Car Seats and lumbar back pain

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 10:48
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - bazza

I suffer with a permanent damaged lumbar disc, which I live with and doesn't cause me too many problems apart from variable chronic pain. Sitting for long periods in any car gives me discomfort but our MK 2 Octavia seems to have particularly poor seats which make matters worse for me. For journeys of more than an hour I now use my wife's Focus or my son's Corolla, both of which have far more supportive, comfortable seats. I've tried all manner of adjusting, but no better.

Can anyone recommend a decent lumbar support that works, and for the future, are there any popular makes with particularly good seat reviews. I know from the Briskoda forum, the Octavia seats are a well known problem. Any others to avoid next time Cheers

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 11:21
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - focussed

I remember from days of yore that Volvo 240's and 360's used to have an adjustable lumbar support which was possible to adjust by screwing a knob in and out on the side of the backrest. My current 2015 Accord also has a similar idea with a lever which works with my dodgy back (diagnosed as " go away and take Neurofen - next patient please")

For a portable add-on accessory this seems fuss free and adjustable.

www.backpainhelp.com/uk/car-back-support.html?gcli...g

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 11:25
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - RT

I have similar issues but find that because we're all different shapes, cars that are good for one person aren't necessarily good for another.

All our Vauxhalls were quite good, their sports seats particularly so, but that's going back 15 years - since then Subaru Outback/Legacy, Hyundai Santa Fe and VW Touareg (upgraded seats) have all been good but may not be the sort of cars you're looking for.

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 11:47
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Theophilus

For many years I had a succession of Saabs - fantastic seats for comfort and support, could get out after a day's driving with my back feeling better than before I set out - but history moves on ....

I can drive fair distances in my Toyota Verso without too much discomfort, but also have a couple of "Backfriends" www.medesign.co.uk/MEDesign-Backfriend-Car which I use regularly and find good, though the seat base can feel uncomfortable after a while. I like the look of the Backboard link by focussed, though haven't tried them

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 14:04
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Happy Blue!

I second the 'Backfriend'. It is very good for broader, flatter seats espcially. The problem with sport seats that they thrust the shoulders forward into an unnatural position. My wife's Evoque is poor for this, whereas my E-Class is just lovely, even without the Backfriend.

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 15:51
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - RT

I second the 'Backfriend'. It is very good for broader, flatter seats espcially. The problem with sport seats that they thrust the shoulders forward into an unnatural position. My wife's Evoque is poor for this, whereas my E-Class is just lovely, even without the Backfriend.

IMO the side bolsters should only go part way up the sides, to "hold" the rib cage but leaving the shoulders free - so very dependent on you height.

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 17:34
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Happy Blue!

I'm short! Well 5'7" but clearly the seats don't suit me.

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 18:04
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - bazza

I am the same, prefer to think of it as compact and perfectly formed :-) pity that GM ruined Saab , sounds like the perfect car for me. I might try the back board thingy. Future cars mag be a 2 to 3 year old civic, an auris tourer, a Mazda 6 estate, or accord estate, all a few tears old. Cheers

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 19:09
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Cyd

I've a 2007 9-3 Aero. The sports seats are superb. Made by Lear in Trolhatten. They were available new til 2012 so why not have a look.
(twin level heating too on the all leather versions, which might help you?).

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 21:27
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - corax

The mackenzie slimline lumbar roll is good. I have this on my chair at work. Personally I find aftermarket lumbar supports on car seats tend to push me forward so that there is less support for the thighs on the base cushion, but for someone with shorter legs this may not be a problem. I'm 5' 11" of mostly legs and arms!

I found the answer for me is an inflatable lumbar insert that goes into the back of the seat frame and pushes the material out from behind, but you need a seat that can be accessed from the back. Fortunately for me the Subaru Forester seats unzip at the back.

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Thu 2 Jun 2016 21:39
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Theophilus

The mackenzie slimline lumbar roll is good. I have this on my chair at work.

