Creta is super too for city drive and you want to consider. My wife loves the City. Not sure if this confused you and perhaps added any value. Ingress with sedans is and will be an issue due to its low stance. It's a massive investment you will make. Be 100% sure if the car you buy.
I'm not sure what works and what doesn't work for back. I used to drive Ford Fiesta and was very comfortable with no back pain at all. However, I recently bought Creta SX (O), 2021 (the new model) and I'm having severe back pain. Every time I take out the car I feel severe pain. It's just a few months and I'm so frustrated. Some say, it's the car seat design (high at the knee and low at the back), some say it's the suspension, and some say that SUV is not for people with shorter height and thinner build. All said and done, I'm facing severe issues. And I have already spent about 20 lacs and regretting big time.
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