Do You Get Back, Hip, Or Knee Pain Getting In And Out Of The Car?
In this post, you'll learn 5 easy tips to prevent back, hip, and knee pain getting in and out of the car.
What Causes Back Pain Getting In And Out Of Car?
When getting in and out of a car, it's important to know exactly what causes of your back pain, especially if you drive often, running a higher risk of car-related back pain.
One of the most common causes of back pain getting in or out of a car, is twisting in the lower back. The lower back joints aren't designed for large amounts of twisting side-to-side, so when they're twisted too much, you'll feel pain in your lower-back.
When getting out of the car, you'll obviously need to turn your body, and therefore twist your lower-back at least a little bit. To do so safely, check out the 5 easy tips at the bottom of this article to prevent your pain.
What Causes Hip Pain Getting In And Out Of Car?
Say you're having hip-related pain getting in and out of the car. Whether this may be a hip-flexor problem, arthritis in your hip, or hip bursitis, lifting your legs using your hands can help.
The reason why lifting your legs up and out of the car with your hands can help you avoid hip pain, is because you don't have to use your hip flexors to lift your legs, which also pulls more on your hips.
When you use your hands to lift your legs, you avoid the risk of worsening your hip pain. For details, see the 5 easy tips at the bottom of this article.
What Causes Knee Pain Getting In And Out Of Car?
One possible cause of your knee pain getting in and out of a car may be from putting too much pressure on both of your knees if you don't know how to stand-up from the car properly.
If you don't know how to minimize the amount of pressure on your knees when extending your legs to stand up, you can cause yourself unnecessary knee pain. To avoid this, read about the Head and Shoulders down, Hips up! strategy from the 5 easy Tips below.
How To Prevent Back, Hip, And Knee Pain Getting In And Out Of The Car
Follow these 5 Easy Tips to have a happier, healthier, & less painful holiday season:
- Avoid twisting with your low back- Don't step out of the car where your spine stays stationary and your hips twist. The low back wasn't designed to twist well, and if you already have back pain, then twisting your trunk when getting out of the car may increase that pain. As you bring your legs out to the side, pivot on your bottom so that you keep your trunk square with your hips, moving your back and pelvis at the same time to avoid increased pain!
- Use your hands to lift your leg when getting out of the car. Using the muscles in your hip that lift the leg (your "hip flexors") can aggravate current hip pain, as well as create a lot of compressive force on the low back, which can cause or increase back pain.
- Face out the door and move as close to the edge of the seat as you can.
- Bend your knees so that your feet are close to you. This brings them closer to your center of gravity.
- Head Down, Shoulders Down, Hips Up! - Even though the goal is to stand up, by putting your head and shoulders down, your hips will naturally raise up. Then, you can easily straighten your knees and roll your pelvis underneath of you to stand up without back, hip, or knee pain.
Getting Back In The Car Is Just The Opposite Of Getting Out
- Head Down, Shoulders Down, Hips Up! Lean forward putting your head and shoulders down and sticking your hips backward to find the seat.
- Allow your knees to bend lowering your bottom down to the seat slowly!
- Use your hands to lift your legs back into the car to avoid twisting your low back.
- Pivot on your bottom to keep your trunk square with your legs as you swing your legs back into the car.
We hope these tips will help you to enjoy your holiday travels this year and prevent back, hip, or knee pain when getting in and out of the car.
Have trouble lifting your leg to get in or out of the car?
Check out our post called "Can't Lift Your Leg To Get In The Car?"
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