Being a rideshare driver, you know better than anyone the effects that sitting in a cramped space for a prolonged period of time can have on your body.
Pain after long drives occurs most commonly in the back, knee, or foot (some drivers even refer to this pain as “gas pedal knee” or “gas pedal foot.”) Luckily, this pain can be prevented with certain easy movements you can do before, during, and after your drive.
5 Exercises for Driving:
- Windmills – For a good leg and low back stretch, place your foot out in front of you or on the side rail of your car, extend your arms, lean forward and alternate reaching to the inside and outside of the foot.
- Ankle “ABC’s” – Take a break from driving, and spell out the alphabet with your gas pedal foot. Move controlled and slowly to get better muscle activation.
- Heel-Raised Squats – For a leg workout, squat like you are sitting in a chair, putting your weight through your heels. As you stand back up, shift your weight towards your toes and raise your heels.
- Handle Stretch – Standing at the side of your car, reach for the roof handle above your door with both hands and lean your hips away from the car for a full body stretch.
- Forward-Lunge Kickwalks – Begin with your left leg forward and both hands behind your head. Slowly and smoothly shift your weight onto the left leg as you lift your right leg and kick it forward before placing it down in a right-leg forward lunge. Continue to repeat taking alternating lunge steps forward until you see fit.
What is Delayed Pain?
After a car accident, sometimes pain from related injuries aren’t noticeable until afterwards. Read this article to find out what the symptoms of delayed pain are, and the kind of injuries that could be causing them.
