How to maintain a healthy back while driving?
One of the problems that has remained unresolved since the release of the first car and to this day is the appearance of discomfort and even pain in the back when moving a long distance. And no matter how comfortable, correctly from the point of view of landing, there was no car seat, until now, even after two hours of time spent in a sitting position, one begins to feel heaviness in the lower back, general discomfort. This applies not only to the driver, but also to the passenger, who is in approximately the same conditions as those who control the car.
We close our eyes, but as a result we get a lot of serious cervical and spinal diseases and blame ourselves for being so frivolous and inattentive to our health. Therefore, make it a rule that a healthy back is formed throughout our lives, especially at a young age. How to maintain a healthy back for a motorist is the topic of today’s article.
Common mistakes drivers make when getting into a car
Fundamental to incorrect seating is that most drivers adjust their seat in a way that is not medically appropriate, as comfortable for the driver. Now we do not take into account the change in relative seat driving comfort, we are talking about the fact that we adjust the backrest angle, headrest, seat height, as we feel comfortable. The main signs of improper seating are strongly tilted back, the backrest, the driver’s acceptance, not sitting, but a semi-lying position, focus on the headrest. In this position, the upper back, neck, shoulders are slightly relaxed, and the lower back, as a result, takes on the entire load. Perhaps some people prefer to drive, but over time you will feel all the "charms" of osteochondrosis.
The main condition is the correct seat adjustment.
Before you go on a long trip, think about how you learned to drive in a driving school. The chin should be slightly raised up, the knees should be slightly above the level of the thigh. The back of the seat should be adjusted so that the back is fully touching it, not just the shoulders. The lower back should be pressed against the seat, and not on the weight, so that you will not get rid of the inevitable feeling of fatigue. The back of the seat should not be rejected hard, on the contrary, it should be as close as possible to the upright position, so that you can rely on it in three positions of the back: lower back, shoulder blade, shoulders. We have previously talked about how to adjust the driver’s seat, so we will not dwell on this in detail. One more thing, if you can’t find a comfortable position, try to use special lumbar cushions for the driver’s seat.
When you are on the road…
Even if you do not feel pain in your back, If you are not tired, then it is recommended to resume the flow of blood to stop every few hours to allow the back muscles to rest. Therefore, doctors advise to periodically stop, get out of the car and do small exercises for the back, so that in old age you will not have problems with it. It is enough to bend back and forth several times to allow the dorsal muscle to tone and get rid of the “strength". Ideally, of course, you need to hang in some kind of bar, so that your back muscles will be completely discharged, and the vertebrae will fall into place, but, alas, somewhere on the track in a bar is extremely difficult to find.
So, take care of your back, don’t give in to your laziness, which makes you take such a position in the car, in which you will feel how easy this deceptive feeling is, and this will only entail unpleasant consequences. Yes, at first it will be very uncomfortable for you to sit in a car and keep your back almost upright, but you will not notice how traveling long distances will not bring you discomfort and fatigue in your back if you strive to correct.