I was excited buying my new car. It was comfortable sitting in the contoured bucket seat - it felt "perfect," certainly better than the "worn out" seat in my old car. For the next year, every time I sat in my new seat I thought I was giving my body good support. The smell of the new car just seemed to reinforce my thoughts! Sound familiar?

Well, I found out quickly the opposite is true!  Not to say that new car seats are the culprit. One doesn't have to reconsider buying a new car but rather become more aware of what is actually happening. Otherwise, slowly but surely your posture adapts to the "conditioning" of the seat. Little do we realize the seat, no matter what style or composition, is definitely decreasing one's muscular strength. This is especially true if you do a lot of driving.

First, we know our bodies were not designed to sit, but rather to stand. Sitting puts 4-7 times the pressure on one's back joints or vertebra, which support muscles, ligaments and tendons. In the first weeks one is in effect "exercising" these structures with respect t to the seat. The body usually responds with a positive feeling. By the 3rd to 8th week, these structures are being "conditioned" to conform to the new seat!  During the next several months tissues change, shortening or lengthening according to the resting positions that are developing and one's overall activities. These changes place more stress on certain areas of your back.

By making a few simple adjustments one could actually prevent the tissues from causing a negative impact. An ergonomically trained physical or occupational therapist is qualified to assess the situation and make the appropriate changes for your seating. In some cases exercises could be warranted.

In conclusion, while your seat might seem comfortable the act of sitting in itself can inevitably hurt or strain one's body. No matter how well intentioned the car manufacturer was in constructing the seat, it is meant to be a "general" fit. To have the optimum fit for the individual it would be a good idea to speak with an ergonomically trained PT or OT. He/she can better fit the seat to your individual needs and make sure you are aware of different seating positions and prescribe exercises that would be beneficial. The human body is dynamic and needs varying activities and exercise to stay strong or else it's parts will become "worn out"... and it's a lot harder to "replace" or "fix" a body part than a car seat!!

By Mick Schrim, PT