Sitting in the car in the same position for a long period of time can trigger back pain. Maintaining the same seating position can have a negative effect on your posture in the long term.
If you drive for fairly long distances to and from work every day (driving for over half an hour), go on frequent road trips, or your job specifically involves long hours of driving, you may have experienced back pain. Approximately 30-60% of drivers report back pain that is caused or made worse by driving.
This is not uncommon as driving exposes the body to many different forces including acceleration, deceleration and most notably vibration. Larger heavy goods vehicle drivers are exposed to a lot of vibration and consequently report more back pain.
Driving also involves the use of your feet to control the car’s pedals which means they are not used to help stabilise and support your lower body as they normally would when sitting.
A combination of these factors (large amounts of time spent sitting in the car, body vibrations, poor posture) as well as the inadequate design of some vehicle seats can cause back and neck pain for some people.
In time it can also lead to compression of the spine, which in itself can lead to other potential issues, such as nerve compression, disc herniation or bulge, altered body posture, stiffness, and reduced range of motion.
How do you address pain that is caused by driving?
Whether the pain in your back occurs while you are driving, or after you drive, you can do a few things to manage, reduce, prevent and fix the pain. Some suggestions include:
- Adjust your seat to help with poor posture while driving, ensuring that you have a good upright position, and your hands sit comfortably on the steering wheel, without straining your back.
- Ensure you have sufficient lumbar support. The lumbar spine tends to be the one that is most affected by activities such as driving, as this region of the spine is oftentimes not properly supported by the car seat as well as the posture we adopt while driving. You may find that sitting up straight, rather than giving in to the tendency to slouch in your car seat can help in reducing and preventing back pain.
If you need extra help and have lower back pain in particular, the Backrack Lumbar Belt is a must-have when it comes to getting the right support you in the lower region whilst traveling.
This belt is also indispensable for when you have to carry heavy loads, and as such it is very suitable for truck drivers, people who frequently moving boxes, and other similar professions (but it can be used by anyone regardless of their occupation).
What makes the Backrack Belt different from other belts is the fact that it uses patented technology that decompresses your spine. What this means is that you feel the pain-relieving effects not only while you wear the belt, but also after you take it off, as it is a treatment method, on top being of a pain management and back support tool.
Once you are no longer in motion, you can try:
- Applying an ice pack or a heat pack to reduce any swelling, inflammation and local pain sensation that you may feel either in the back or neck.
- Using a spinal decompression device to relieve the back or neck pain and prevent the onset of other possible complications.
Backrack Spinal Decompression Device
What are the benefits of spinal decompression for back pain that is caused by driving?
When you repeatedly spend long hours driving, your spine can become squashed, and put pressure on spinal discs and nerves, which trigger the pain sensations you feel. Spinal decompression is a non-invasive treatment modality that reverses this process that causes your spine to become squashed, and treats the root cause of the pain, rather than just addressing the symptoms.
We believe that treating the source and hence the symptoms will enable back pain suffers to live a healthy life again. If you treat and prevent back and neck pain, your well-being will thank you for it.
Both the Backrack Spinal Decompression Device and Lumbar Belt use spinal decompression methods to relieve your pain and prevent it from returning. The mechanism behind both devices is based on patented orthopaedic technology, and these products will help you live your life back pain-free.
Author: Spinal Backrack
