It seems back pain is driving five million UK motorists nowhere but crazy as discomfort and pain make it too unbearable to get behind the wheel.
A recent survey of 2056 people by backpainhelp.com has revealed that 14% of drivers – equating to some 5m* adults driving in the UK – have been unable to do so due to the debilitating effects of back pain.
Ironically, the very act of sitting in one position for hours on end is the cause of much back pain and can also aggravate the condition, which affects roughly half of the UK population.
And it doesn’t stop there. Some 14% said they had to give up sex when the curse of back pain struck, 24% suffered poor mental health and 35% said it made them short tempered and snappy.
They also admitted their pain affected others, especially relationships with children, family, friends and colleagues.
Over a fifth of people (22%) said it had a negative effect on their work and study, one in ten said that they couldn’t take care of their pets, including walking their dog, and a quarter (26%) felt unable to do any housework.
Some 19% said they were prevented from enjoying their hobbies while 8% couldn’t even look after their children.
Mark Critchley, backpainhelp.com spokesperson said: “Ask most people who drive and they’ll tell you that if they can’t use the car, it impacts their lives in a significant and negative way because they can’t get to work, the supermarket or take their kids to school.
“As a nation, we’re hugely reliant on being able to drive but with a bad back it becomes very difficult, dangerous even!
"The ironic thing is that driving also causes a huge amount of back pain because we don’t sit straight, so our posture is affected, or we sit for too long without taking a break."
Here are 8 exercises to reduce back pain: