It is widely recognized that people who drive for a living suffer more commonly from low back problems. According to Dr. David Phillips, truck drivers are the most common occupation seen in a chiropractic office, the second most common being a nurse.

Is it because of the endless hours of sitting? Phillips believes that this is one of the main reasons; however, other factors include constant exposure to low frequency vibration, the simple lack of activity, the poor diet we all experience while traveling, the strenuous work of pulling on chains and tarps, cranking up dolly wheels, and jumping up and down from trailers and cabs.

Phillips says it is a lot to expect lower back muscles to perform sudden heavy or ballistic activities following long periods of rest. That is why so many backaches and pains occur soon after arising from bed. Muscles and joints require a warm-up of stretching and range-of-motion movements before they can be safely used for work. Phillips says this could be any type of daily activity, even getting dressed.

According to Phillips, a 2002 study in the medical journal, The Lancet, started out with the assumption that people who drive for a living suffer greater degrees of spinal disc degeneration. However, they found that careers in driving did not cause the condition any more than any other job. So, how do you explain the frequency of back pain in truck drivers and others who spend their days on the road?

The question remains as to whether the pain of so much driving is caused by muscle fatigue, ligament damage, changes in the local spinal nerves or blood circulation, or some by other factor. Phillips says that what we DO know is that any chiropractor will tell you that as a truck driver, you are at a greater risk of having pain and periodic disability than the average person. He says it’s important to spend more time flexing and stretching out the negative effects of all that sedentary time and exposure to vibration.

Due to the huge prevalence of lower back pain and its enormous costs to society, many studies are being done to try to figure out what to do about lower back pain, says Phillips. But what can be done in the meantime?

Dr. Alan Hedge, http://www.spineuniverse.com , recommends making your truck or car seat as comfortable as possible. Ways to do this include adjusting the height and distance of the seat to accommodate different leg lengths, lumbar cushion support, a headrest for neck support, and wide, cushioned arm rests that are adjustable for height. Hedge also says it’s important to adjust your posture from time to time, waiting until driving conditions are suitable to allow you to wriggle in the seat to alleviate postural fatigue. He also suggests you take frequent rest breaks to avoid driver fatigue and to minimize postural discomfort, and to possibly find some seat accessories to help alleviate any discomfort (soft seat or head rest covers, for example).