Back Pain
09-29-2011, 12:26 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 09-21-2011
Location: Georgia Red Clay, U.S.A
Posts: 45
Back Pain
During my long ride from GA to AR the day after I bought my 2010 LS, I had back pain here
after a couple of hours driving through ATL rush hour traffic then again an hour into the drive the way home from AR. I had to get one of mesh lumbar supports and a pain patch to find any relief. The lumbar support really helped but the pain patch and a couple of aleve only eased the pain.
Once out of the car, after about 15 minutes the pain goes away. Before this car, I drove my mom's Kia Sorrento that has very plush seats and I never had any back problems when driving it on a long road trip or my mustang before that. I find the seats on the HHR to be fairly firm and am thinking I've spent too much time on my motorcycle to know how to sit in a car seat.
So does anyone have any ideas on how I can not be in pain when i drive my car for longer than an hour?
after a couple of hours driving through ATL rush hour traffic then again an hour into the drive the way home from AR. I had to get one of mesh lumbar supports and a pain patch to find any relief. The lumbar support really helped but the pain patch and a couple of aleve only eased the pain.
Once out of the car, after about 15 minutes the pain goes away. Before this car, I drove my mom's Kia Sorrento that has very plush seats and I never had any back problems when driving it on a long road trip or my mustang before that. I find the seats on the HHR to be fairly firm and am thinking I've spent too much time on my motorcycle to know how to sit in a car seat.
So does anyone have any ideas on how I can not be in pain when i drive my car for longer than an hour?
09-29-2011, 01:10 PM
#5
Member
Join Date: 08-29-2008
Location: NYC
Posts: 57
I had the same problem with the seats. My back would ache like crazy and just couldn't get comfortable on long drives. I have leather seats which are supposed to have more padding, but compared to other cars they were still hard and not that ergonomic.
I think everyone's idea is to lean the seat back to get more comfortable, like reclining your seat in an airplane. But I found that having the seat back more upright alleviated the back pain. Plus an upright seat back fits better with the architecture of the car since it's more vertical than low slung.
I have sheepskin seat covers, more for summer to get rid of the sticky seat syndrome, but they don't provide any additional padding.
Try a more vertical seat back position as that helped me a lot.
I think everyone's idea is to lean the seat back to get more comfortable, like reclining your seat in an airplane. But I found that having the seat back more upright alleviated the back pain. Plus an upright seat back fits better with the architecture of the car since it's more vertical than low slung.
I have sheepskin seat covers, more for summer to get rid of the sticky seat syndrome, but they don't provide any additional padding.
Try a more vertical seat back position as that helped me a lot.
09-29-2011, 02:06 PM
#7
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 09-21-2011
Location: Georgia Red Clay, U.S.A
Posts: 45
Towing with the cruise on at 70 - 75 mph!
Other than trips, I don't drive my cage much. I prefer two wheels to four because it's just more fun. However, the HHR is more fun to drive than I thought when I was shopping cages. Might end up driving it more than I thought.
Not to mention, Baby (the FZ1) doesn't look that happy back there:
Thanks, I've been looking at seat covers so the dawgs don't mess up the cloth seats. I guess the driver's seat is going to get furry. 
Other than trips, I don't drive my cage much. I prefer two wheels to four because it's just more fun. However, the HHR is more fun to drive than I thought when I was shopping cages. Might end up driving it more than I thought.
Not to mention, Baby (the FZ1) doesn't look that happy back there:
09-29-2011, 02:23 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-06-2008
Location: Grand Haven, MI
Posts: 1,761
Opposite of NYCHHR, I have to recline my seatback a bit or I get the pain in my back in the exact same area. I don't really like the seats in mine (the SS or the LT), but I figure that's the price to drive the cost effective style.
09-29-2011, 02:58 PM
#10
Deceased
Join Date: 06-30-2010
Location: Kannapolis NC
Posts: 25,739
As a sufferer of chronic back pain(racing accident at Road Atlanta in 2006 left me with two fractured lumbar vertebrae), I can tell you that pain while driving can be a bugger to minimize.
Try switching off on your dominant steering hand, we all subconsciously steer with one hand primarily, using the other to stabilize the wheel. If you use your left hand more, make an effort to use your right hand as the dominant hand, that little change affects your posture...switch off during a long drive and you'll minimize any shoulder pain and neck stiffness.
Take frequent breaks, towing a trailer in rush hour traffic tenses you up, trust me...I've been there. Adjust the seat so that you can reach the pedals without having to stretch even a little bit, and make sure you have the seat set so that you can hold the wheel without having to lean forward.
I'm not a big fan of plush/overstuffed seat covers, its hard to get one that fits the seat snugly enough to prevent movement. If the cover moves about on the seat, so do you, and you end up bracing yourself which can lead to back pain.
As far as the seats in the HHR go, they are without a doubt the most comfortable seats I've had in anything. It did take some twiddling to get the leather seats in the 2011 adjusted up to where they are as comfortable as the cloth seats in the '06 and '07 that I have. I just chalk that up to a difference in construction and bolstering.
Since you're a long time bike rider, you might have a point about not being able to "sit" right in a car. I have a buddy who rides a Harley until the coldest day of winter, when he drives his truck I've noticed him leaning forward just like he's reaching for an imaginary set of handlebars...and his back hurts too.
Try switching off on your dominant steering hand, we all subconsciously steer with one hand primarily, using the other to stabilize the wheel. If you use your left hand more, make an effort to use your right hand as the dominant hand, that little change affects your posture...switch off during a long drive and you'll minimize any shoulder pain and neck stiffness.
Take frequent breaks, towing a trailer in rush hour traffic tenses you up, trust me...I've been there. Adjust the seat so that you can reach the pedals without having to stretch even a little bit, and make sure you have the seat set so that you can hold the wheel without having to lean forward.
I'm not a big fan of plush/overstuffed seat covers, its hard to get one that fits the seat snugly enough to prevent movement. If the cover moves about on the seat, so do you, and you end up bracing yourself which can lead to back pain.
As far as the seats in the HHR go, they are without a doubt the most comfortable seats I've had in anything. It did take some twiddling to get the leather seats in the 2011 adjusted up to where they are as comfortable as the cloth seats in the '06 and '07 that I have. I just chalk that up to a difference in construction and bolstering.
Since you're a long time bike rider, you might have a point about not being able to "sit" right in a car. I have a buddy who rides a Harley until the coldest day of winter, when he drives his truck I've noticed him leaning forward just like he's reaching for an imaginary set of handlebars...and his back hurts too.