Learning About Transportation
About Me
Learning About Transportation

Hello, my name is Christine Baker. Welcome to my site about transportation. In my city, the streets and highways are always packed full of cars, day and night. The high traffic levels have pushed city developers to consider new ways to transport large amounts of people to and from the city center. The solution they found was to build a light rail across a large portion of the land. Other cities have subways that provide the same benefits. I will use this site to explore transportation options utilized throughout the world. Please visit my site daily to see what’s new. Thanks.

Learning About Transportation

Back Pain: A Common Foe Of Truck Drivers

Jeffery Spencer

Back pain generally is no stranger to long-distance truck drivers. The pain can come from poor posture, limited movement, or lack of proper rest and exercise. Truck drivers often experience stiff muscles, tight or pulled muscles, pinched nerves, and a variety of other back problems. But trucking companies need their drivers to be healthy. So if you spend a lot of hours driving a truck (like those from Bobby Hoelscher Trucking Inc), it's important to take measures to help keep your back healthy.

  1. Get comfortable before you hit the road. Position your feet and the back of your knees so that they barely touch the edge of the seat. Also, make certain that you aren't sitting too far from the steering wheel, as it can put more stress on your lower spine. Adjust the mirrors so that you don't need to turn in awkward positions to view what's behind and to the sides of your truck.

  2. Use an ergonomics seat cushion. These help ensure that you are sitting in the proper position. Slouching and poor posture account for many back pain problems experienced by drivers. If your body doesn't feel relaxed behind the wheel, you likely aren't maintaining proper posture.

  3. Keep the muscles in your lower back warm. Use an auto power adapter to plug in a heating pad when your back begins to feel sore. Another option is to use a self-adhesive heat wrap that will keep your back muscles warm for several hours.

  4. Make frequent stops. Get out of the truck and move around for a few minutes. Sitting for long periods of time stresses the muscles in your neck, back, and legs. Take a short walk around a parking lot or a few laps around your truck. When you can't stop for a break, change your position in the driver's seat, even if only slightly.

  5. Stretch your muscles. Stretching before and after driving keeps muscles from getting tight. Put one foot on the truck step and the other leg in the lunge position. Bend the front leg at the knee for a few seconds. Change legs and repeat the stretch. Another simple exercise you can do is to bend and touch your toes a few times.

  6. Use the lock and load method when manually lifting freight. Lock your elbows close to your body since carrying the load away from your body increases the stress on your lower spine. Lifting with your legs helps prevent back injury.

  7. Keep off excess weight. Extra pounds in the front contribute to pain in the back. Make time to exercise in-between runs and drink plenty of water while you are driving to stay hydrated and replace the body fluids you lose.  


Share