Any person who has experienced at least once a solid pain in the spine will really do a lot to not experience this feeling again. How it makes it difficult to function, how much a person doesn’t know what to do with himself then, and what posture to adopt so that the pain stops – and we can’t adopt these postures everywhere, after all, we won’t lie down flat while shopping or riding the train.
“Noble health, no one will know how you taste until you spoil”…. back pain is no trifle, meanwhile, one gets the impression that very few people take care of the condition of their backs as they should. Most of us spend a large part of our day at work, and it is the nature of the work that largely determines how much our spine is exposed. It is known that work, in which we sit most of the time, is quite a burden on the spine, but, for example – at work in the office, we can leave the computer from time to time, get up, stretch, take a walk… this comfort can not afford a professional driver, being for many hours “welded” to the steering wheel and chair. It will come as no surprise to anyone to learn that the profession of a driver is burdened with a huge risk of spinal disorders.
All right, but in such a case, should one wave one’s hand at one’s precious spine, because that’s the job? To swipe is not, to swipe is outright forbidden, here one should make an effort to develop a few simple habits that are salutary for our spine, or possibly equip oneself with some gadget.
So how do we protect that trowel pile of ours while in the driving profession? There are several ways to do it, after learning about them, you will have no excuse to helplessly spread your hands that such a job and you can’t do it.
How to prevent back problems
Taking care of the spine is not just about presenting certain postures while sitting and doing your job, if you don’t want to have back problems, you must start by strengthening your back; exercised and strengthened back muscles mean a healthy spine.
You don’t have to buy a gym pass right away, although of course that would be a great way to take care of your entire body’s fitness – if you want to strengthen your back muscles, you can simply pull yourself up on a bar, do push-ups and perform a series of simple exercises regularly at home. In the age of the availability of all kinds of information on the Internet, all you need to do is to type on YouTube a phrase like “back strengthening at home”. – you will get access to a mass of valuable training materials, where a specialist will demonstrate step-by-step how to properly perform a simple back muscle workout at home.
Regular performance of home strengthening and stretching workouts really can work wonders. Your backbones will thank you for this effort with the absence of pain and discomfort.
Correct posture when sitting behind the wheel
buttocks as close to the backrest as possible, head resting on the headrest, do not hunch back, do not put your shoulders forward. Uncomfortable? Don’t whine, just survive by controlling your posture for a few weeks – after that time we will make a habit of sitting this way and will be uncomfortable, adopting incorrect postures… and that’s the point, so that we reflexively choose a posture that is good for our spine during a long drive. A life without back pain is worth the few weeks of discomfort and the need to watch ourselves.
Other activities that support our spine
At rest stops, it’s a good idea to get out of the car, take a walk, stretch, or even do a few simple exercises, mastered through workout materials available on YouTube.
In the cab of a truck, behind the wheel, standing in traffic or waiting to unload, there are also a few activities that our spine would high-five us for if it could.
Here they are:
- We slide our clenched fist under our backs, pressing our backs against the backrest until we feel resistance.
- We lean firmly against the seat, at the same time straighten our arms and press down on the steering wheel.
- We sit up straight, but do not lean back. We grasp the steering wheel upwards, arms straight, muscles tense.
- We grasp the steering wheel in the middle and make a body turn to the left and then to the right.
- We sit apart, hold the seat underneath between our legs, straighten our back in a slow motion, lift our head high.
Simple actions of a few minutes, once they get into the habit, will be as reflexive as stretching after waking up.
Seat mat and massage when you get home
There is a wide range of massage mats for the driver‘s seat available on the market, their prices range from 120 to 500 zlotys, and they are certainly a great investment. The mats are available both in stationary stores like Media Expert and on sales platforms like Allegro.
When we return home, it is worthwhile, if possible, to go to a massage therapist/physiotherapist, who will help us get rid of tension and stiffness in our backs, and at the same time we will experience a bit of relaxation and pleasure… as long as it is not a massage that “has to hurt”, but sometimes it is necessary to suffer for a while in order not to suffer for months on end.
So, as you can see, there are quite a lot of possibilities to take care of your spine and get rid of back pain, even doing the driving profession – it all depends on our motivation and strong willpower. And as prevention is better than cure, it is advisable to implement the above measures as soon as possible, when nothing hurts yet, because it will start to hurt with time and there is no escape from it if we don’t think of remedies beforehand.
The stakes are high here… a spine that we don’t take care of will take its revenge on us, giving us degeneration, discopathy, osteoporosis or sciatica – shivers at the thought of the latter in particular.
Let taking care of your spine be your belated New Year’s resolution. So that your work as a driver, despite its hardships, would give you satisfaction, and not burdensome ailments. So that when you return home, you enjoy your time with loved ones, instead of wasting it on fighting pain.
