Driver Lifestyles
Watch Your Back...Pain!
"The pain was so bad at times that I had to pull over in a rest area or a truck stop and just lay in the bunk for a few minutes to get some relief. That's tough to do when you're on a tight schedule like in expediting, but I had no choice. A couple of times I was almost late to the delivery because I stopped to lay down, but what are you going to do?"
Art Blakely was a professional driver for twenty-five years, working in OTR truckload transportation and in expedited trucking until his retirement in 2004. A long-time sufferer of chronic back pain, he says that towards the end of his career, it was agonizing to pull himself out of his bunk to face another day.
"It got to the point that I would spend layovers in my bunk, laying on a heating pad and full of over-the-counter painkillers. I had prescription drugs for the pain but they made me drowsy, so I stuck with the weaker stuff."
Blakely isn't alone in his back pain misery.
Introduction
According to the Mayo Clinic, back pain is ranked second only to headaches as the most frequent cause of pain. Lower back pain is the second most common reason for a missed day of work, behind the common cold. Certain occupations are particularly prone to back ailments including machine operators, nurses and, of course, truck drivers.
The National Center for Health Statistics tells us that 35 million Americans will suffer from low back pain this year and cost estimates in terms of treatment and lost productivity run from $50 to $100 million annually in the United States. Back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability.
Causes
Medical experts tell us the primary reason for the elevated incidence of back pain amongst truck drivers is the endless hours of sitting combined with the low frequency vibrations and jostling of the road. Add to this a poor diet, the strenuous work of pulling on chains, tarps and cranking landing gear, jumping up and down from trailers and cabs along with fingerprinting all types of loads.
There’s probably no other body part that absorbs the wear and tear of driving more than our backs.
Governmental interest
The issue of lower back pain among professional drivers has even attracted the attention of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). In 2006 the agency, in partnership with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, awarded a grant to Dr. Eric Wood of the University of Utah School of Medicine to investigate risk factors for low back pain and impairment potentially related to treatment and medication usage associated with pain in the lower back. The study is ongoing.
When to seek medical help
Most back pain gradually improves with home treatment and self-care. Although the pain may take several weeks to disappear completely, some improvement should be noticed within the first 72 hours of self-care. If not, seek professional medical help if your back pain:
Treatments for back pain
Medical authorities say most back pain gets better with a few weeks of home treatment and careful attention. A regular schedule of over-the-counter pain relievers may be all that you need to improve your pain.
A short period of bed rest is okay, but more than a couple of days actually does more harm than good. If home treatments aren't working, your doctor may prescribe medications, physical therapy and exercise, injections and, in rare cases, surgery.
Muscular strains are the most common cause of back pain among the general public, and the truck driver is not exempt from these. There are over 30 muscles and numerous ligaments that help keep the 33 vertebrae in proper alignment. Obviously, there are many structures that can cause discomfort if injured or affected.
Muscular strains happen when an unexpected force, twist or pull is applied to one or more muscles in the back. As a result, several tears occur in the muscle causing back pain.
It is a lot to expect lower back muscles to perform sudden heavy or ballistic activities following long periods of rest. Backaches and pains frequently occur soon after arising from bed because muscles and joints require a warm-up of stretching and range-of-motion movements before they can be safely used for work.
Prevention
Here are some tips from the American Physical Therapy Association to aid in preventing back injuries:
*Lift with your legs
Don’t bend over the object. Bend your legs and keep your back straight and never twist as you’re lifting.
*Stretch
Prolonged sitting in one position is a back hazard. Take periodic breaks to move around. Ask your doctor or physical therapist for back stretches you can do in the morning and evening.
*Be aware of your posture
When driving, adjust your seat, steering wheel and mirror positions to fit your size. When sitting or standing, don’t slouch. Maintain the natural “arch†in your lower back, and keep your knees slightly bent.
*Control your weight.
Being overweight, especially if you have a “pot belly,†puts added stress on your lower back.
*Strengthen your back
Making a determined effort to improve your fitness levels can work wonders for your health and reduce your back pain. Recent studies suggest that regular exercise, such as walking and bike riding, may provide all the conditioning a healthy back needs.
So, what about Art Blakely, the driver with the excruciating back pain?
"The doctors still haven't been able to pin down the exact cause, but I'm retired now and don't have to sit behind a steering wheel for hours at a time. Between medications and physical therapy, my pain has really been reduced to a manageable level. Plus, I'm taking better care of my health now because I don't want to go through that again!"