Good posture for DRIVERS

Since I got my driving license on 28th August 2007, I drove under supervision only twice, and then I was all on my own. Well, like many other new drivers, I feel liberated and empowered by this new skill, because I can go anywhere, anytime, with all my "luggage/ equipments" with me. I was constantly lost on the roads and generally a half-hour journey would extend into a full hour. (For example it took me 100min or 40km to travel from Serangoon to Gleneagles Hospital, an otherwise 20-min journey on a Saturday morning!) I realised how tiring it was to drive around. My whole body stiffen up in the seated position, my mental focus was on the road instead of keeping myself in proper posture. So after 20km on the road, I usually slumped in the seat like a couch potato in front of TV, without knowing it.


Bad news for people like me, who need to drive a lot for work, is that, prolonged sitting with bad posture in a poor seat can have painful consequences on the spine. Recent research has found that people who drive cars for more than four hours a day are six times more likely to take time off work for back trouble than those who drive for less than two hours (1).

Protecting our back while driving involves an interplay between our body's posture and the adjustment of our car seat. Rule of thumb is: adjust your posture and seat in a manner that places you in optimal posture - maintaining the normal curves of your spine, or in Pilates term, maintaining a neural spine.

Below are 8 simple steps that can guide you into optimal posture at the steering wheel:

1. First, be sure you are not sitting on anything that could throw your alignment off (such as a wallet).


2. Adjust the seat forward/backward to a point where you are comfortable. Your feet should easily touch the pedals. You should be at a distance from the steering wheel that is comfortable for your arms. You should have easy access to all controls. This is important, since excessive reaching can place more stress on the spine.


3. Next, if possible, adjust the seat up and down so that it meets your thigh a few inches from the knee. Your knees can be either slightly higher than or level with your hips, depending on your preference for your spine. If you are unable to adjust your seat in this manner, you may have to purchase a wedge, or use towels to raise the seat.


4. Now sit upright, with your back aligned straight, looking ahead through the windshield. Sit in a manner that maintains your normal spinal curves (slightly arched back, shoulders back, head/neck straight). Now, re-adjust the back of the seat to meet your spine at this position. The seat will likely be around 95 to 100 degrees. More than that will force the lower back to slump and the shoulders and head to come too far forward. The angle of the seat is helping to maintain the normal lower back curve.


5. To determine if you have optimal headroom, you should be able to get a fist (thumb pointed down onto the crown of your head) between the ceiling and your head.


6. Your head should hit the headrest at the level of your eyes. If the rest is too low, this can result in more trauma to the neck during an accident. You should be able to easily rest your head on the headrest without tilting your head back.


7. Finally, adjust the lumbar support if possible to help place your spine in a slightly arched or lordotic position. If this is not available on your seat, use a towel-roll to build the lumbar support. Most automobile seats are already constructed with a lumbar support built in. Often the support is either too high or too low. If the lumbar support is not adjustable, a towel roll will come in handy.

8. Of course not to forget to engage your powerhouse, the abdomeninals, by gentlydrawing your belly button towards your spine. Your powerhouse will give you excellent lumbar support.

References:1. Porter JM, Gyi DE. The prevalence of musculoskeletal troubles among car drivers. Occup Med (Lond) 2002 Feb;52(1):4-12.