Back Support - Driving
Prevention is better than cure so lifting properly, sitting with good posture and taking regular exercise may mean that you will not need any of our back support products. However, when backache strikes, quick remedial action may prevent a back strain turning into an acute back problem.Car seats often do not provide the correct level of lumbar support which can result in lower back pain and sciatica. Less expensive than changing your car is using a car back support such as a lumbar roll or a low profile seat wedge to provide correct posture or alternatively use a backmate or backriend to provide the optimum driving position. Car back pain adds to driver fatigue.
Take the Pain out of Driving
Ask yourself
• Are you planning to buy a new car?
• Have you been offered a company car?
• Are you experiencing back pain in your car?
In a recent study of business car drivers, at least half said they had suffered from low back trouble in the last
12 months.
Many leisure drivers also experience back pain after driving long distances. Still more people find that
driving irritates an existing back problem.
This leaflet aims to help individual drivers take the pain out of driving, and also offers advice to the
companies on steps they can take to look after the health of their employees and reduce sickness levels.
It is not possible to recommend specific cars to avoid low back pain – we all vary in size and shape and a car
that suits a 5ft 3” woman will be very different to the appropriate car for a 6ft man. However, the key issue
is to choose a car that fits you ad is appropriate to your work and leisure, and allows you to adopt a range of
good driving postures. Back pain can be prevented by maintaining a good and comfortable posture while
driving.
Choosing a car – what to look for
Remember, the more adjustable features within your car, the greater likelihood of you achieving good and
comfortable postures that suit you. When choosing a car, whether you are buying it for yourself or selecting
a company car, pay attention to the following guidelines.
Seating
• Choose a comfortable and supportive seat which allows you to adjust the height and tilt
independently of each other.
• The base of the seat should neither be too long nor too short – it should support your thighs and
should be positioned to ensure adequate space between the edge of the seat and your knee, i.e. you
need to avoid pressure behind your knee.
• The seat should be wider than your hips and thighs.
• Adjusting the height of the seat should allow your feet to reach the pedals without stretching. You
should also be able to reach all hand controls easily and have a good view of all the display
instruments, as well as good all round vision.
Back rest
• The back rest should come to shoulder height and should not obstruct your rear vision. It should be
wide enough to support your shoulders.
Lumbar support
• The back rest should provide continuous support along the whole length of your back. An adjustable
lumbar support may help to achieve this, but be careful – if it does not offer full adjustment this could
result in pressure points of gaps.
• An adjustable lumbar support should offer up/down and in/out adjustment.
• Always ensure the lumbar support fits your shape and is comfortable.
Steering wheel
• Choose and adjustable steering wheel – one that can move in and out, up and down and can tilt.
• Power steering will take the strain off your back.
• Make sure the steering wheel is positioned centrally – if it is off-set it could put an extra strain on
your spine.
• The steering wheel should not obstruct the display panel.
Pedals and gearbox
• An automatic gearbox can be helpful.
• Pedals should be centrally positioned with adequate space in between. Off-set pedals can put extra
pressure on the spine.
Boot
• Choose car with appropriate sill height, easy access and enough space for your needs. The sill height
should, for example not be too low, so that when manually handling loads in/out of the boot, you can
do so with good, comfortable postures and therefore minimise the risk of injury.
Car environment
• Ensure you have comfortable leg and head room.
• Air conditioning will help to keep you comfortable
• Avoid using your car as an office. Many of the tasks, such as using a laptop and sorting out paperwork
in a car, cause you to bend forwards, resulting in increased stress on your back. Find an alternative
working environment which allows you to achieve good posture.
• If you experience discomfort when driving, listen to your body. Report the discomfort to the
appropriate person in your company and see your GP or an on-site occupational health specialist such
as a nurse, physiotherapist or ergonomist.
Selecting cars for company drivers
Research has highlighted a number of considerations which should be paramount when choosing cars for
your company drivers. Paying attention to these guidelines should result in happier, healthier employees,
reduced sickness levels due to low back problems and increased productivity for your company.
