Driving and Ergonomics: Prevent the Driving "Pain"
Friday 6 May 2011
Driving is a pleasurable experience when you leave behind the lush meadows and hold your partner's hands! Driving is a memorable experience when it enables you to reach your destination just before the deadline after overcoming many obstacles! Driving is an enjoyable experience when you are able to defeat your friend in a "road rash"! Driving is a motivating experience when you drive your new car out of the showroom! Driving is a lovable experience when you bring your newborn baby home from the hospital. And driving is a painful experience when you start complaining about back pain, lower limb cramps, painful points in your legs and pains of the neck and the shoulder.
Driving and Ergonomics: Prevent the Driving
Common Problems Encountered by Frequent Driving
Back pain.
Neck and shoulder pain.
Trucker's shoulder, a repetitive stress injury. It is seen in long distance truck drivers. Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints are the most affected body parts.
Cramps in the lower limbs.
Long-term driving can lead to disc degeneration and discal hernia.
Tender points in the legs.
Poor posture.
Strain on the hamstrings.
Poor blood circulation in lower limbs.
What are the Factors Responsible for Driving Related Injuries?
Reduced rest period of the working muscle group.
Number of times the same motion is repeated in a minute.
Sitting for long duration. Back ligaments help to hold the spine together during movement. These ligaments get slacked during prolonged sitting and cannot support the spine efficiently. There is posterior pelvic tilt in the sitting position and this brings lower spinal curve in a flattened shape, which in turn, increases the strain in the discs and the vertebra.
Vibration of the whole body. Bumps in the road can cause vibration of your vehicle along the length of your spine. This vibration tires the neck and back muscles quickly and decreases the support these muscles provide to the spine. This may lead to injury. Long term exposure to it can cause disc herniation (a common back condition that occurs when the cushion that sits between the spinal vertebra is pushed outside its normal position leading to irritation of spinal nerves).
Ergonomic Tips to Prevent the "Pain of Driving"
You should begin by adjusting your seat and posture. Your thighs should be comfortably supported by the seat base and your knees should be slightly bent.
Don't sit too far from the pedals. If your legs are stretched while driving, it can increase pressure on the lumbar spine and can stress your neck, shoulder and wrist. Slide the seat so that you can operate the pedals with just your foot.
Studies suggest that the back of your seat should be tilted between 100 to 110 degrees from your legs to reduce the extra pressure on the disc. This angle supports your upper body while maintaining an upright and attentive posture.
Your head and neck should rest on the cervical cushion or neck rest. Do no bend your neck while driving.
Avoid slouching while driving. Use a lumbar support during long drives, or if you suffer from back pain. Adjust the lumbar support so that the curve of your spine is evenly supported.
You can add up an extra padding or a pillow over your seat to absorb vibration.
Change your grip on the wheel occasionally and maintain the wrist at neutral.
Avoid locking of the knee joint. The edge of the seats should not press at your knee joint (i.e. your thighs extend pass the seat) as it can hamper the blood circulation in the legs.
Your legs and pelvis should have ample space to move and change positions without distracting you from driving. This helps to relieve pressure from the compression points and to maintain the blood circulation during a drive. Keeping the muscles in a cramped and contracted position for too long may lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the long run.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers (and front-seat passengers) should buckle their seat belts and keep about 10 inches of distance between the center of the air bag cover and their breastbone to reduce the risk of air bag injury while still remaining protected by the air bag in the event of a collision.
You also need to make some adjustments on the steering wheel. Instead of holding on the top of the wheel positions, grab the steering wheel in its middle position with both of your hands almost opposite to each other like 3 and 9 positions in a clock. This position will relax your shoulder girdle muscles. Do not over turn your body other than turning the wheel. Avoid driving in a "one arm cool dude" attitude as it can cause the compression of soft tissues at the wrist joint.
While getting into the car, sit first and then bring your legs into the car. To get out of the car, bring your legs out first and then stand up.
Don't sit on a filled pocket. Remove items such as wallet or keys from your pockets. This can injure the soft tissue while sitting. This compression can reduce circulation and compress nerves and other tissues leading to low back and leg pain. It can also lead to the famous "Wallet syndrome".
Take short and frequent breaks (every 2 hours) during long drives. During the break, get out of the car and stretch your whole body. It is very important for your back as well as for your hands. Holding a steering wheel for a long duration can cause you to invite carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition involving pressing or squeezing of the median nerve at the wrist.
Adjustments of mirrors are also necessary to get you a good posture. Set your side and rear view mirrors such that you have a full 180 degree view without having to twist or turn your body for the back view.
A simple test can let you know whether you are seated correctly in your vehicle or not. Place your both hands on the steering wheel and look down between your arms and your legs. You should be able to see equal parts of each leg. Often the right leg is partially obscured by the right arm, suggesting that the shoulder girdle is rotated to the left in relation to pelvis.
One Important Note
Avoid lifting immediately after driving! Your muscles are tired and the ligaments are over stretched at this time. Hence there are greater chances of disc injury in your spine. Give yourself a break of one or two minutes to stretch and rest before trying to lift anything.
