Car Driving Ergonomics
Back
pain and driving can’t be separated. Sitting
in the wrong position for long hours, gripping the steering wheel and being
exposed to vibration from the roads can contribute to the back pain and
shoulder pain. Humps and pot holes in road make sudden unexpected breaking and
the same give more vibration in lower back and shoulder.
In recent
years, majority of car provide wide range of adjustments. However, it is our
duty to set our car parameters according to our own anthropometric
measurements. Small adjustments can reduce the risk of back pain, neck pain and
shoulder pain.
Car adjustment:
- Start the ergonomic modification by getting the seat into the ‘initial set up position’, where adjustable:
- Steering wheel fully up and fully forward
- Seat height at its lowest
- Cushion tilted so that front edge in lowest position
- Backrest approximately 30 degrees reclined from vertical
- Lumbar support adjustment backed off
- Seat fully rearwards
- The car adjustment according to the ergonomic measure must be done according to the individual driver specific anthropometric measures.
Loughborough University guidelines & Chartered society of physiotherapy guidelines for car adjustment based on driving ergonomics
1. Step One – Seat height for better
vision
o Raise the seat as high as is comfortable to
improve your vision of the road.
o
Check you have adequate clearance from the roof.
o
Ensure you have maximum vision of the road.
2. Step Two – Seat place for pedal
comfort
o
Move the seat forwards until you can easily
fully depress the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal.
o Adjust
seat height as necessary to give good pedal control.
3. Step Three – Avoid stress in leg
o Adjust
cushion tilt angle so that the thighs are supported along the length of the
cushion.
o Avoid
pressure behind the knees.
4. Step four – Backrest is the best way
to prevent back pain
o Adjust
back rest so it provides continuous support along the length of the back and is
in contact up to shoulder height.
o Avoid
reclining the seat too far as this can cause excessive forward bending of the
head and neck and you may feel yourself sliding forwards on the cushion.
5. Step five – Lumbar support should be
in lumbar curve
o Adjust
the lumbar support to give even pressure along the length of the back rest.
o Ensure
lumbar support ‘fits’ your back, is comfortable with no pressure points or
gaps.
6. Step six – Steering wheel adjustment
and avoid obstructions
o Adjust
steering wheel rearwards and downwards for each reach.
o Check
for clearance for things / knees when using pedals.
o Ensure
panel display is in full view and not obstructed.
7. Step seven - Head restraint adjustment
to prevent head and neck injury
o Adjust
the head restraint to ensure the risk of injury is reduced in the event of a
car accident
Repeat
stages 1-7 and fine tune as necessary
Tips to prevent work related
musculoskeletal injury for car drivers
- Never use your mobile phone while you are driving, use hand free to avoid neck pain
- Use seat belt irrespective of distance and speed, it can save a life during accidents
- Adjust the rear view mirror and side mirror to avoid excessive and frequent neck turning
- Do adequate warm up before any sudden intense physical activity (such as lifting)
- Keep the satellite navigation route system device away from your vision area
- Keep spine straight and fully supported on seat while driving
- Take a small break from driving every two hours
- Do the simple stretch in every four hours
- Avoid air condition if u has myo- facial pain, trigger points...
- Use right hand in 2 o’clock and left hand in 10 o’clock position and avoid crossover of hand in steering wheel.
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