In spite of the fact that we can send a man to the moon and we can communicate with someone thousands of miles away with a touch of a (wireless) button, somehow something as simple as the design of most car seats is poor to lousy for healthy body ergonomics. This, combined with poor postural habits (yeah – your mom was right!) and the amount of time we spend in our cars provides many opportunities for what is in essence a number of repetitive stress injuries, including sciatica, headaches, carpal tunnel, and chronic shoulder pain.
You can do a number of things to reduce the incidence of driving-induced pain. The simplest is to do a body-check as soon as you get in the car. Are you sitting straight, with the weight evenly distributed on both butt-cheeks? Are you leaning forward, or back? Are your eyes level with the road, or do you look down your nose or over your glasses? Do you use one hand predominantly to drive?
So, for this week, try to get into the habit of a regular body-check as you drive. Next week, I’ll have another driving tip for you to add to this.
Pam Marshall is a Licensed Massage Therapist in Kingston, NY who specializes in working closely with her clients in Ulster County, Dutchess County, and throughout the Hudson Valley.