The Daily Grind:Driving Posture and

Massage Therapy

About: Leena S. Guptha, D.O., MBA, BCTMB

Leena S. Guptha

NCBTMB Board Chair

NCBTMB Approved Provider, Chair of the Board of Directors since 2014

Graduate from Duke University. Osteopathic Research Thesis: “The Ergonomics of Driving and Back Pain”

6 years in Primary Care ,19 years in Holistic practice, including Manual Therapies for Back Pain

Currently University Instructor teaching Health, Integrative Medicine & Manual Therapies to healthcare professions

Chief Wellness Officer & Chief Education Officer at Greater Lehigh Family Medicine, Bethlehem, PA www.therapies2Bwell.com

Driving & Massage Therapy Media Relations

The Daily Grind: Driving Posture and Massage Therapy Blog (Oct. 2014) http://www.ncbtmb.org/blog/daily-grind-driving-

posture-and-massage-therapy

Collaborative GM Release (Nov. 2014) http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.de

tail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Nov/1121-cadillac-seats.html

“Many Americans have the common misconception that massage is just a luxurious way to relax. The benefits of massage are actually wide-ranging, especially for those that work that monotonous daily grind behind a desk or the wheel of car,” said Dr. Leena S. Guptha

Automotive Seating Conference

(Dec. 2014)

What does the ‘Daily Grind’ mean for YOU?

• WRIST: 33%

• NECK: 53%

• SHOULDER: 38%

• LOWER BACK: 63%

Areas Most Commonly Affected Today

Driving & Comfort

The Daily Grind wears you

out eventually!

CURRENT KNOWLEDGE

Federal law and physics

require that seats be safe and

lightweight.

Comfort!! Is that a bonus?

Is the prevailing approach to

make seats comfortable or to

eliminate discomfort?

What did we learn

yesterday…….do consumers

walk into a dealership based

on comfort seating?

Key Driving Statistics to Know Every day, almost 90% of journeys and 92% of miles traveled are

made in cars or ground transportation (i.e. buses, trucks, etc.).

For almost 180 million of us, driving is the primary means of

transportation.

On average, men drive 44 miles and women drive 34 miles each day.

As you know, modern car and truck designs have come a long

way over the past 20 years with better styling, fuel efficiency,

and comfort.

Q: Is there evidence that driving and the modern automotive

seat design plays a role in some of the back injuries that plague

Americans each year? What about airline seats and services?

F-I Cars: Safety & Comfort Details you likely already know:

Many, many safety regulations!

All cars undergo stringent load tests to ensure the safety of drivers.

“Monocoque” includes the survival cell and cockpit, surrounded by “deformable

crash-protection structures” to absorb energy during a crash.

6mm layer of carbon and Zylon (used in armored vests) to protect the driver.

Equipped with a fire suppression system to spread fire retardant foam around the

chassis and engine.

Following a crash, the driver can be extricated from the car by lifting out the entire

seat—minimizing the risk of spinal damage.

In addition to fire resistant suits, the helmet is made to be as light as possible; more

weight adds to the g-forces experienced during acceleration, braking and

cornering.

Drivers wear head and neck supports that connect to the helmet and is worn under

the seat belts, preventing the stretching of vertebrae and stabilizes the head during

an accident.

The collar absorbs and redistributes forces on the head that would otherwise hit the

driver’s skull and neck muscles.

Safe? Yes. Comfortable? No.

Driving Versus Sitting

How is driving different than sitting?

The body is subject to different forces, such as: Accelerations and Decelerations

Lateral swaying from side to side

Whole-body up and down vibrations

The body mechanic change... When feet are active, they cannot be used to support and

stabilize the lower body, “as normal”

Engagement of different muscles for differing periods of time

The combination of these factors, coupled with the design of the car seat itself, could potentially help prevent back problems for some people

Your Spine

Our Muscles

Auto (Dis)ComfortAuto Discomfort

Lumbar spine vibration frequency can be excited leading to lumbar loading and postural discomfort & back pain

Long term vibration can be a precipitator and aggravator

Long distance drivers can expect to more neck and back pains. What about breaks?

How log does it take a muscle to fatigue… (Joeoen Lem) ?

Women have higher tendencies of low back pains but male drivers driving for >4 hours exceed these numbers (Parisian study)

Canadian mounted police drivers are less prone to back problems

Auto Comfort

What is the Ideal seat design?

