Most adults sit down for 8-10 hours each day on average. Part of this time is sitting in the car while travelling to and from work. The following strategies can be used to help alleviate some of the common symptoms associated with periods of long sitting such as neck & back pain, headaches and tightness in the hips.
- Setting up your seat
Sitting comfortably in your seat, place your hands outstretched in front of you. The palms of your hands should be resting on the top of the steering wheel. If your hands don’t reach the steering wheel, you will likely be reaching forward through your shoulders, adopting an unfavourable posture.
- Learning how your chair works
Get familiar with your seat levers – raise and lower the height of the seat to a position that allows your hands to rest in the “10 til 2” position on the steering wheel. You can also adjust the seat tilt so that your knees are at or below the height of your hips. This will help to reduce tightness in the hip flexors.
- Maximise your viewing area
If you use a device for GPS or maps, the best position to attach it is to the dash or clipped onto an air vent either side of the steering wheel. This helps to keep the windscreen vision completely clear and places the device at a height that allows for comfortable viewing without causing positions of awkward neck postures – e.g. bending and twisting of the neck
