It’s a well known fact that driving long distances can cause back pain, in the same sense that sitting at a desk all day makes you stiff and sore.
Every week in the clinic we see new bouts of back pain or flare ups of previous injuries from people driving from Albury Wodonga to Melbourne and back or up to Sydney over the weekend. So what can you do to help minimise this discomfort?
As always, it’s best to get your pain assessed by one of our dedicated osteopaths, so that we can tailor a program to help you get back to your day to day function!
Break up your trips!!
Far too often people try to do the entire drive in one stint, myself included. But driving for hours and hours on end can create stiffness and soreness, you might not feel it whilst driving at the time, but it can impact you at the end of the drive or even in the days coming.
We advise people in desk jobs to get up and move every half an hour or so and ideally that would be the same for driving, obviously this often isn’t possible or inconvenient. A short 2-5 – minute break with a quick walk and simple movements can make an enormous difference. Even better if you’re driving with someone change drivers frequently so that the patient can do some easy rotations, spiky ball massage or stretches.
Heat packs
If you know you have to put together a long stint of driving, some portable heat pockets can help prevent some muscle spasm, and allow you to move more freely after driving.
Exercise and stretch!
In your short breaks focus on going for a quick walk, this actually gets some rotation and mobility through the spine. Gentle spinal rotations, making windmill motions with your arms and focusing on big deep breaths the get your thoracic cage and your ribs moving.
Here are some exercises for you to try before you leave on your trip and when you reach your destination!
- Lumbar Rotation Articulation
– Start by lying on your back with yor head supported by a pillow.
– Bend knees up so your hips are at 45 degrees and knee at 90 degrees with your feet closer together.
– Keeping your shoulders on the ground/floor, gently drop your knees out to one side.
– Start small and slowly rotate further as you get more comfortable.
– Try to use your trunk muscles to slowly bring your legs up to the starting position, and then rotate the other way.
– Repeat this for 60 seconds as long as you’re staying on control of your movement.
Click here for a video on how to do the exercise correctly!
- Archer stretch
– Start in sidelying, directly on your shoulder with your knees bent up and arms extended directly in front of your chest.
– You can have a rolled up towel to rest your leg on (optional).
– Moving your top arm, bend and slowly pull back behind you (like pulling the string on a bow).
– Perform slowly, gently following your arm with your eyes and head, this creates the rotation from the top down towards your middle and lower back.
– Reach back as far as possible, taking a deep breath in and out to relax the muscles performing the stretch.
– Slowly return to starting position and repeat, make sure you do this on both sides!
Click here for a video on how to do the exercise correctly!
- Glute stretch
– Laying on your back, head resting on a pillow
– Lift your knee towards your chest
– With your arms grab your knee and continue to pull it upwards to the armpit opposite the leg you’re lifting
– Hold for 30 seconds, with deep breathing trying to relax the body
Click here for a video on how to do the exercise correctly!
The Car Seat
Truck drivers and couriers normally don’t have the leisure of frequent stops, so there are some ways that you can give yourself some support on those long days. Often the more adjustability on the car seat the better chance you have for a suitable set up.
Seat position
- Your shoulder blades should sit comfortably on the seat with your arms in a relaxed position on the steering wheel (not over-reaching). A good way to measure this is your wrists should still be able to bend over the top of the steering wheel
- Your knees should have a slight bend, if they’re fully extending this can cause pain through the hamstrings, hips and lower back. Ideally your knees should be resting in 20-30 degrees of flexion.
- Your foot should be relaxed and easily be able to maneuver between the accelerator and the brake, your left foot should be using the footrest if not on the clutch to achieve a higher level of support.
Seat height
- Your hips should be elevated to at least the same height as your knees, if they’re stuck below this puts greater tension on your lower and middle back (lumbar and thoracic spine).
- Is your car too short for you? Prolonged slumping will also put extra strain on your thoracic spine, muscles and ligaments.
- If your car seat is unable to be adjusted upwards, something as simple as a cushion can improve this
- Tilt – Your body should be around 100-110 degrees, being too close to 90 can increase the pressure on our discs.
Lumbar Support
- Most newer cars have adjustable lumbar support these days. This should be adjusted so that it supports your curve – NOT so it feels like it’s over-extending your back.
- Commonly this space is roughly a hand width
- If your car is not fitted with any form of lumbar support you can purchase one for a relatively small amount of money, or you can simply roll up a towel for some support
- Trial and error is often the key for this
Steering Wheel
- After adjusting all of the above then set up the steering wheel
- You should have full view of your windscreen and dashboard.
- Adjust the height so you’re the wheel is just below the shoulders.
NOTE – After making any adjustments be sure to alter your mirrors before driving!
If your back pain is excruciating it is important to get it assessed by one of our osteopaths. We will assess your pain and with treatment and management strategies aim to improve your functionality. We can provide some more specific exercises to help prevent further aggravation.
If you are on any specific pain medication for your back, please check with your GP to make sure it is safe to drive, for you and others sharing the road.
Dr Cameron Bayliss
Osteopath Albury