Do you have shoulder pain while driving ? Do you struggle to relax your shoulder ?
Does your shoulder pain distract you from driving ? Do you feel like you can no longer hold your hand into that steering wheel anymore? If so , you are not alone !
I am here to let you know how you can put an end to this . Now make sure you read this important blog to ensure you are not making it worse .
Shoulder pain is a very common problem . It basically affects everything that we do on our normal day and most importantly “driving “.
It could be very debilitating being in pain everyday when driving to work or one of those days you plan out for a long drive as a family trip and you are worried about the pain .It could be very frustrating to be in pain and discomfort every time you drive . So let’s get into it and work it out !
Our shoulder is surrounded by 4 different muscles that are called rotator cuff and we use them all the time , especially when holding our arm and forearm in the air.If your job requires you to constantly lift your hands or if you are using them frequently at home , these muscles tend to be inflamed causing shoulder pain . If these muscles are overused they change their texture , become more hard and then eventually tear
These groups of muscles when inflamed or injured need more rest to avoid further injury .So , let’s learn how not to make it worse and give them a break .
1 Do not slouch forward, while you are on the driving seat.
While you sit on the driving seat make sure , you relax your shoulder .Avoid the tension building up on your shoulders by bringing your shoulder slightly down and then pulling it gently back.This position helps to rotate your shoulder joint outward . Slouching makes your shoulder rotate inward which makes it uncomfortable and painful to hold your shoulder all a long while you drive.
2 Stop placing your both hands on the upper part of the steering wheel.
The steering wheel is the most important aspect here. It’s very important you keep your arm close to your body so that your shoulder does not have to work lifting the arm, placing your hand on the lower part of the steering wheel provides great relief to your shoulder . It’s important to know how your arm position affects your rotator cuff .You could choose to place the affected arm lower and the good side arm slightly higher on the wheel.
3 Stop reaching forward and holding your arm in awkward position.
Stop reaching forward while your arm is up in the air and away from your trunk . You can easily do this while you try to grab car keys while getting out of the car or try doing and undoing the seat belt buckle .Use the good side hand while pulling those seat belts down. The important aspect here is to keep your arm down and let your rotator cuff rest while they are recovering.
You don’t have to put up with pain while driving . We hear from our patients that they have put up with the pain , changed their lives and relied on medication and injections for nothing more than short term relief if they are lucky .I have been successfully helping my patient out with shoulder pain and we get great results .Our patients are very happy to get back to work and enjoy recreation routine without having shoulder pain.
If you’d like to get these results too then click Click HERE to book an appointment or give us a call at 905-457-7475 so we can get you back to doing what you want to do and what you love.
I honestly want you to get rid of this pain and back to doing the things you love.
Robert Kappes, Registered Physiotherapist
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