• Beware of reducing your ergonomics choice through solus or duplex arrangements. Remember
differences in types of work, annual mileage and body size of the driver mean that, with cars, one size
will not fit all.
• Your car selection process should provide access to a suitable range of manufacturers to ensure the
car chosen can accommodate the ergonomics needs of each individual driver and provide a good ‘fit’.
Manufacturers should offer car models suited to the tasks of the drivers, with adjustability to enable
each driver to adopt a good posture.
• Provide drivers with flexibility and personal choice within the car selection process, to ensure their
ergonomics needs are met.
• Regularly review the cars available to the drivers.
• Recommend and facilitate test-drives before an employee chooses a car.
• Ensure the monthly lease cost is not the only key deciding factor in choosing cars – if employees are
not comfortable, the overall cost to the company could be far higher.
• Always bear in mind the body size of the driver, type of work and annual mileage of the driver and
the ergonomics of the car. If you have any difficulties in these areas, seek specialist advice.
• Assess lifestyle both in and outside of work. There can be many contributory factors to back pain.
Good posture and regular exercise can play a key role in preventing back pain.
Reducing back pain in high mileage business drivers
The information in this leaflet is based on research carried out by a team of ergonomists and a chartered
physiotherapist based at Loughborough University, Department of Design and Technology and HJ
Consultancy, Marlow. The research was funded by the Department of Health and the Health and Safety
Executive as part of their initiative, ’Back in Work – Developing Good Practice’. The main aim of the project,
‘Reducing back pain in high mileage business drivers’, was to alert companies to the hidden costs of driving,
namely sickness absence due to low back trouble, arising from a high exposure to driving a car on company
business. For more information on this research, visit h ttp://www.drivingergonomics.com
Posture
Any posture, no matter how good it is, can lead to discomfort if it is held for too long. Therefore it is
important to adopt a range of comfortable driving positions and to make frequent changes to avoid, or help
delay, the onset of discomfort.
You should also take regular breaks and avoid driving for more than four hours a day. The Highway Code
recommends taking a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours. This should be the maximum length of
time you drive without a break, and on each break, you should change your position, i.e. get out of your car
and walk around.
Initial driving position and posture guide
Take the time to familiarise yourself with all the adjustments (eg seat, steering wheel, seat belt). Start by
getting the seat into the ‘initial set-up position’. This means:
• Steering wheel fully up and fully forward
• Seat height at its lowest
• Cushion tilted so that front edge in lowest position
• Back rest approximately thirty degrees reclined from vertical
• Lumbar adjustment backed off
• Seat fully rearwards.
Step one
• Raise the seat as high as is comfortable to improve your vision of the road.
• Check you have adequate clearance from the roof.
• Ensure you have maximum vision of the road.
Step two
• Move the seat forwards until you can easily fully depress the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal.
• Adjust seat height as high is comfortable to improve your vision of the road.
• Check you have adequate clearance from the roof.
• Ensure you have maximum vision of the road.
Step three
• Move the seat forwards until you can easily fully depress the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal.
• Adjust seat height as necessary to give good pedal control.
Step four
• Adjust cushion tilt angle so that the thighs are supported along the length of the cushion.
• Avoid pressure behind the knee.
Step five
• Adjust back rest so it provides continuous support along the length of the back and is in contact up to
shoulder height.
• Avoid reclining the seat too far as this will cause excessive forward bending or the head and neck, and
you may feel yourself sliding forwards on the cushion.
Step six
• Adjust lumbar support to ensure even pressure along the length of the back rest.
• Ensure lumbar support ‘fits’ your back, is comfortable with no pressure points or gaps.
Step seven
• Adjust the steering wheel rearwards and downwards for easy reach.
• Check for clearance for thighs/knees when using pedals.
• Ensure display panel is in full view and not obstructed.
Step eight
• Adjust the head restraint to ensure the risk of injury is reduced in the event of a car accident.
Repeat stages 1-7 and fine tune as necessary
• Be aware that many cars will not allow you as much flexibility of driving posture as you may wish.
Particular cars may cause you to adopt a ‘coping’ posture. For example, limited headroom forces a
reclined posture, making reach to the steering wheel a problem. This leads to excessive forward
bending of the head and neck, resulting in a ‘slouched’ posture.
