By Glen Wood
If health professionals paid more attention to driving posture and the science of sitting, they would have fewer patients to treat for back pain. Instead, their "state of the art" advice to patients is:
1) Use a rolled towel or lumbar support in the lower back when driving, and
2) get out of the car and stretch after every 15-30 minutes of driving. This typical advice shows absolutely no understanding of the dynamics of driving posture and back pain, yet this advice comes at an hourly rate of at least $100 to $150!
If you find yourself stiff and cranky after driving just 15 minutes you are not alone. 8 out of 10 drivers suffer from Repetitive Driving Injuries, according to a study by Ergonomic expert Professor Mark Porter of Loughborough University. The five most common RDI's are foot cramps, lumbar/lower back pain, stiff neck, side ache, and headache/eye strain. His findings show that 65% of drivers in the study reported having low back trouble, 43% neck trouble and 40% shoulder trouble. Sound familiar?
By identifying what your driving style is, you can learn how to adjust your car seat to reduce the incidence of RDI's. Ergonomic adjustments and low back pain exercises will help you avoid those symptoms. By adding simple Yoga poses and Yoga exercises to your drive, you'll feel more energized and recover more quickly from commuter fatigue. You'll leave road rage in the dust after practicing yoga in your car and using the suggested breathing techniques. Yoga exercises are a great, anti-aging way for getting more healthy and for stress relief. Now you can get these benefits even in stressful situations like being stuck in gridlock on your commute.
Most individuals are well aware of the results from conforming their bodies to car seats when commuting to work and traveling: low back pain, upper back and neck pain, headaches, and fatigue. These common health complaints develop from a slumped sitting posture that rounds the back and shoulders, restricts diaphragmatic breathing, and protrudes the lower abdomen.
This slumped driving posture is characterized by a collapsed trunk with a round back, round shoulders, and a forward head posture. The relaxation of the lower abdominal and back muscles in this posture increases the stress to the back ligaments and discs.
Also notice that the pelvis can slid forward on the car seat, away from the lower backrest.
Glen Wood - The Yoga Teacher, dedicated to unlocking the Real Secrets of Back and Shoulder Pain.
To help you further with your shoulder/back pain you need to sign up for your FREE "Yoga and You" report at http://www.yogateachingwithglen.com/
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posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 3:23 PM
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