Pain-Proof Your Commute – 6 Practical Tips to Reduce Driving Stress

Being on Centre Street allows me to see the morning rush up the hill, as commuters leave town for work. Mount Albert (and surrounding areas) is most certainly a commuter town, and lamented by our clients the average commute for us East Gwillers tend to range anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour and a half, one-way. Stats Canada reveals that the average one-way commute time for Torontonians is 30-45 minutes, so we are clocking in more time in our cars. That can have a damaging effect on the spine, as being immobilized puts a lot of pressure in through the muscles and back and on the spine.

Did you know that truck drivers have the highest case of low back disc herniations? Disc herniation is a type of spinal problem that can lead to pain that starts in the back and can radiate down the legs, sometimes all the way to the feet.  I see these types of aches all the time in my practice: People who commute a lot come in with shoulder ache and tension, back pain, numbness and/or tingling into their legs or arms, and headaches. Recently I was on a local television show talking about how to prevent these driving-related pains. Here are my top tips:

Tilt your mirror up. Moving your mirror slightly upwards forces you to look up and sit straighter. Imagine a straight line going down your ear, shoulder and hips – that’s good seated posture!

Raise your seat up. If it is too far back, you are holding your body up as opposed to using the backrest to support you. Raise it to a point where you can roll your back into it so your shoulder blades are actually touching your seat. Not only is this a better position for your posture, it’s safer: if you get into an accident there’s less chance for your head to snap back, causing whip lash.

Adjust your hands on the steering wheel. Most people have their hands locked in an 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock position. Better bet: move your hands down to 10 and 2 o’clock with elbows pointing downwards. In this position, you’re not holding your shoulders up and fatiguing all the muscles in the shoulders and upper back.

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 No noodle? Use a tennis ball. If you have a have burning ache in the shoulders or low back, place the ball on the sore spot and gentle roll back and forth across the muscles. This will loosen up the muscle and increase circulation there. It’s not a cure but will help alleviate some of the stress.

Sniff your armpits at red lights. It sounds silly but there’s nothing funny about it. Move your nose towards your underarm and hold it there for at least 10 seconds each armpit. This stretches out the muscles, which anchor your head to your shoulders.

Give these easy tips a go next time you’re behind the wheel. But how do you know if your aches and pains are attributed to your commute? Well, if you find that you have to turn your whole body to check your blind spot, it’s probably time to see your chiropractor.