Tips To Save Your Spine In Your HGV

As a professional driver, you’re likely already spending enough time on the road. Driving mile after mile can get exhausting. Even worse, it can cause a lot of back issues. Excessive driving can cause you to spend a lot of time in unnatural seated positions. Because of this, it places a lot of strain on your lower back. This can force your spine to lose its natural lumbar curve and result in severe pain. This is only made worse by the uneven roads and bumps you’ll meet along the way. Here are some of the top tips to minimise your back pain and to keep you from needing to use painkillers to survive.

Always Get Comfortable Before Departing

Before heading out to handle your next delivery, you’re going to want to get yourself completely comfortable. After all, you’re going to be driving for long periods. Even small things that are bothering you are going to spiral out of control and become major problems down the road. Because of this, you want to rid yourself of these things before starting your engine. You’ll want to remove everything from your pockets before setting off. Any items stored in your back pockets during a long trip are likely to cause you to sit in an even worse posture. This can result in your back getting positioned out of optimal alignment. Ensure that your spine is always in contact with your vehicle’s seat. Try to add extra cushioning near the lumbar region of your back to give yourself more support for longer drives. Ideally, you’ll want to keep your knees completely bent yet higher than your hips. This way, you can maintain proper posture. At the same time, you should pull up your chin to keep your head on top of your spine which can keep it from adding pressure to your spine from the excessive weight from your head. Try to maintain a comfortable position for the entire ride.

Take Frequent Breaks

One of the main principles that are key to having yourself survive longer vehicle trips is to give yourself frequent breaks. Professional HGV training Hampshire driving is no exception to the rule. Your spine is inherently designed to move. Because of this, if you are seated in the same position for too long, it can cause your spine to soften. It can even cause the muscles that help prop up your spine to weaken. Both of these things can result in pain. Even if you only have 5 minutes to take at a rest stop, you’ll want to take it. Giving yourself movement is a good way to help loosen your spine and to minimise the tension in your back muscles. Try to resist bending too much or exercising too much during this time because your entire back will be weaker due to all of the sitting making you more susceptible to injury.

Ease Your Grip

It’s not only lower back pain that will become noticeable during longer drives. You will also find that you have a lot of shoulders and even neck pain, as well. This is typically a result of having to grip your wheel for extended periods throughout your journey. By easing your grip, you can alleviate a lot of the prolonged tension in these muscles making your journey a much more comfortable one.