My Husband Loves Driving—but Has Back Pain

My husband loves driving, but a few months ago he started saying, “My back hurts” a lot. It seems his back pain got worse after he carried our five-year-old daughter（18kg） upstairs. Still, using a foam roller makes him feel much better, so it doesn’t seem to be a severe case.

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Around the same time, my husband started saying he was going to visit an osteopathic clinic for his back. He’s also been making a point of loosening the muscles around his lower back and glutes. He asked the practitioner, “I sit most of the day at work, and I spend a ridiculous amount of time driving long distances. Could that be part of the problem?”

“Spending a long time in the same position is definitely a factor. Driving is especially hard on your back because you operate the accelerator and brake while sitting without properly bracing your legs.”

That was the answer he got.

Even so, he says he doesn’t feel much back pain while he’s actually driving. He must enjoy driving an awful lot! lol

Thankfully, I don’t suffer from back pain myself, so I told him, “Maybe you’re just not getting enough exercise. You’re always in the car and never walk or work out, so maybe your muscles are weak?（I’m one to talk! lol）” He replied,

“Well, you might have a point.”

…and has recently started strength training at home.

He also spends much of his workday sitting at a computer, so he says he bought an exercise ball and now sits on it all day while working.

Sitting on an exercise ball all day apparently wears him out—perhaps because it engages his core—but he says, “This is really good!” The downside? Sitting on it all day makes him need the bathroom constantly. lol

So, my husband has tried all sorts of things: visiting the clinic, using a foam roller, and occasionally relying on medication.

Then the other day, he finally resorted to Pip Elekiban, a magnetic patch marketed for muscle aches!

I’ve always thought of Pip Elekiban as something people use when their pain is really bad, so I’m starting to genuinely hope we can find a way to get my husband’s back pain under control.

Tips for Back Pain Relief

I’ve come across blogs by people who say, “I love driving, but I struggle with back pain,” so I wonder if back pain is fairly common among car lovers and driving enthusiasts.

There’s all kinds of advice out there. Some say automatic cars are more likely to cause back pain because they keep your lower body and legs in one position, while others argue that operating a clutch in an awkward position in a manual car puts strain on your back. Honestly, it’s hard to know which advice is reliable or what’s actually worth trying.

There are also plenty of seat cushions designed for people with back pain. But Porsche seats are already so good—it feels a little wrong to put a cushion on top of one.

Come to think of it, one of the mothers at my daughter’s former kindergarten used to drive a manual car every day for drop-off and pickup. I couldn’t help saying, “Wow, you can drive a manual—that’s impressive!” She replied:

“You get used to it, you really do. I’ve hit the car from every angle, but once you drive every day, you get the hang of it! (laughs) But I hurt my back working the clutch in my manual car. I went to an osteopathic clinic, and they told me one of my bones was out of alignment. Apparently, I’d been driving in an awkward position for a long time, so now I have to keep going to the clinic for a while.”

At the time, I honestly thought, “I’d like to learn to drive a manual, but that seems like a pretty steep price to pay… (-_-)” lol

Is back pain just one of those things that comes with driving a lot? If you’re a reader who struggles with back pain—or if you have any go-to tips for relieving it—I’d love to hear from you in the comments.