If you have ever spent an hour packing the car with heavy suitcases and cumbersome coolers for a family trip to the beach (or lake or mountains, or grandmas house) then proceeded to sit in the car for several hours – it’s likely you’ve experienced back pain.
You know, the kind that makes it hard to stand back up straight once you arrive at your destination. In fact, around 30-60% of drivers report having back pain at some point in their life, and a lot of the people we see at Peak Potential after a summer road trip.
However, it doesn’t take a road trip to trigger this type of pain. A 30-minute commute to work or running kids to various summer activities can be enough to cause discomfort and lingering symptoms.
But why does something as simple as driving trigger back pain when it’s not exactly strenuous?
Well, driving exposes the body to many different forces such as acceleration, sudden stops, and most notable vibrations from the road – and it especially affects those of us who drive larger trucks, vans, or SUV type vehicles for hours at a time!
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 you’re sitting.
So it’s no wonder why a combination of these factors as well as the inadequate design of some vehicle seats can cause back problems for many of us.
Because back pain can make driving unpleasant (and in some cases, unbearable!) I put together a list of tips to help make your next journey as pain-free as possible.
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