Driving is the worst

This is not medical advice.

Photo by Samuele Errico Piccarini on Unsplash

Across all conditions that I see, the one common factor that makes everything worse is driving. The common maladies that it makes worse are low back pain, sciatica, necks, shoulders, hips, knees, etc.

I live in a big state, where it is common to drive 4 hours each way to get to larger medical services.

Driving makes conditions so much worse, that I will ask people to consider where they get their procedures. If they choose a doctor in the big city 4 hours away, that 4 hour drive the next day getting home is miserable. Of course choosing the surgeon you are most comfortable with is very important. Some people will get a hotel room for one more night before driving.

Photo by Derek Lee on Unsplash

The common theme

The common theme is sitting still. In a car it’s even worse. We might think sitting at home is the same, but the car is more confining, and we move less. At home we might make a trip to the kitchen or bathroom every hour, and sit or lie down in different postures.

“Sitting is the new smoking,” as far as detriment to our overall health outcomes. There was a case study done where a utility company in the 60’s had a vigilance timer and buzzer across the room from where the workers sat.

The buzzer went off every 10 minutes, and the workers had to stand and walk across the room to turn it off, and adjust some dials (I notice this all day. At this very moment I have to get up and go look for the details of that study, and my legs and back will feel better for it).

A new console was designed, and that annoying buzzer was taken out. Reports of back problems climbed at the facility (Homer didn’t have one of these at the nuclear power plant, and was able to sit, nap and eat donuts).

Don’t be a passive sitter

The automotive industry is making this problem worse. We used to move more, especially without power steering, braking, and automatic transmissions.

Now the cars of the future have you moving even less in your seat. What can you do about it? You can flex your muscles while sitting, especially your buttocks. Our buttocks help support our spine, and we sit on them, making them flat, flaccid, and weak.

Photo by Alex Chernenko on Unsplash

Shoulder shrugs and chin tucks help the neck and shoulders. “10 and 2” may not be the best position for some shoulder problems. Safety first, but most shoulders feel better at “7 and 5", with elbows supported. Too much elbow supported time puts too much pressure on the ulnar nerve. See the common theme?

No posture is perfect

Some drivers make frequent stops and walk around at rest areas. That’s hard to commit to when you just want to get there already.

Lumbar rolls

Many cars now have lumbar rolls to support the lower back curve. This may help some people with low back pain, yet not every case needs more arch.

Hip flexibility

Was our body designed to sit with our hips flexed most of the day? Probably not. It was designed to walk, when possible, and possibly sit on the ground. Ground sitting requires a level of hip flexibility of external rotation and pelvic tilt that most of us lose too quickly. Maybe that is one of the causes of so much low back pain.