Adjustable seat bottom, height,

incline, cushion, lumbar support,

depth pulsatile support, bilateral arm

rest, seat shock absorbers…..?

A seat back to reduce rebounding

torso in rear impacts…

What other considerations should we

identify and discuss?

Does an ergonomic more effective

seat relate to increase sales and

profit?

Auto Comfort: Self Help Drink lots of water! We dehydrate through the day!

Sitting squeezes water from the discs. The more water a disc holds, the

healthier it will be and the better it will perform shock-absorption and it

degenerates at a slower rate.

Squatting vs. Sitting … There is a difference!

Earlier civilizations squatted to prepare and eat food, go to the lavatory,

deliver babies, etc. Squatting was resting—pulling the spinal segments apart

and drawing in fluid to plump up the discs again to face another day.

Slumped Sitting … Not so good for health!

Slumped sitting can cause your spine to adopt a collapsed 'C' bend. Simply

sitting with better alignment (an 'S' bend) slows down the rate of fatigue. Sit

with a relaxed lumbar hollow in your lower back, shoulders aligned over

your pelvis can make a world of difference. Vehicular vibration and rough

roads increase the rate of fluid loss from the discs.

Driving & Sitting

No doubt, optimal tire pressures help a lot here!

Modern, well-sprung seats absorb vibration & retard steady impaction of

the spine base.

Easy exiting of the driver's cab is important; never jump down from the rig

after driving!

Self Help Cont’d

If you MUST drive (and have a bad back) the best

thing you can do is:

Tie a bed pillow to the small of your back.

The pillow being tied in place means it won't move

around or go skew-whiff and slip sideways with the

vibration. You should tie it at the level of your forearm

bent to a right-angle behind your back. This ensures the

right position for the pillow.

If you are short in stature, make sure it doesn't come up

too far (level with your shoulder blades).

When seated in position, make sure to stuff the pillow

down to be right in the small of your back in the lumbar

hollow only, and then lean back over it and RELAX.

Let your belly hang out. This will switch your over-active

back muscle off and make you better able to get

through the shift.

Auto Comfort & Massage Therapy

Does massage therapy provide pain relief and/or

improves daily functioning? Should all seats have

a built in massager? What does the research

say…..

Benefits of massage therapy include:

Alleviates and prevent low-back pain,

Improves range of motion,

Pumps oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs to

improve circulation,

Enhances immunity by stimulating lymph flow,

Exercises and stretches weak, tight, or atrophied muscles,

Increases joint flexibility, lessens depression and anxiety,

Reduces spasms and cramping, relaxes and softens injured,

tired, and overused muscles,

Releases endorphins (amino acids) that work as the body's

natural painkiller,

AND MORE!

How to Find a Reputable Massage Therapist

Visit www.ncbtmb.org and click “Find a Certified Massage Therapist” on the lower left side of your screen.

NCBTMB stands for The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.

NCBTMB is the nation’s only certification board!

Established to define and advance the standards of the massage therapy and bodywork profession.

Board Certification is the nation’s only higher, voluntary credential for massage therapists and bodyworkers that aligns with other medical and allied health professions.

Look for the credentials “BCTMB” after your massage therapists’ name!

What is Board Certification?

Highest voluntary credential within the profession.

Demonstrates a higher level of knowledge, skill, and experience.

Shows that the therapist abides by NCBTMB’s Standards and Ethics.

Shows employers and consumers that the therapist has gone above entry-level and cares about his/her profession.

Conclusions

Each individual has a unique spine and muscle combination.

The ergonomics of seats can be a contributing factor to “auto grind” and modern modification to assist in reducing this maladies.

Driving seated posture is more traumatic to the spine than chair sitting.

Driving time, posture, hydration, and spinal support (or lack of it) can be a precipitator or an aggravator of the Daily Spinal Grind.

Simple measures of self help mentioned today + including weight reduction, exercise, and stretching can reduce Auto Discomfort.

Massage Therapy can play a role in prevention or reduction and rehabilitation of the spine and Auto Comfort.

Q: How would a futuristic car look, especially with self-driving cars or flying automobiles?

Thank You

Combat the Daily Spinal Grind by

making conscious, auto-comfort

choices and help thyself with a

massage Today!