Reference: CSP:84
THE CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
14 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4ED
Tel: 020 7306 6666
Fax: 020 7306 6611
Web: h ttp://www.csp.org.uk
Take the Pain out of Driving
Ask yourself
• Are you planning to buy a new car?
• Have you been offered a company car?
• Are you experiencing back pain in your car?
In a recent study of business car drivers, at least half said they had suffered from low back trouble in the last
12 months.
Many leisure drivers also experience back pain after driving long distances. Still more people find that
driving irritates an existing back problem.
This leaflet aims to help individual drivers take the pain out of driving, and also offers advice to the
companies on steps they can take to look after the health of their employees and reduce sickness levels.
It is not possible to recommend specific cars to avoid low back pain – we all vary in size and shape and a car
that suits a 5ft 3” woman will be very different to the appropriate car for a 6ft man. However, the key issue
is to choose a car that fits you ad is appropriate to your work and leisure, and allows you to adopt a range of
good driving postures. Back pain can be prevented by maintaining a good and comfortable posture while
driving.
Choosing a car – what to look for
Remember, the more adjustable features within your car, the greater likelihood of you achieving good and
comfortable postures that suit you. When choosing a car, whether you are buying it for yourself or selecting
a company car, pay attention to the following guidelines.
Seating
• Choose a comfortable and supportive seat which allows you to adjust the height and tilt
independently of each other.
• The base of the seat should neither be too long nor too short – it should support your thighs and
should be positioned to ensure adequate space between the edge of the seat and your knee, i.e. you
need to avoid pressure behind your knee.
• The seat should be wider than your hips and thighs.
• Adjusting the height of the seat should allow your feet to reach the pedals without stretching. You
should also be able to reach all hand controls easily and have a good view of all the display
instruments, as well as good all round vision.
Back rest
• The back rest should come to shoulder height and should not obstruct your rear vision. It should be
wide enough to support your shoulders.
Lumbar support
• The back rest should provide continuous support along the whole length of your back. An adjustable
lumbar support may help to achieve this, but be careful – if it does not offer full adjustment this could
result in pressure points of gaps.
• An adjustable lumbar support should offer up/down and in/out adjustment.
• Always ensure the lumbar support fits your shape and is comfortable.
Steering wheel
• Choose and adjustable steering wheel – one that can move in and out, up and down and can tilt.
• Power steering will take the strain off your back.
• Make sure the steering wheel is positioned centrally – if it is off-set it could put an extra strain on
your spine.
• The steering wheel should not obstruct the display panel.
Pedals and gearbox
• An automatic gearbox can be helpful.
• Pedals should be centrally positioned with adequate space in between. Off-set pedals can put extra
pressure on the spine.
Boot
• Choose car with appropriate sill height, easy access and enough space for your needs. The sill height
should, for example not be too low, so that when manually handling loads in/out of the boot, you can
do so with good, comfortable postures and therefore minimise the risk of injury.
Car environment
• Ensure you have comfortable leg and head room.
• Air conditioning will help to keep you comfortable
• Avoid using your car as an office. Many of the tasks, such as using a laptop and sorting out paperwork
in a car, cause you to bend forwards, resulting in increased stress on your back. Find an alternative
working environment which allows you to achieve good posture.
• If you experience discomfort when driving, listen to your body. Report the discomfort to the
appropriate person in your company and see your GP or an on-site occupational health specialist such
as a nurse, physiotherapist or ergonomist.
Selecting cars for company drivers
Research has highlighted a number of considerations which should be paramount when choosing cars for
your company drivers. Paying attention to these guidelines should result in happier, healthier employees,
reduced sickness levels due to low back problems and increased productivity for your company.
• Beware of reducing your ergonomics choice through solus or duplex arrangements. Remember
differences in types of work, annual mileage and body size of the driver mean that, with cars, one size
will not fit all.
• Your car selection process should provide access to a suitable range of manufacturers to ensure the
car chosen can accommodate the ergonomics needs of each individual driver and provide a good ‘fit’.