Driving is simply an entertainment and a fun to many of us. We do not need any objective to pull our cars out of the garage! We drive just to feel "driving"! We drive just to experience the feel of our car, which we have purchased with our hard-earned money. Hence, we drive for the "sake" of driving. It's all related to our achievement, enjoyment and of course utility! And in such cases, we cannot possibly afford to invite pains and injuries.
Source: Lifemojo.com
Driving and Ergonomics: Prevent the Driving
Common Problems Encountered by Frequent Driving
Back pain.
Neck and shoulder pain.
Trucker's shoulder, a repetitive stress injury. It is seen in long distance truck drivers. Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints are the most affected body parts.
Cramps in the lower limbs.
Long-term driving can lead to disc degeneration and discal hernia.
Tender points in the legs.
Poor posture.
Strain on the hamstrings.
Poor blood circulation in lower limbs.
What are the Factors Responsible for Driving Related Injuries?
Reduced rest period of the working muscle group.
Number of times the same motion is repeated in a minute.
Sitting for long duration. Back ligaments help to hold the spine together during movement. These ligaments get slacked during prolonged sitting and cannot support the spine efficiently. There is posterior pelvic tilt in the sitting position and this brings lower spinal curve in a flattened shape, which in turn, increases the strain in the discs and the vertebra.
Vibration of the whole body. Bumps in the road can cause vibration of your vehicle along the length of your spine. This vibration tires the neck and back muscles quickly and decreases the support these muscles provide to the spine. This may lead to injury. Long term exposure to it can cause disc herniation (a common back condition that occurs when the cushion that sits between the spinal vertebra is pushed outside its normal position leading to irritation of spinal nerves).
Ergonomic Tips to Prevent the "Pain of Driving"
You should begin by adjusting your seat and posture. Your thighs should be comfortably supported by the seat base and your knees should be slightly bent.
Don't sit too far from the pedals. If your legs are stretched while driving, it can increase pressure on the lumbar spine and can stress your neck, shoulder and wrist. Slide the seat so that you can operate the pedals with just your foot.
Studies suggest that the back of your seat should be tilted between 100 to 110 degrees from your legs to reduce the extra pressure on the disc. This angle supports your upper body while maintaining an upright and attentive posture.
Your head and neck should rest on the cervical cushion or neck rest. Do no bend your neck while driving.
Avoid slouching while driving. Use a lumbar support during long drives, or if you suffer from back pain. Adjust the lumbar support so that the curve of your spine is evenly supported.
You can add up an extra padding or a pillow over your seat to absorb vibration.
Change your grip on the wheel occasionally and maintain the wrist at neutral.
Avoid locking of the knee joint. The edge of the seats should not press at your knee joint (i.e. your thighs extend pass the seat) as it can hamper the blood circulation in the legs.
Your legs and pelvis should have ample space to move and change positions without distracting you from driving. This helps to relieve pressure from the compression points and to maintain the blood circulation during a drive. Keeping the muscles in a cramped and contracted position for too long may lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the long run.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers (and front-seat passengers) should buckle their seat belts and keep about 10 inches of distance between the center of the air bag cover and their breastbone to reduce the risk of air bag injury while still remaining protected by the air bag in the event of a collision.
You also need to make some adjustments on the steering wheel. Instead of holding on the top of the wheel positions, grab the steering wheel in its middle position with both of your hands almost opposite to each other like 3 and 9 positions in a clock. This position will relax your shoulder girdle muscles. Do not over turn your body other than turning the wheel. Avoid driving in a "one arm cool dude" attitude as it can cause the compression of soft tissues at the wrist joint.
While getting into the car, sit first and then bring your legs into the car. To get out of the car, bring your legs out first and then stand up.
Don't sit on a filled pocket. Remove items such as wallet or keys from your pockets. This can injure the soft tissue while sitting. This compression can reduce circulation and compress nerves and other tissues leading to low back and leg pain. It can also lead to the famous "Wallet syndrome".
Take short and frequent breaks (every 2 hours) during long drives. During the break, get out of the car and stretch your whole body. It is very important for your back as well as for your hands. Holding a steering wheel for a long duration can cause you to invite carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition involving pressing or squeezing of the median nerve at the wrist.
Adjustments of mirrors are also necessary to get you a good posture. Set your side and rear view mirrors such that you have a full 180 degree view without having to twist or turn your body for the back view.
A simple test can let you know whether you are seated correctly in your vehicle or not. Place your both hands on the steering wheel and look down between your arms and your legs. You should be able to see equal parts of each leg. Often the right leg is partially obscured by the right arm, suggesting that the shoulder girdle is rotated to the left in relation to pelvis.
One Important Note
Avoid lifting immediately after driving! Your muscles are tired and the ligaments are over stretched at this time. Hence there are greater chances of disc injury in your spine. Give yourself a break of one or two minutes to stretch and rest before trying to lift anything.
Driving is simply an entertainment and a fun to many of us. We do not need any objective to pull our cars out of the garage! We drive just to feel "driving"! We drive just to experience the feel of our car, which we have purchased with our hard-earned money. Hence, we drive for the "sake" of driving. It's all related to our achievement, enjoyment and of course utility! And in such cases, we cannot possibly afford to invite pains and injuries.
Source: Lifemojo.com
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