Back pain when driving?

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2000-06-14

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Like oil and water, driving and back pain are not an ideal mixture. Not only can chronic back pain make life miserable for drivers, particularly if driving is one's occupation, but the very act of sitting in one position for hours on end can aggravate and even be a leading cause of back pain.

According to the Mayo Clinic, back pain is ranked second only to headaches as the most frequent cause of pain. Four out of five adults will experience a bout of back pain at some time in their lives. And, even though back trouble is rarely life-threatening, estimates of its total cost to society range from $20 billion to $50 billion a year in the United States.

Back problems affect all kinds of people, men as much as women and young as well as old. Even among 16 to 24-year-olds, one in three experienced back pain in the past year. It's most common among the middle aged: almost half of those aged 45-64 had back pain in the same period. Young people are more likely to have brief, acute episodes of back pain, while chronic pain is more characteristic of older people. Just over one in four people over the age of 65 suffered back pain for the whole year.

Professor Mark Porter, of Loughborough University in the U.K., believes that cars are responsible for a substantial portion of back ailments in his country. Porter is leading a project called "Reducing Back Pain in High Mileage Drivers," for the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive project, together with the ergonomics specialists HJ Consultancy.

In an interview with the London Times , Porter says: "Your back may be telling you a lot about the state of your back and its relationship with your car. And it is worth listening to because it can give you an early warning of serious problems that may start with minor discomfort."

Porter has found that absence from work because of back pain is six times higher for drivers who are at the wheel for more than four hours a day-and with congestion and delays increasing, that means more and more of us.

"Long periods at the wheel can seriously damage your health, particularly if seats do not allow optimum posture and drivers do not 'fit' their cars," he says.

Porter hopes his project will persuade manufacturers to upgrade the specifications of seats and steering wheels. He wants every driver to have, as a minimum, a comfortable, optimum driving posture; as well as the usual adjustments that cars currently offer, the seat cushion should be independently adjustable for height and tilt, and the steering wheel should adjust for rake and reach. Furthermore, the seat structure and upholstery should be better designed to fit the human anatomy.

You might reasonably think that this was done already, but Porter says not. Unfortunately, he says, seating is a styling element, so a good design may be sacrificed to freshen up the look of a car's interior to the detriment of the driver's health. Porter also believes seat suppliers may not become involved sufficiently early with the design of a new car: "Seats are integral to vehicle design. But my understanding is that suppliers sometimes get only scant information on what is needed."

The British emergency support and rescue organization, Green Flag, found from a recent survey of its members that more than one in three male drivers sits with his legs fully extended, which can strain the back muscles as he reaches for the pedals. And almost a third of women sit too close to the wheel, which is also bad for backs.

Establishing the "ideal" driving position is a problem because people's height and weight vary so widely, says Porter. While some people are more comfortable in hard seats, others prefer soft: "If you sit in an armchair watching TV, you subconsciously adopt a variety of postures; you react to a mild amount of discomfort and change position. The best sitting position is always the next one. In a car, that is difficult, but try adjusting the seat to one position for town driving and another for the motorway."

In a pamphlet on back pain, Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says poor ergonomic design is only part of the problem, particularly for occupational drivers, who may spend many hours a day at the wheel of a truck, bus, or industrial and construction machinery. Vibration, says HSE, is another important factor that can lead to injury and disablement.

"Regular exposure to whole-body vibration over many months or years can lead to damage and back pain. The longer you are exposed and the higher the level of whole-body vibration, the greater the chances of you suffering a back injury," HSE writes. "Once you begin to suffer back pain, continued exposure to vibration is likely to make the pain worse."

Hazardous exposure to whole-body vibration can be found in various forms including driving off-road too fast or over a rough route, and driving on badly-paved surfaces in vehicles with poor suspension.

Other factors which can cause or increase back pain include: poor driving posture; poor design of controls making them difficult to operate; poor driver visibility making it necessary to twist and stretch; and personal factors such as level of general fitness, being overweight, and choice of leisure pursuits.

If you drive a lot and suffer from chronic back pain, or even if you wish to forestall the onset of back pain, the application of a little common sense can help. For instance, try to avoid driving for more than two hours without taking a break to stretch your legs. This will help to prevent fatigue, and relax your back. Secondly, try to change your driving position by adjusting the seat from time to time-providing you can still handle the controls safely. Various seat cushions and back supports can be purchased from independent suppliers and one of these may help. Short drivers can purchase pedal extensions from some car manufacturers. On the highways, cruise control can be a useful option.

As already mentioned, personal health plays a major role in alleviating problems in the first place. It's important to avoid being overweight, which places additional strain on the back. And there are all sorts of exercises to strengthen the muscles and increase back flexibility. Disciplines such as tai chi and yoga, for instance, are excellent for toning up the spine and back muscles.

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