Manufacturers should offer car models suited to the tasks of the drivers, with adjustability to enable
each driver to adopt a good posture.
• Provide drivers with flexibility and personal choice within the car selection process, to ensure their
ergonomics needs are met.
• Regularly review the cars available to the drivers.
• Recommend and facilitate test-drives before an employee chooses a car.
• Ensure the monthly lease cost is not the only key deciding factor in choosing cars – if employees are
not comfortable, the overall cost to the company could be far higher.
• Always bear in mind the body size of the driver, type of work and annual mileage of the driver and
the ergonomics of the car. If you have any difficulties in these areas, seek specialist advice.
• Assess lifestyle both in and outside of work. There can be many contributory factors to back pain.
Good posture and regular exercise can play a key role in preventing back pain.
Reducing back pain in high mileage business drivers
The information in this leaflet is based on research carried out by a team of ergonomists and a chartered
physiotherapist based at Loughborough University, Department of Design and Technology and HJ
Consultancy, Marlow. The research was funded by the Department of Health and the Health and Safety
Executive as part of their initiative, ’Back in Work – Developing Good Practice’. The main aim of the project,
‘Reducing back pain in high mileage business drivers’, was to alert companies to the hidden costs of driving,
namely sickness absence due to low back trouble, arising from a high exposure to driving a car on company
business. For more information on this research, visit h ttp://www.drivingergonomics.com
Posture
Any posture, no matter how good it is, can lead to discomfort if it is held for too long. Therefore it is
important to adopt a range of comfortable driving positions and to make frequent changes to avoid, or help
delay, the onset of discomfort.
You should also take regular breaks and avoid driving for more than four hours a day. The Highway Code
recommends taking a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours. This should be the maximum length of
time you drive without a break, and on each break, you should change your position, i.e. get out of your car
and walk around.
Initial driving position and posture guide
Take the time to familiarise yourself with all the adjustments (eg seat, steering wheel, seat belt). Start by
getting the seat into the ‘initial set-up position’. This means:
• Steering wheel fully up and fully forward
• Seat height at its lowest
• Cushion tilted so that front edge in lowest position
• Back rest approximately thirty degrees reclined from vertical
• Lumbar adjustment backed off
• Seat fully rearwards.
Step one
• Raise the seat as high as is comfortable to improve your vision of the road.
• Check you have adequate clearance from the roof.
• Ensure you have maximum vision of the road.
Step two
• Move the seat forwards until you can easily fully depress the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal.
• Adjust seat height as high is comfortable to improve your vision of the road.
• Check you have adequate clearance from the roof.
• Ensure you have maximum vision of the road.
Step three
• Move the seat forwards until you can easily fully depress the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal.
• Adjust seat height as necessary to give good pedal control.
Step four
• Adjust cushion tilt angle so that the thighs are supported along the length of the cushion.
• Avoid pressure behind the knee.
Step five
• Adjust back rest so it provides continuous support along the length of the back and is in contact up to
shoulder height.
• Avoid reclining the seat too far as this will cause excessive forward bending or the head and neck, and
you may feel yourself sliding forwards on the cushion.
Step six
• Adjust lumbar support to ensure even pressure along the length of the back rest.
• Ensure lumbar support ‘fits’ your back, is comfortable with no pressure points or gaps.
Step seven
• Adjust the steering wheel rearwards and downwards for easy reach.
• Check for clearance for thighs/knees when using pedals.
• Ensure display panel is in full view and not obstructed.
Step eight
• Adjust the head restraint to ensure the risk of injury is reduced in the event of a car accident.
Repeat stages 1-7 and fine tune as necessary
• Be aware that many cars will not allow you as much flexibility of driving posture as you may wish.
Particular cars may cause you to adopt a ‘coping’ posture. For example, limited headroom forces a
reclined posture, making reach to the steering wheel a problem. This leads to excessive forward
bending of the head and neck, resulting in a ‘slouched’ posture.
Reference: CSP:84
THE CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
14 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4ED
Tel: 020 7306 6666
Fax: 020 7306 6611
Web: h ttp://www.csp.org.uk