Sitting posture while driving

Hello,

I constantly try to educate patients on proper posture, but because people (myself included) spend so much time driving and sitting for prolonged periods of time. Driving can mean different for different people. It may be a way of leisure for some or as an everyday activity to commute to office. Driving for long time has always accompanied with some or the other musculoskeletal problems. It become a leading cause of back pain to our fast pace life.The problem is treated but the root cause of it is never looked after or we just don't bother about it much..

Why we get the pain or associated problems when we drive for long time?

Poor posture while driving can produce a repetitive load to the tissues that causes sustained stress. Daily prolonged drives apply loads to the spine that can cause viscoelastic tissues to slowly deform and creep. Simply staying in the car seat with poor posture long enough will eventually ensure damage. Sustained load and resultant deformation/creep causes a progressive reduction in tissue strength.With your hands in the proper position on the steering wheel, the thoracic spine, scapula and shoulder joint have a better chance of remaining in neutral. usually, we hold steering wheel with one hand and lean to other side.due to leaning hip bone( iliac crest) and 12th rib approximate; this will contribute to shortness (tightness) of the quadratus lumborum or latissimus dorsi

If the pelvis is rotated, it will contribute to lumbar or SI pathology and overactivity of the TFL(muscle). If the knees are even slightly superior to the hips, then there will be hip flexors muscles over activity or shortness, and hip extensor inhibition or weakness. Prolonged sitting on the glutes can cause poor circulation and lack of oxygen to the tissue, contributing to inhibition.

A person driving with a clutch who has poor or limited ankle dorsiflexion (like after ankle fracture) can perpetuate overly active hip flexors because they will pull the foot off the clutch using the hip flexors, instead of dorsiflexion at the ankle.

Some Do’s:
1) Select a car that matches your height and suits your work.
2) Change posture as much as possible take frequent Microbreaks ,recommended atleast 15 minutes, every 2 hours
3) Place hand on steering wheels so that elbows are close to your side and not so high that you have to reach up for the wheel.
4) Place hands at 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock position this will reduce the amount of strain on shoulders and put hands in safer position.
5) It is advisable to keep two hands in steering wheel except while shifting gears. Change hand posture frequently to reduce fatigue and improve circulation.
6) Learn Microbreaks: An example of a "microbreak" for driving in the car is squeezing the shoulder blades together for 20-30 seconds and repeating 2-3 times. Repeating anterior and posterior pelvic tilts and lateral tilts for a minute or two is sometimes helpful. Other microbreaks for driving include cervical range of motion, and shoulder retraction with elevation and depression.
Some Dont’s:
1) Avoid lifting after driving long hours because your muscles are tired your ligaments are stretched and disc are at risk of injury, give yourself some time to stretch and relax.
2) The death grip posture, the one arm cool dude” the Wrist resting at 12 o’clock position on steering wheel and fingers flop over the top, arm straight out in front and one arm propped on your window.


The longest journey begins with a right sitting posture, not with a turn of the ignition key !!!! dive safe
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