DESPERATE FOR ADVICE RE PAIN WHEN DRIVING PLEASE

oowwch, sounds pretty uncomfortable. If this only happens when you are driving it must be directly related to the driving i.e.

-Position of the seat,

-The trousers you wear may restrict oxygen to the muscle and this may result in cramp,

-The angle of the femur in relation to the body, for example what is the difference in the height of the knee in relation to the hip joint when seated. (if you know what i mean.)

Because you have had this for a long time you may have damaged some nerves over the years.

I’m not sure what type of exercises may be useful but here are some websites that might help.

cheers

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/frontthigh/recfemrupinflam.htm

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/quadriceps-injuries.html

I'm wondering if your situation was ever resolved, and how?

I am also having right hip pain while driving, but for me it seems significantly worse when driving an automatic transmission car.

I had always driven a stick shift, manual transmission with a clutch until about 2 years ago when I bought an automatic car with leather seats. My right hip started to hurt. I thought it was the seat, or the smoothness of the leather that caused my posture to change, or the seat angle... even the way I got in and out of the car, which I started to do very carefully. Finally, I thought it was from using the brake a lot more while driving an automatic. When I drive a stick, I use the clutch and downshifting a lot to manage the speed. If I am at a stop light, the car is in neutral and it is very easy to keep my foot on the brake without exerting much effort.

I finally sold that car, and went back to my old one and the problem cleared up a lot.

But now I bought a minivan with an automatic. No leather seats, and I can sit upright (which is my preference). After one week this problem has flared up again. I'm noticing the same thing with the braking, and I have also noticed the brake pedal is higher off the floor than the gas. So when I do have to use the brake, my foot has to bend more, and I feel it all the way up my leg. I thought an automatic should be easier. I am really baffled by all this.

Another thing I notice, is that when my hip is flared up, sitting on a hard surface like a plain wooden chair with no cushions provides some relief and helps it heal faster (if I stop driving the automatic too). If I sit on sofas or even form cushioned office chairs it still hurts.

I also noticed that a soft bed, like an airbed or a memory foam bed aggravates this pain, and it is much better on something firmer.

Does anyone have any ideas about what might be causing this? Or exercises I could do?

It is frustrating and a mystery, as we would like to own and drive an automatic car for a number of other reasons.

Thanks.
DSB

I had a the same issue some years back. I had evrything done including a total body bone scan. Everything came back normal. You know what I found out? It was bursitis! (Inflamation of the burro sac) in the joint. It is very painful and gives off the impression to most doctors as serious, until they rule everything else out.

I drove a manual car for 26 years- then I drove automatic 3 months ago. I'm having pains in my right hip / side all the time- but not during driving. If I sit in any chair for more than 1 hour- I get cramps when I first get up & have to walk for a few minutes to ease the pain.

There are 2 Yoga exercises that ease the pain (But not eliminate it). I stand up with my arms stretched & bend sideways & try to keep the posture for 30 seconds or more.
Another exercise is to sit with legs outstreched like the letter V & stretch my arms so that my hands touch my feet & try to keep the posture for 30 seconds.

I also try to get up & walk every half hour.

Greeting from Egypt to everyone.

Hi Azza and welcome to the site. Thanks for your comments.

Hi all!

I used to experience the exact same thing when driving - so much so that if possible I would walk instead of taking the car! And any mid to long drives resulted in severe hip/back pain afterwards. However,I know that in my case it is beacuse I suffer from sciatica and being seated causes it to flare up. Since changing my car for a new one the difference is huge, I imagine it`s because the seats are new and therfore give more support. I also noted that having the back of the seat very upright also helped a lot, as did ensuring the steering wheel was at the correct height so that I didn`t tense up my shoulders unnecessarily. Sounds crazy to have to consider all this just to drive your car, but it really reduced the pain for me. Thereafter, plenty of stretching and simply relaxing the body eases out the pain. hope this can help in some way!

Hi Nina and welcome. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Hi,

I had been having problems with my neck and shoulder for years until lately when I attended a manual handling course through work. I didn't expect much from it to be honest but the section on workstation layout has cured my long running problem.

This can also be linked with driving posture. Over exerting muscles unnecessarily for lengths of time or at angles/pressures that should be avoided. Try changing anything with your driving setup e.g. pushing your seat forward or back, tilting the seat, resting your clutch leg when not in use, stretching while waiting. It should help

Cheers Ian, those are good points about lifting and workstation layout being contributory factors.

Here are some articles from the site about back pain - please let us know if you find them useful:

Back pain: preventing and treating back injuries

Back Injuries: the causes of back pain and how to prevent and treat it

Sports injuries: resistance training can accelerate recovery from back pain

Video: Back Injuries: functional strength phase

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