Back/leg problems when driving

[Alan]

These days when driving for more than an hour I get pains that start below each buttock and after a while radiate into the hamstrings. The pain goes away within a very short time after I get out of the car.

I'm not sure which nerves / muscles are being affected, and am wondering if any on the board have had similar problems and have tried any of the many devices available to go on the car seat.

Recently I did try sitting on my temperpedic pillow on a long trip but it made no difference at all.

 

[grumpy]

Sounds like sciatica to me. As a long time back pain sufferer, I always buy cars with 7-way seat adjustment and on long trips, frequently change the seat angle, backrest angle and height. This seems to help.

Grumpy

 

[Alan]

Sounds like sciatica to me. As a long time back pain sufferer, I always buy cars with 7-way seat adjustment and on long trips, frequently change the seat angle, backrest angle and height. This seems to help.

Thanks. Discussing it today we talked about ways to try out different cars. Our Camry has lots of adjustments which I do mess with on long trips and that does help a little.

 

[bbbamI]

Sounds like sciatica to me. As a long time back pain sufferer, I always buy cars with 7-way seat adjustment and on long trips, frequently change the seat angle, backrest angle and height. This seems to help.

Grumpy

Yeah, I agree. The only other thing that helped me was getting out of the car, stretching and walking around a bit.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Check out this thread. http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/back-problems-treating-advil-33348.html
Try the seat cushion and add leg stretches and back and stomach exercises. Be patient, it'll take time. Good luck

 

[Rambler]

Same problem...I typically use the cruise control and shift my legs around a lot while driving long distances. It seems to help quite a bit, but getting out every couple hours for a stretch and walk around to loosen up is mandatory for me. By the way, you should get out and move around anyway so you don't get DVT. I'm on intercontinental flights alot, and make sure to stand up and walk around every 45-60 min if in economy (can't sleep sitting up) or about that often when I am awake when in business or first with sleeper seats. Legs and even whole body hurts if I don't, and I worry a bit about clots since my mom has had quite a few bouts with them.
R

 

[Outtahere]

My husband has that problem, it's solved by taking his wallet out of his back pocket. His chiropractor told him to do that, with the wallet in your back pocket it presses on the sciatica. Since he started taking his wallet out he hasn't had any problems driving long distances.

 

[Rambler]

My husband has that problem, it's solved by taking his wallet out of his back pocket. His chiropractor told him to do that, with the wallet in your back pocket it presses on the sciatica. Since he started taking his wallet out he hasn't had any problems driving long distances.

Interesting...gonna try that.

R

 

[Alan]

Thanks for feedback guys, all good advice which I'll take - no magic carpet/cushion. I didn't really expect it, but thought I'd ask.

 

[jazz4cash]

Alan
I've had similar problems for many years and I agree with all the suggestions above for temporary relief. When the symptoms were only in my legs, I could not understand why I had several doctors advise the real problem was lower back (pinched nerve). Eventually, I did develop sharp pains in the lower back and went to a chiropractor for the first time and have been going regularly for 1.5 yrs. This really seemed to help tremendously especially the exercises they gave me which are no big deal but seem to be as important as the adjustments.

Also...I've tried the wallet bit and it did not really help, but it did feel MUCH better than sitting on it, so I do keep it somewhere else while driving (maybe my wallet was not as fat as outtahere's DH)

Just for reference:
Leg pain-right leg
lower back pain-left side
wallet pocket-left side

 

[W2R]

It may not help, but it would be easy and free to try some daily stretching.

Here's one that I do on the stretching station at my gym, but I think you could do it at home as follows: Put one heel on a chair or sofa, hold on to another chair for balance, and lean forward (bending at the hip) until you feel a pull in the back of your leg. Hold for 15 seconds by the clock. Then switch legs and do the same.

Do various stretches even on days when you don't plan to drive anywhere, since they will help to loosen things up a bit.

By the way, sometimes I have a milder, possibly similar problem when riding in certain SUV's. Most of my pain is in the back of my thighs, though. I think maybe the shape of the seat just doesn't work for me. So, I sit on a nice soft wadded up squishy blanket, and do my stretching, and that helps a little.

 

[ziggy29]

Another vote for sciatica. I had it a few years ago. It turns out it was related to the contour of the seat I had in the car (a '91 Ford Probe), and when I drove for an hour or more it flared up badly. It mostly ached in the hamstring area but sometimes I could feel it pulsating down my leg with each heartbeat.

As soon as we traded that car in for another one, it went away and I haven't had it since.

 

[Alan]

More good advice - thanks everyone. FYI - I used to have really bad lower back problems that culminated in my having surgery (discectomy L4/L5) when I was 35 (18 years ago). From that point on I stopped playing soccer, tennis, racket ball and badmington, and really changed my approach to ergonomics and have been pretty fastidious doing back exercises including Yoga and Pilates - mostly at home with videos.

This recent onset just seemed different as it only happens on car journeys, but I think it is sciatica and I am going to have to try to follow your advice on regular stops, different car seats and the like.

Two years after having surgery we went to Australia (1997) where we had lots of really long car trips and the rental car was the most comfortable car I have ever driven. It was a Mitsubishi Verada which was a car only made for the Autralian market, otherwise I swear I would have bought one - I was so impressed by the comfort

 

[bobbee25]

I had the same problem, increasing the seats lumbar support took care of it.

 

[W2R]

I had the same problem, increasing the seats lumbar support took care of it.

Now that you mention it, the driver's seat in my Solara has an 8-way adjustable seat with inflatable lumbar support, and I am never uncomfortable when driving it.