Back pain may be a thing of the past for the Norwalk police department ”“ Erik Slovin of Slovin Chiropractic Center in Norwalk is donating lumbar support cushions for use in all Norwalk squad cars.
“The lumbar spine, your lower back, naturally resonates at a frequency of 4-5 hertz. Distortion of these frequencies can result in higher spinal loading, compression, in the lower back, causing an increased chance of low back pain” Slovin said.
“Although you cannot change the vibration of your car”™s engine, you can reduce the effects of the vibration with reduced driving times and better back support.”
According to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) statistics survey measuring four types of pain, 27 percent of respondents ranked low back pain as the most common ailment. Severe headache or neck pain came in second at 15 percent and facial ache or pain, 4 percent.
Seat position, length of time spent driving or sitting and vibration from the car”™s engine all contribute to back pain, Slovin said.
“Being in a seated position is not conducive to good lower body circulation,” Slovin said. “Sitting places a large amount of stress on the lower back and being seated increases lumbar spinal pressure dramatically. Proper back support makes a huge difference.”
Slovin recommended various methods to maintain proper posture while driving or sitting.
He suggested individuals sit with their back and bottom rested against the back of the seat to maintain the natural curvature of the spine and minimize stress on spinal ligaments.Â
Slovin said the arms should be as relaxed as possible, with elbows bent around 20 to 30 degrees. Slovin said to place the backrest at about a 10- to 15-degree incline from the vertical position to maintain an upright position, in addition to bending the knees at about 45 degrees when possible.
