Stay free of neck pain while on the road

Posted on: 14 June 2016

Neck pain is a common complaint among a large segment of the population. Although it can be a result of trauma or health conditions, it may also be caused by stress and strain on the neck muscles or the bones or nerves in the neck. One of the common activities that cause neck pain include driving a car.  Have you considered how your seated position while driving might cause neck pain? Here are several driving tips to avoid neck pain while driving on the road.

Good driving posture

The ideal angle for your car's back rest should be around 100 degrees, which isn't bolt upright, but shy of straight. Position your hands preferably at the 3 and 9 o'clock points on the steering wheel. Additionally, your elbows should rest at ease on the armrests.

Support your head

Fine-tune your headrest so that it makes contact with the central part of the back of your head.

Low back

For cars that provide lumbar support, adapt it so that you fill the area at your lower back. Alternatively, place a small pillow against the foot end of your seat. This helps to maintain the correct posture from tailbone to neck. Additionally, also see to it that your driving seat is adequately adjacent to the steering wheel to avoid you leaning forward.

Seat height

Make sure the driving seat is high enough so that your hips are in line with your knees and your sight out of the windscreen is equidistant between the zenith of the window and the steering wheel. If you're shorter, place a cushion on the seat.

Adjust the mirrors

Afford yourself the broadest field of sight as far as your mirrors are concerned so you don't have to stretch your neck muscles to see properly.

Avoid eyestrain

Driving with bad vision can result in eyestrain and cause you to lean your neck forward, exerting a lot of pressure on your neck muscles. If you are straining to see while behind the steering wheel, it's important you have your eyes checked. Though it may sound obvious, make sure your windscreen is clean and transparent.

Take a break

If you are driving for long periods of time and you start to experience neck pain or stiff neck, pull up in the next stop. Do a bit of stretches and walk off the pain. After all, it's better to spend more time to reach your destination if it means arriving there free of neck pain.  

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