New car is a pain in the butt - literally! Ideas?

[soupcxan]

On vacation in a rented ford focus - we'll see how it compares. Only observation so far is that the seat seems to be slightly higher than the Acura, even when the acura's seat is raised up.

 

[samclem]

I'd guess it's your butt's relative lack of padding and the rather firm leather seats that are causing the problem. Maybe your time in this rental car will help throw some light on the issue.
I'd give a thin memory foam pad a shot, just to see if that helps. It's not a great long-term answer, but it could help you figure out if it's the padding or something else (distance to pedals, etc)
Can you get a TSX on loan with cloth seats? I'll bet the Acura dealer will help you out.
Maybe the seats in the analogue Honda would fit your TSXs seat rails and you could get them installed in your car without much trouble, allowing you to sell your seats. It won't be cheap, but it would probably be cheaper than taking the hit on depreciation to sell the car.
Is it a TSX wagon? Maybe we could work something out. No selfish motives on my part, but I hate the thought of you being in pain. This car is killing you, after all. Life's too short . . . I have a very knowledgeable friend that says they are really unreliable . . . locusts . . .well, you know the rest.

 

[soupcxan]

Well I drove the Ford Focus for 4 days, no problems. Back home in the TSX and the pain returns. Maybe the Focus seat was an inch or two higher than the TSX but I don't see how such a small difference could cause this pain. Sometimes it seems to be a nerve pain in my right butt (piriformis?), other times it seems to be more of a muscle pain along the back of my leg below my butt (hamstring?). I'm still trying different seating positions but can't figure out what the problem is. I'm at my wits end with this!

 

[M Paquette]

Well I drove the Ford Focus for 4 days, no problems. Back home in the TSX and the pain returns. Maybe the Focus seat was an inch or two higher than the TSX but I don't see how such a small difference could cause this pain. Sometimes it seems to be a nerve pain in my right butt (piriformis?), other times it seems to be more of a muscle pain along the back of my leg below my butt (hamstring?). I'm still trying different seating positions but can't figure out what the problem is. I'm at my wits end with this!

Oh, I've been through this drill. Saturn SL-1 vs Miata...

The fix was simple, if silly, for me. I got a GOOD wedge-shaped pillow, called a 'seat wedge', and dropped it on the car seat with the thick end at the backrest. This changed the pressure distribution on my leg, rear, and lower back from what the bare seat had, and provided relief really quickly.

Might be worth a try.

 

[FreeAtLast]

I am 59 now but when I was in my late 20's I developed some severe back pains which were debilitating. I did have a car with soft seats at the time but I don't think that the support was there.

I tried a number of things including a new bed, new chair, new office chair. I eventually got a new car. The doctor gave me some exercises to strengthen my core which i did along with some medications.
The pain eventually went away and never really came back. I am not sure what the solution was as I tried many different things listed above.

I am now very careful in deciding on the car that I purchase and the support of the seat.

I also stopped sitting on my wallet and have since carried my wallet in my front pocket to this very day.

 

[TromboneAl]

I wonder whether the rails that seats sit on are standard. If so, you could replace the seat.

 

[W2R]

Oh, I've been through this drill. Saturn SL-1 vs Miata...

The fix was simple, if silly, for me. I got a GOOD wedge-shaped pillow, called a 'seat wedge', and dropped it on the car seat with the thick end at the backrest. This changed the pressure distribution on my leg, rear, and lower back from what the bare seat had, and provided relief really quickly.

Might be worth a try.

This sounds like a really, really good thing to try. I would urge you to give this approach a chance, soupxcan.

As an aside, is the car's suspension in bad shape? Probably not, but if so get that fixed too.

 

[simple girl]

Well I drove the Ford Focus for 4 days, no problems. Back home in the TSX and the pain returns. Maybe the Focus seat was an inch or two higher than the TSX but I don't see how such a small difference could cause this pain. Sometimes it seems to be a nerve pain in my right butt (piriformis?), other times it seems to be more of a muscle pain along the back of my leg below my butt (hamstring?). I'm still trying different seating positions but can't figure out what the problem is. I'm at my wits end with this!

That one or two inch difference means your hip angle will be different, which means pressure is applied differently to the gluteal region and the sciatic nerve. That is most likely the culprit. Adjust the seat to mimic the set up in the Focus, and you may find improvement in your symptoms.

 

[ohyes]

My most favorite car we ever owned was our 1998 Acura....however riding in for over an hour was really rough on my husband's lower back. (He had back trouble prior to this).

He purchased a lower back support pillow thing at a truck stop on a 1500 mile road trip. It made all the difference in the world. That Acura seating was the only car he ever experienced such trouble with....it was a happy day when we bought that pillow.

Good luck and hope you find a remedy soon!

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Hey soup,

Sounds like sciatic pain. Bad posture induced by your car seat can be a factor in this. I find that a higher seat is critical. With my recent sciatic issues, I'll be buying large vehicles like SUVs and trucks from now on, because it is a health issue. I highly recommend you find some McKenzie stretches on the net, or acquire one of the back-care books by Robin McKenzie.

I had the same issue as you exacerbated by a low car seat, and ended up with a herniated disc and a shload of pain along with it.

 

[soupcxan]

Well, the pain kept getting worse so I had to sell the car. I put an ad up on Craigslist to test the market before I was 100% sure about selling it, the next day an Acura dealer (not where I bought it) called me and was very interested in it. They were low on this model and couldn't get any more from the manufacturer. I thought there was going to be a catch - but I went down there anyway. Surprisingly, I sold it for what I paid for it! Of course I didn't get the taxes and fees back, so there was a financial hit, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Following that, the pain was not as intense but continued to linger even though I had stopped driving altogether. I got a steroid shot from the doctor, which helped some, but after driving DW's car this weekend it was still aggravated (though not as bad). Dr said it could take 6 weeks to get back to normal. Now it feels more like nerve pain, rather than nerve+muscle pain with the Acura. I'm doing more stretches and working on core strength. Still shopping for a new car but looking at SUVs with a more upright driving position and also trying to keep from turning my right foot out when pressing on the gas.

This has been my first experience with chronic pain and I can say that IT SUCKS.

 

[TromboneAl]

I hear you, man. I'm flat on my back right now because I played piano for 15 minutes yesterday. You won't be able to evaluate a new car until you are all better.

Amazing that you got such a good price.

 

[ls99]

The most comfortable ride? my 99 Suburban. Recently made several 3 hr drives to Baltimore, non -stop. No aches or pains or discomfort. Truly a most comfortable ride. Even with 65 PSI in tires all around.

Of course you pay for the comfort in MPG.

 

[walkinwood]

Try raising the seat and bring it forward so your legs are more bent. I had the same problem and this helped. Now, I only get the pain when I drive very long distances - 7 hours or more. When driving this much, it hurts even though I take breaks & stretch, but it usually goes away in a day. Stretch out your hamstrings & glutes - that helps too.

Hope it works for you.

Edit: Missed your post about selling the car.