We always strive to equip our workplace. To have everything at hand, good lighting and, importantly, a comfortable chair. And if the workplace is a car and you have to spend most of your time in it? How is the problem solved in this case: is it comfortable for us to sit in our cars and what should be our seat?
So, the first question is: how important is the correct fit?
On the early models of domestic cars, seats were installed that absolutely did not take into account the fact that a person belongs to the class of vertebrates. Meanwhile, a car seat is, in fact, a workplace: every driver, even a non-professional, spends a tenth of his life in it. The spine experiences the greatest load in the sitting position. At the same time, the weight of literally the entire body falls on the lumbar region (even, however strange it may seem, those parts that are below the belt). It is no coincidence that, for example, after spinal injuries, the patient is allowed to stand, lie down, but is forbidden to sit.
The spine has a number of physiological curves: cervical forward bend (cervical lordosis), thoracic hump back (thoracic kyphosis), lumbar lordosis and sacral kyphosis. From the side, the spine resembles the Latin letter S or, more precisely, the dollar sign -$. The vertical line here shows the gravity vector, and it is at the intersection of this vector that the critical nodes that carry the maximum load are located.
Since the spine has physiological curves, the seat must follow these curves "indulge". The back of the chair at the level of the shoulder blades should be, as it were, failed. The lumbar region, on the contrary, needs to be propped up with a small pillow. It is desirable if it also encircles the body, providing support to its lateral surfaces and preventing turns from moving in time.
Question two: how to check the correct fit?
When you sit down in a chair, every part of your body should lie down in a case, as it were. Head (or neck) - on the neck roll, back - in the dorsal recess, lower back - on the lumbar pillow; the hips do not slip forward. The weight of the body should not fall on any one part of it. Naturally, when the car starts moving, you will not stay in this position, but lean forward a little. But on the track, when you don’t have to turn your head, you can afford to lean back in your chair and hold the steering wheel for a little rest.
Question three: what should be a car seat?
A good car seat should have an adjustable lumbar cushion, an adjustable backrest and, of course, a neck support. The latter serves to prevent whiplash (when hitting a car from behind) and to maintain cervical lordosis; even if there is no headrest on the car, you need to buy and install it. Pay attention to the side bolsters on the back and pillow, which provide lateral support, as well as the front bolster, which prevents "slipping" driver.
Separately, I want to say about the seat cushion on which we sit. It must be tough. German cars are famous for this: it seems that the chair under you is like a wooden one, but it is comfortable to sit. There is even an expression "hard seat in german". American cars, on the contrary, are equipped with overly soft seat cushions; in addition, often the front seats in them are made in the form of one "benches", which does not give sufficient support to the body. Sometimes the part of the pillow that is under the hips is adjustable in height, and the one closer to the knees is adjustable in length. At "custom fit" All these adjustments must be guided, of course, by the criterion of convenience. In a good car, in addition to adjusting the seat, there is a steering wheel adjustment. People are all different heights; tall will make the seat lower (not to bang your head on the ceiling), and a man of small stature or a woman is taller. And if the seat can be raised and lowered, then the steering wheel also needs to be adjusted up and down.
A few tips for a driver who gets tired at his workplace
Any driver, especially driving "shaking" car, should not less than once every two hours, rest - stop, get out of the car, do a few exercises. It’s also good to hang on a roadside tree in your arms, or - if the car is a truck - on the side of the body. Useful to wear special "industrial belt" - a kind of semi-corset made of dense synthetic material with reinforcing inserts in the lumbar region. Such a belt unloads the back and insures against excessive load on the vertebrae. And most importantly - watch the landing. Even if you are used to sitting differently.. try to put a pillow under your lower back - and you will definitely become more comfortable.