Those who drive for a living, have twice the risk of experiencing sciatica and lower back pain than individuals that don't. Most of the time you forget and don't think about how much time you spend behind the wheel and how much strain it puts on your back, making sure that you do all the steps necessary to relieve any stress from your back will have huge effect in the long term!

These first few tips and pointers apply to all of the drivers not only the ones that drive for a living...

Poor posture whilst driving is one of the main reasons why you may be experiencing back pain whilst driving. Have you ever been on a long journey in your car? you are in the car with your loved ones, you're listening to music together and spending quality time, during that time you relax you slouch down a little bit for extra comfort, sometime later you are hit suddenly with excruciating back pain due to your poor posture for hours of your journey.

You need to make sure you keep good posture all throughout your journey, sitting in a car seat is much different than sitting in an office chair, in your office chair you have both of your feet on the floor evenly distributing the weight and balancing your spine correctly. Whereas in a car your body is experiencing constant vibrations and bumps which as you can image is made much worse if you are holding a poor posture.

Keeping a good posture is also very important in case you get into an accident. You can predict how and when it will happen but what you need to make sure is that you are prepared and you are keeping yourself as safe as possible!

If you did end up getting into a car accident and you are not positioned correctly your car safety equipment will not work and support as intended this will put you at much greater risk of being seriously injured if an accident does occur.

Making sure you are sitting properly is very important in this case, so you do not injure yourself any more!

Now you might be wondering why this point is relevant but many people that drive for a living also have to lift many things, if you are an amazon driver you might have to lift packages from your van to the doorstep, some of them might be heavy. Making sure that you know how to lift your packages the correct way is very important, an improper lifting technique can annihilate your back very fast. Making sure you keep the correct posture whilst lifting should be your main priority.

How to make your vehicle aid with back pain:

The first step you should do immediately is to adjust your seat and your headrest, if you are someone that spends many hours in your vehicle you should have your seat and headrest set to the most comfortable settings, making sure you are seated safely and correctly. There is no set way that your seat should be set, you should adjust your seat to your height, comfort and safety. Not mentioning that it is crucial for your safety in case of an accident.

Secondly, create lumbar support, this can be simply fixed if your vehicle does not provide adequate back support you can roll a piece of clothing like a hoodie and place it behind your back throughout your journey to aid with back support. This might feel quite uncomfortable for a while but will significantly aid you with any back pain.

Using cruise control is also a great way of taking stress away from your back cruise control will allow you to place both of your feet firmly, making it possible for your body to distribute the weight, easing any stress you might have been feeling in your back.

This next tip is one of the best tips for certain lucky drivers, if your vehicle does have heated seats use them, heated seats will not only relax your muscles and ease any stress you might have in your back muscles but aids and supports more blood and oxygen flow through your back helping relieve any back pain you might have. If you do not have heated seats you can purchase a heated seat cover which will also do the job!

Now the last time is the best and simplest of them all, if you are driving for a long period of time, make sure to take a brake and leave your vehicle. Weather that means going on a small walk around the service station, making sure you get some movements and letting your muscles stretch after such a long time. Make sure you have a brake regularly.

Following all of these tips and advice will help you avoid any back pains that you are currently having and hopefully stop them from occurring the future.

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