Back Pain Expert Nick Clark: Stop Back Pain With Driving

Hey John,
One of the chief complaints I hear at the office is lower back pain with driving. The first issue to address is the position of the seat. The seat should not be reclined all the way back forcing you into a rounded position at the upper back. This will put excessive stress on your spine., especially the lower back. Ideally, you would like to have the back part of the seat and the seat itself at a 90-degree angle. This provides for optimal spine alignment. Ease your way up into this position as make the change all at once may cause increased irritation.
Secondly, do not overuse the lumbar support if you have that option on your car. A little lumbar(lower back) support can help, however, many people already are overarching at their lower back and excessive lumbar support will reinforce this problem.
How do you know if you are overarching at the lower back?
Stand with your back as flat as possible to a wall with your heels touching. If your lower back is far off of the wall that indicates that you are already overarched and do not need lumbar support. This a bit of an oversimplification however a simple and effective way to better understand your spinal alignment.
A better strategy would be to put a pillow (or any kind of support) in the region between the neck and the lower back. This will promote a tall posture that takes stress off of the cervical (neck) and the lumbar spine.
For more tips and information visit our website at movementmattersny.org and download the free guide “The 3 Keys To Living Without Limitation” or call 1-845-283-0274 to schedule a FREE 60 minute consultation.
Nick Clark ATC, NASM-CPT, FMSC