What should I do if my back hurts when I drive frequently?

1. Correct the driving posture

When driving, the sitting posture puts the greatest pressure on the back. A healthy sitting posture when driving is to pay attention to maintaining a gentle S-shaped curve of the spine at all times. Driving long distances can easily cause back pain. You can move your seat forward so you don't have to lean forward to reach the steering wheel; put a support on your waist; get out of the car and move around every hour.

The correct sitting posture when driving should be to move the seat premise and cushion appropriately towards the steering wheel, so that the steering wheel is as close to the chest as possible, and at the same time, the knee joint is flexed and made to exceed the height of the hip joint. In this posture, Even if you are out in the car for a long time, it is not likely to cause low back pain. You can also put a 2 to 3-inch thick small pillow on your lower back. Adding lumbar pillows and neck pillows while driving is also a good way to relieve back pain while driving.

2. Apply hot compress to Yaoyangguan at home

Long-distance driving travelers often suffer from back pain. This is due to the driver driving in a relatively fixed position for a long time, or The back of the seat is tilted at an inappropriate angle, etc. This kind of discomfort can be relieved by using traditional Chinese massage and other methods, such as massaging the Yaoyangguan point.

As the name suggests, the Yaoyangguan point is located on the waist, in the depression under the spinous process of the fourth lumbar vertebra on the back midline, approximately level with the iliac crest. It is a commonly used acupoint for treating waist diseases.

Those who have lower back discomfort after returning from a self-driving trip can lie on the bed, use a hot towel to apply heat to the waist and Yang Guan, and keep the heat in this area for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also ask relatives and friends to help massage the Yaoyangguan acupoint for 3 to 10 minutes each time, which can help improve the symptoms of waist pain.

3. Keep your waist warm

Be sure to keep warm during cold and humid seasons and alternating seasons between cold and warm. Wind, cold and dampness can easily invade the waist and induce diseases. Friendly reminder: Cars are equipped with air conditioners in summer. For drivers suffering from lumbar disc herniation, the cool air is caused by wind and cold and can easily induce low back pain. Therefore, do not adjust the temperature too low.

When driving, do not adjust the air conditioner temperature too low for the sake of temporary coolness. It is better for your health to open windows appropriately for ventilation or control the temperature inside and outside the car within 5 degrees Celsius. If you already have symptoms of low back pain, you can perform waist hot compress physiotherapy. At the same time, you can wear a waist girdle while driving to support and protect the lumbar spine and have local warming effects.

4. Remember not to brake suddenly

When a novice drives on the road, sudden braking is inevitable. The inertia and forward momentum will cause the driver's body to rush forward. The cervical and lumbar vertebrae will also flex forward suddenly, and then bounce back to their original position. If things go on like this, it is easy to cause swing injuries. At this time, the stable structure that stabilizes the lumbar vertebrae plays a role in limiting the relative movement between the lumbar vertebrae.

If sudden braking is repeated frequently, the stable structure will eventually be fatigued and damaged, leading to lumbar muscle strain, fasciitis, and even lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Therefore, develop good driving habits, don’t be anxious, and don’t drive fast. Everything is based on safety and health. Driving smoothly and at a constant speed can not only improve driving safety, but also effectively reduce waist strain. load.

5. Do exercises while waiting in traffic jams

Traffic jams make people anxious. Zhang Mingsheng suggested that you might as well play some soothing music when you are stuck in traffic, sit up straight, hold your chest and abdomen up, and seize the time to do health exercises.

Stretch your shoulders and back: Stretch your right hand to your chest. Without exerting force, gently pull your right elbow with your left hand for 5 to 10 seconds. You can also straighten your back, hug your elbow joints with your hands, then raise your arms behind your head, lower your head, look down, take 5 deep breaths, and then return to the original position. Let the body lean back as far as possible from the waist to strengthen the muscle strength of the low back muscles.

You can also stretch your arms back, grab the back of the seat with both hands, push your chest forward as much as possible, and tilt your face up to a 45° angle.

Turn your waist: Sit upright and lower your shoulders.

Use your belt to turn your body to the left, put your right hand on the steering wheel, put your left hand back on the backrest, then change directions and repeat this action.

6. Pinch the Achilles tendon before going to bed

First kneel on the bed, and then use the thumbs and middle sections of your index fingers to pinch the Achilles tendon above the heel. You can use a little force and pinching like this often can relieve the symptoms of back pain.

7. Sleeping on your side reduces the burden on your waist.

Sleeping on your side is the most common sleeping position. A small pillow between your knees can help your back maintain a good posture. If you must lie on your back, try placing a small pillow under your knees. Be sure not to sleep on your stomach, as this can worsen back pain.

8. Shake your legs more often to relieve low back pain

Stand up first, use the healthy leg to maintain weight, relax the affected leg, put your palm behind the thigh and hold it, and then Shake the leg muscles from side to side for about 1 to 2 minutes. You can shake like this several times a day to relieve low back pain.

9. If you have low back pain, you may wish to rub your belly.

When the lumbar spine feels uncomfortable, you can massage it: place your hands on your hips and press your thumbs on the lumbar eye points for a moment, which can improve blood circulation in the waist.

Or put your body against the wall, with your heels, head, and shoulders pressed against the wall, keeping them in a straight line, with your heels slightly raised, your arms slightly bent back, attached to your waist, and your chest and abdomen raised. , keeping the body in a straight line can also relieve waist fatigue.

10. Take a break when driving for more than two hours

In view of the relatively small internal space of ordinary private cars and the high physical and mental stress during driving, it is recommended that you do not drive for more than two consecutive hours. Hours, take a 10-minute break every hour, get out of the car, walk, and move your waist to promote blood circulation throughout the body, relax the muscles of the lower back, and effectively reduce the incidence of low back pain.

11. Eat more and two vegetarian foods

Expert research found that among omnivorous people aged 60 to 90 years old, only 18% of those who have been vegetarians all year round have osteoporosis, and 30% of others have osteoporosis. People suffer from osteoporosis, and osteoporosis is the pathological basis of low back and leg pain.

12. Healthy seats need attention

When buying a car, you must pay attention to whether the seats are good and whether they can provide good support for the back. When driving, the height imbalance between the seat and the steering wheel will cause low back pain.

At this time, keep the seat moved forward at a suitable tilt angle so that the knees can be higher than the hips, and the right foot cannot be fully extended to achieve the correct position. When driving a long-distance car, you should change the shape of the seat appropriately to make it easier to get out of the car and stretch your muscles.

In addition, for patients who already have low back pain or intervertebral disc herniation, all driving activities are strictly prohibited during the acute attack period; after rest and treatment, symptoms are relieved, it is also recommended to avoid long-term driving, and be sure to wear harder wear while driving When driving on bumpy and uneven road conditions, drive as slowly as possible to avoid aggravating lumbar disc herniation and causing waist and leg pain again.