Protecting Your Spine on Summer Roadtrips

Summer is a great time for road trips, whether visiting family or heading out for a fun vacation. But sitting in a car for hours can leave you with a stiff neck, tight shoulders, or a sore back.

The good news? A few simple changes can help you stay comfortable behind the wheel. Here’s how to keep your body feeling good while you travel.

1. Adjust Your Seat

Before you start driving, take a minute to set up your seat. Sit with your back supported and your knees level with or slightly lower than your hips. Move your seat close enough so you don’t stretch to reach the pedals. Sitting like this helps protect your spine and prevents slouching.

2. Support Your Lower Back

Be sure to use the lumbar support built into your seat. If your seat doesn’t have one or it isn’t supportive enough, try rolling up a towel or using a small pillow behind your lower back to help you sit taller and stay more comfortable during your trip.

3. Relax Your Grip on the Wheel

Gripping the steering wheel too tightly can make your shoulders and upper back ache. Try to keep your hands relaxed, with your elbows slightly bent. If your shoulders feel tense, take a deep breath and let them drop down.

4. Take Stretch Breaks

Even with good posture, your body isn’t made to sit for hours without moving. Try to stop every 1-2 hours to get out, walk around, and stretch. Focus on your legs, hips, and shoulders to keep your muscles loose.

5. Drink Water

Staying hydrated can help your muscles and joints feel better during long drives. Keep water nearby and take small sips regularly. Your body will thank you later!

Don’t let a road trip leave you sore. With these easy tips, you can protect your spine, avoid pain, and enjoy your summer travels. And if you need help feeling your best before or after your trip, chiropractic care can help get you back on track. Book your next appointment before your adventure begins!

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Where Does Chronic Low Back Pain Start

Millions of Americans and many people here in the Concordia area suffer from chronic low back pain. Most people fall into a category that is known clinically as “chronic, non-specific low back pain” which is a glorified way of saying that there’s no definitive reason causing their continued pain or discomfort. Most of these people have some version of arthritis development, disc thinning or degeneration, or mild disc bulging. The problem with these findings is that everyone, including a lot of people without back pain, also have similar findings on x-rays and MRI’s. So then the question becomes: Are these really the factors that are causing the chronic back pain for some and not for others?

A very recent research article reviewed a large of number of lumbar spine MRI’s of patients with chronic low back pain and grouped them into two categories: those with Modic changes and those without Modic changes. Modic changes are when there are physical signs of inflammation within the bony vertebrae of the spine. What they found was that there was a significant increase in the severity of pain in the group that had visible Modic changes (noticeable bony inflammation) but also this group had a significant decrease in the size of the muscles surrounding the spine and increased fatty infiltration of these muscle groups. There results indicated that these three findings made for a distinct prediction that the loss of muscle mass – whether it be from decreased muscle size or a replacement of muscle with fat – was strongly associated with increased Modic changes in the bony vertebrae which then resulted in increased pain.

So to use these findings to help us save our own backs from chronic pain and disability, it would strongly encourage us to maintain strength and flexibility even as we get older to limit the amount of inflammation developing in our spine to reduce pain. And even though we may have arthritis and disc degeneration and disc bulging, the loss of strength in our back and core is much more likely to cause pain than the common age related changes we typically see on imaging.

Feng, N., Tan, S., Chen, S. et al. A cross-sectional association study of paravertebral muscle quality and modic changes in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Eur Spine J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-025-09027-0