Sitting in Car With Legs Agains Seat
An achy back, strong neck, sore shoulders: The everyday shakes, rattles and rolls of daily commuting can take a price on your body.
The vehicles we bulldoze are role of the problem. Some auto seats don't adequately accommodate the curve of the lower back, putting additional strain on the spine. And compact cars may lack legroom and head space, forcing some drivers to contort their bodies into unhealthy positions just to operate the vehicle.
Only it's not always the car's fault, says Dr. Ginger Edgecombe Dorsey, Ph.D., Ergonomics Programme Director for the USDA Animal and Plant Wellness Inspection Service (APHIS). Sometimes the problem is simply how we sit. In her ongoing poll of USDA employees, she finds that poor driving posture can lead to an increased take a chance of discomfort in the neck, back, shoulders, artillery, wrists, fingers, legs and feet. Over time, she says, bad posture could consequence in chronic pain, making you lot vulnerable to more than injuries.
And sore limbs may be the least of it: One report found that poorly positioned drivers besides have an increased risk of serious injury if they get into an accident.
Fortunately, you tin convalesce many posture-related discomforts with proper adjustment of the driver's seat and mirrors. Hither's what Dorsey recommends.
1. Support Your Back
Slide your tailbone as close to the seat back as possible. Aim for a two- to three-finger gap betwixt the back of your knees and the front of your seat. If your vehicle doesn't allow for the proper position, a lumbar or back cushion may help.
2. Lift Your Hips
If you tin, accommodate your "seat pan" (the function you sit down on) so that your thighs are supported along their entire length and your knees are slightly lower than your hips. This will increase circulation to your back while opening up your hips.
iii. Don't Sit down Also Close
You should be able to comfortably attain the pedals and printing them through their full range with your entire foot. Safety is besides a consideration hither; this study suggested that drivers whose chests were closer to the wheel were significantly more probable to suffer severe injuries to the head, neck and chest in front end- and rear-terminate collisions.
4. Go The Right Height
Make certain your seat raises your eye level at least three inches to a higher place the steering wheel while allowing sufficient clearance between your head and the roof.
five. Lean Back (A Lilliputian)
The angle of your seat back should be a little greater than a perpendicular xc degrees. At 100 to 110 degrees, the seat will put the least pressure on your back. Leaning too far dorsum forces you lot to push button your head and neck forward, which tin can cause neck and shoulder pain and tingling in the fingers.
6. Set Your Headrest
Set the superlative of the headrest between the top of your ears and the top of your head; information technology should only touch the dorsum of your head when you're sitting comfortably. The headrest is too important in reducing whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision, says NHTSA—so important, in fact, that standards were developed for it.
seven. Apply Lumbar Support
If your car has adaptable lumbar support, gear up it (using both the front-back and up-down controls) and so you experience an fifty-fifty pressure from your hips to your shoulders. If your car doesn't have automated support, a lumbar pillow or even a rolled-up towel can help.
8. Suit Your Mirrors
Foreclose neck strain by making sure your rear-view and side mirrors are properly adjusted; you should be able to see the traffic behind you without having to crane your neck.
9. Take Breaks
Even when you're perfectly situated in the driver'due south seat, fatigue will inevitably set in, specially when y'all're driving for long periods. Listen to your body. And take periodic breaks: Park safely at a rest terminate or other designated stopping area to become out of the car and stretch.
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Read more than: Everything you demand to know near distracted driving.
By Robert Edbrooke
Source: https://www.geico.com/living/driving/auto/car-safety-insurance/posture/
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