Pleased to hear the MacKenzie roll works for you ... I bought one on the advice of a physio, but unfortunately its now gathering dust as I find it uncomfortable and unhelpful. Goes to show how personalised these items need to be, in an ideal world you would be able to borrow one for a few days and see how you get on.

Edited by Theophilus on 02/06/2016 at 21:40

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Sat 4 Jun 2016 10:33
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Mike H

We have a Honda CR-V, which took over from a Saab 9-5. We covered 160k miles in the Saab over a period of 8 years, mainly on long journeys, and as others have said the seats were superb.

We had some initial problems getting comfortable in the Honda, but now I step out of it after a 400 mile journey feeling as if I could do the same again. I'm 5'7" (seems a common size here!) with average proportions. My wife is slightly shorter, but with a longer body and shorter legs, and she is still not 100% comfortable on long journeys when she's driving. Seems be a hip/lower back problem. The CR-V does have electrically adjustable lumbar support for the driver, but none at all for the passenger, and no huge side bolsters. My only gripe is the short squabs, although it doesn't seem to have a great effect on comfort I'm aware of it, more so when I'm in the passenger seat.

Obviously the Honda is higher set, which might be a plus, as I occasionally suffer from back problems and getting into the Saab was not always easy. You are probably aware, but using the heated seat is a real help with the back.

As others have said, we're all different and you need to try the possibilities for yourself.

Edited by Mike H on 04/06/2016 at 10:35

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Fri 3 Jun 2016 23:29
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Ian_SW

Is your Mk2 Octavia a pre face lift version? The seats were improved quite a bit after the face lift in 2009. They are also significantly better on the higher spec models (Elegance and above). Now these cars are quite old, you may be able to find one in a scrap yard from a facelift higher spec car to do a very cheap and cheerful upgrade.

For replacement cars, both Volvo and Lexus are renowned for having very good ergonomic/adjustable seats so well worth looking at. However the only real way is to get an extended test drive in whatever you get, as different seats suit different people.

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Fri 3 Jun 2016 23:57
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - Avant

Agreed absolutely, Skodalan, particularly your final sentence.

I did 100,000 miles in three Octavia vRSs: these seats are quite different from those in other Octavias and were supremely comfortable: all had adjustable lumbar support (which I think is essential: fair enough for it to be an extra of cheaper cars, but for BMW not to offer it as standard on cars costing over £30,000 is shameful).

The only problem with the vRS seats is getting over the firm side bolster on entry and exit. This was getting difficult for SWMBO who has an arthritic knee; hence the move to a Volvo V60, whose seats are excellent as one would expect.

It's also worth bearing in mind that people of the same height can be differently proportioned. Like some others above I'm 5' 7" - I have an average-sized body and short legs. If it were the other way round, I might find the BMW 3-series comfortable: as it is, to be at the right distance from the pedals I'm too close to the steering wheel.

So Bazza, when you next change cars, get a good test drive in a Volvo V50 / V60 or S60 (depending on budget), and there's a very good chance that you'll be comfortable.

Edited by Avant on 03/06/2016 at 23:59

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Sat 4 Jun 2016 09:40
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - John F

The spines of vertebrate animals were never designed to be vertical. Spine discs evolved over scores of millions of years as spacers; they are no good as load-bearing units which is why recently evolved primates, especially humans (merely about a million yrs ago), have back and neck problems.

Workers' chairs should be as far from the ground as your kneecap. Only bus, train and lorry driver seats seem to achieve this.

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Sat 4 Jun 2016 13:43
Car Seats and lumbar back pain - bazza

Interesting Skodalan and Avant-- yes it is exactly that, a pre-facelift 2008 Octavia Ambience. It appears quite a common problem on the forums for that particular model. I'm driving to Austria and Italy end of June, so will try a support cushion. Sounds like I should try a VRS, I needed an excuse to have one! And will bear in mind the Volvo range, the estates are rather nice.

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