Are you sitting comfortably?

Two out of three adults will experience severe back pain at some time in their lives, and, according to chiropractor and Formula One adviser Rupert Molloy, car seats can cause much of that agony. JEREMY TAYLOR reports

IT COULD have been the blueprint for a medieval torture confined in a fixed position for hours, numbed by constant vibration and stressed out by an increasingly hostile environment.

Yet, every day, many of us gladly sit through the sort of punishing ritual that should be worthy of guidelines under the Geneva Convention. Poorly designed car seats, inadequate adjustment and lazy habits all help to make driving a pain in the back. Even the newest T-registration cars could signal trouble ahead for drivers who are not sitting comfortably. Latest figures from the National Back Pain Association reveal two out of three adults will experience severe back pain at some time in their lives - for half of us our backs are so badly damaged already that we will suffer long-term. Chiropractor Rupert Mol-loy has treated members of both the Benetton and Jordan Formula One motor racing teams, who spend long hours testing cars with hardly any suspension at all. After 23 years of rubbing people up the right way, he can claim to know a thing or two about car seats. "Today we have electric seats with lumbar support and height adjustment but the truth of the matter is that even a seat made out of concrete would be comfortable as long as it fitted correctly. Racing drivers survive because the seats are 'moulded' exactly to their shape. In an ideal world we would all have the same." He firmly believes some vehicles are better than others and has recommended many of his patients to consider buying a different car to save themselves more backbreaking years of pain. The problem doesn't rest solely on how expensive your seat is. Molloy remembers a patient who drove a luxurious BMW 7 Series. "He was 6ft 4in tall and 20 stone. The BMW isn't cheap but for him the roof line was too low and he had a knee problem getting in and out." Molloy, who practises near Oxford, says there are often too many confusing adjustments and manufacturers would be better off concentrating on providing a better, all-round seat. "The single most important factor when looking for a good car seat is finding one which offers adjustment of the pan - the place where you put your bottom. Vauxhall was among the first to do this in family cars but it's still regarded as a luxury by some others." Molloy praises Saab and Volkswagen for some of the best seats - while the high driving position of 4x4 vehicles such as the Land Rover Discovery and Mitsubishi Shogun make them easier to climb in and out of. He and Carol Connor are among the country's 1,200 chiropractors trying to improve our driving habits as part of the current National Chiropractor Awareness Week. Carol, who has treated some of the Ferrari team, dislikes seats found in Renault Clios and BMWs but says bigger Renaults are better and Saabs are best. "Car-seat design is improving all the time but there is still a long way to go. A small, poorly designed seat with little adjustment can cause a variety of problems for the driver, from a stiff neck and headaches to tense shoulders, lower back pain, poor circulation and cramp," she says. Those most at risk are sales representatives who drive many thousands of miles a year, often in fairly basic cars, and mothers with shopping and children, often relegated to using the older, second car in the family. "When buying a car, whether new or used, you should choose the model with the largest, most comfortable seats. It should have good fore and aft adjustment to give the right seating position for the pedals and the steering wheel, and it should be height adjustable. "The back should have a good range of adjustment for rake and the head restraints should be level with the top of the driver's ear to minimise whiplash injuries," says Carol. Molloy also has one pet hate which he wishes manufacturers would address the rake adjustment handle on the side of the seat. "A big wheel is best because you can safely turn it a little when driving. This alters the driving position and gives your back a break. "Cars which use a lever adjustment that isn't calibrated are so awkward you can fly backwards very quickly and it's also difficult to find exactly the right position." ANOTHER golden rule is for getting in and out of a car: sit down first and swivel the legs in with knees together. "When getting out you should ease the seat back, open the door and swivel around. It's not only more elegant but it makes good sense," explains Carol. And if you've just spent several hours on the road and your back is stiff, one of the worst things you can do is lift heavy luggage. Remember, load heavy items last because lighter bags are easier to pull forward in the boot. Molloy adds: "I've bought a Saab after driving a Mon-tego with a wedge cushion for 14 years - so the trouble is we all get set in our ways." For a leaflet on how you can look after your back when driving telephone the National Back Pain Association on 0181 977 5474. The British Chiropractor Association can be contacted on 0118 950 5950.

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