Keys To Total Body Health While Driving

Can driving be harmful? Most of us do not think of driving as being harmful to our health. It is a necessity for most people. It does not only affect truck drivers and delivery people, driving can be harmful to anyone that commutes to a job, goes on a vacation, or runs errands all over the city. Car accidents are not the only danger when driving; driving involves prolonged sitting, whole body vibration, and often increased stress.

Sitting: Sitting puts increased pressure on your lumbar discs as your pelvis rolls back and flattens the spine. Without proper seating adjustments, driving can cause leg/back/neck cramping, soreness in the buttocks, and muscle spasm. Vibration in the car increases upper back and neck activity leading to muscular strain. Strain in the neck area has been shown as one cause of headaches. Holding down the gas/break pedal can cause stiffness and spasm in the low back and legs.

Whole Body Vibration: Bumps in the road or road construction can cause up and down vibration along the length of the spine. Even without the bumps, there is a high enough frequency of vibration to increase risk of injury. Whole body vibration stimulates back/neck muscle activity causing them to tire. When these muscles are tired, they are unable to properly support the body and results in poor posture. In the short term, this could lead to muscle fatigue and soreness. In the long term, this can ultimately cause disk herniations and postural issues as a result of the increased pressure of long term sitting.

Stress: Stress can be great at times; like when you are in danger. But as you probably already know stress can be very harmful to our bodies as well. Stress has been proven to weaken the immune system and make us more susceptible the common cold or the flu, or even worse high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, just to name a few.

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