The festive season and heading homeward to spend time with loved ones should be a reason to celebrate. Unfortunately, for some, that extended car journey to get to the yuletide destination can be a prime time for the old back and neck aches to flare up…

So, in order to try and minimise that discomfort, we have issued a pre-emptive strike against aches with our guide to managing back and neck pain during long car journeys… Merry Christmas!

First off, it is important to understand why that pain occurs…

Driving, or sitting in a car – especially on long journeys –  can be quite stressful on the back and neck, often highlighting issues that may already be present due to a sedentary office job. Long car journeys can be problematic because you have to be relatively immobile for extended periods of time due to the cramped seating. Along with that, the shape of the seats themselves are not  really conducive to good posture.

The reason why the standard sitting position in the car can cause such problems is because it forces the pelvis to rotate backwards in to a slump position reducing the normal lower back curve and increasing muscle effort and disc pressure. The strain is increased and muscle activity is reduced if the seat-back angle is greater than 90°, which means that the back of the seat must be higher than the front and your hips must be higher than your knees to avoid the inevitable pain. Unfortunately, that is not always an option…

To make matters worse. Even if you have found “the perfect” position in the car, you are still harming your back if you don’t take regular breaks to move about. The discs in your back do not have their own blood supply, they solely rely on diffusion to bring in much needed nutrients and oxygen. Diffusion is aided by a constant change in pressure and stalled if there is no back movement. So whilst you are stuck behind the wheel for hours, do remember that your discs might not be getting much needed nutrients and oxygen and as a result they could “dry up” and degenerate to sometimes irreversible levels.

Factors to keep in mind to help avoid driving related back and neck pain:

1. Try not to slump in your seat but maintain good posture as much as possible

2. Take regular breaks, and try not be stuck in the same position for more than 2 hours.

3. When seated in the car, check you are sitting on the back of your thighs and NOT your tailbone. Your spine should be in contact with the back of your seat.

4. For extra comfort and support, pop a t-shirt or small blanket behind you in the small of your back. Experiment with different material (thick and thin) to see which feels best for you.

5. If driving, make sure your seat is at the optimal distance from the pedals. To do this, make sure your spine is in contact with the back of your seat, then slide the seat forward until your knees are slightly bent when you depress the pedals. Also, set the back angle of your seat so that your elbows are slightly bent when you reach for the steering wheel.

6. As a passenger your headrest, while not always being naturally comfortable, is a big ally and when used correctly can really help alleviate back pain during long journeys. For starters, the headrest should at the very least be at eye level, preferably higher if possible. Setting the headrest level with the top of your head is ideal. Try teach yourself to let your head rest back, taking the tension off your neck. It will feel unnatural to start with, but try and persevere…

7. Finally, take your time to adjust your seat before you start your journey. Make sure you are as comfortable as possible, be aware of your posture during the journey, and stretch when you get to the other side…

What do you do if, after all of that, you still have pain?

The best advice if you experience pain during and after a long car journey is to continue with regular activities as much as possible. Keep moving and get back into your normal routine as soon as you can. As a rule, do not do anything that causes a lot of pain however, some low level discomfort is acceptable when you are trying to keep active as long as it goes away quickly and you feel better for having done the movement or exercise.
Sleep in the most naturally comfortable position on whatever is the most comfortable surface. Some people find that a small firm pillow between the knees when sleeping on the side helps to ease symptoms at night.

GPs used to give advice to rest until the pain goes away but this is now known to be wrong and usually delays recovery and causes severe muscle wasting particularly of the abdominal cylinder muscles.

Positions & stretches to help you ease out and relax muscle spasm

We have a huge range of self-help content and one demand workouts on our digital platform (App coming soon). Here are a few simple exercises to get you started.

Back Relaxer

Lie on your back with feet up on a ball or chair for 10 minutes every so often to relax muscle spasm

Knee Rolls    

Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet on the floor. Keeping your shoulders flat roll your knee together to the right and then to the left. Repeat 10 times. Do this several times a day to keep your back from getting stiff. 

Pelvic tilts

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Tilt your pelvis forwards so that you feel an arch under your lower back and then tilt your pelvis backwards so that all your lower vertebrae are pressing down on the floor. Repeat this rocking movement backwards and forwards 10 times. You can do this several times a day to ease stiffness and pain.

Child’s pose stretch

A yoga staple. This is a good position to stretch the lower back muscles and open up the lower joints of the spine. It is great to do at any time but particularly if you back is tired from sitting or standing for too long.