How To Avoid Getting Neck Pain While Driving
Frequent driving is one of the leading causes of acute and chronic neck pain.
This is because when you drive, you hold your head in an extended position and you use your arms and upper body for long periods of time.
These prolonged positions can put undue stress and strain on the muscles that support your neck or to the nerves or bones in the neck.
As such, the stress and strain caused by focusing intensely on driving can contribute to acute or chronic neck pain.
There are certain tips you can follow to avoid developing neck pain while you are driving.
These helpful tips include the following: • Begin by developing and following a good driving posture.
The best angle for the back of your seat is at 100 degrees, which is just shy of straight.
While driving, always place your hands in the 3 and 9 o'clock positions on the steering wheel and make sure your elbows rest comfortably on the armrests.
• Make sure your head is fully supported at all times.
Adjust your headrest so that it touches the middle part of the back of your head.
• Make sure your lower back is properly supported as well.
If your car seat offers lumbar support, adjust it to fill the space at your lower back.
If does not, place a small pillow against the bottom part of your seat back.
This pillow will help you maintain the right shape from tailbone to neck while you are driving.
In addition, make sure your seat is close enough to the steering wheel so that you don't have to lean forward.
• Properly adjust your mirrors.
Give yourself the widest field of vision with all your mirrors so you don't have to move your head around to see properly.
• Try your best to avoid eyestrain.
Driving with poor vision can lead to eyestrain and cause you to crane your neck forward, which puts pressure on your neck muscles.
Make sure your windshield is also always clean to help you see clearly.
Wear sunglasses with at least 99 percent UV protection whenever you are driving in bright sunlight.
• Cruise along the thoroughfare.
If you're driving on a highway, switch to cruise control.
By doing so, you get to rest your feet on the floor and this takes some pressure off your back.
• Finally, remember to take a break.
If you are driving for long hours and are starting to get a stiff neck or feeling some neck pain, pull into the next rest stop.
Do some stretching and walk off the kinks to get some pain relief and to avoid aggravating your neck pains.
This is because when you drive, you hold your head in an extended position and you use your arms and upper body for long periods of time.
These prolonged positions can put undue stress and strain on the muscles that support your neck or to the nerves or bones in the neck.
As such, the stress and strain caused by focusing intensely on driving can contribute to acute or chronic neck pain.
There are certain tips you can follow to avoid developing neck pain while you are driving.
These helpful tips include the following: • Begin by developing and following a good driving posture.
The best angle for the back of your seat is at 100 degrees, which is just shy of straight.
While driving, always place your hands in the 3 and 9 o'clock positions on the steering wheel and make sure your elbows rest comfortably on the armrests.
• Make sure your head is fully supported at all times.
Adjust your headrest so that it touches the middle part of the back of your head.
• Make sure your lower back is properly supported as well.
If your car seat offers lumbar support, adjust it to fill the space at your lower back.
If does not, place a small pillow against the bottom part of your seat back.
This pillow will help you maintain the right shape from tailbone to neck while you are driving.
In addition, make sure your seat is close enough to the steering wheel so that you don't have to lean forward.
• Properly adjust your mirrors.
Give yourself the widest field of vision with all your mirrors so you don't have to move your head around to see properly.
• Try your best to avoid eyestrain.
Driving with poor vision can lead to eyestrain and cause you to crane your neck forward, which puts pressure on your neck muscles.
Make sure your windshield is also always clean to help you see clearly.
Wear sunglasses with at least 99 percent UV protection whenever you are driving in bright sunlight.
• Cruise along the thoroughfare.
If you're driving on a highway, switch to cruise control.
By doing so, you get to rest your feet on the floor and this takes some pressure off your back.
• Finally, remember to take a break.
If you are driving for long hours and are starting to get a stiff neck or feeling some neck pain, pull into the next rest stop.
Do some stretching and walk off the kinks to get some pain relief and to avoid aggravating your neck pains.
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