Lower Back Pain, Foot Numbness, and Car Ergonomic Issues: Help!

@ claire733 Hello Claire and welcome to Connect! I am a cervical spine surgery patient. Did your doctors take X-rays in different spine positions? I ask this because if you have some slipping of a vertebrae over another, it may line up when laying down for an MRI, but not in the driving position in your car. There are some MRI facilities that can do a seated MRI.

The other information you may be interested in is this link about how alignment issues with the pelvis can masquerade as a spine problem causing very similar symptoms. You could be having overlapping symptoms from a couple of issues.

MSK Neurology - How to identify and treat lumbar plexus compression syndrome (LPCS)
Posted on March 30, 2017 by Kjetil Larsen
https://mskneurology.com/identify-treat-lumbar-plexus-compression-syndrome-lpcs/
Do you have any cervical spine issues? Spinal cord compression in the neck can cause leg and back pain. I had that, and my cervical surgery fixed it all.

I have also done a lot of myofascial release which can treat tight tissue and muscles as well as scar tissue. This is very slow stretching and waiting for the tissue to release. Here is a link to our discussion.

Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

claire333
this is a lightweight answer but I also drive a Prius and find that the seats weren't made for me. I feel like the headrest pushes my head too far forward. I've detached mine and turned it backward. The lenght of the seat itself the horizontal length is too long and stretching the leg to reach the petal plays havoc with my hips. You can't just move the seat forward without getting close to the airbag a danger if it opens. I use a pool noodle cut in half behind the right shoulder and hip. the curvature of the seat doesn't correspond to the height of my curves and I use the other parts of the noodle to get the support where I need it.
I've tried a assortment of car seat supports that haven't helped. I'm not trying to pass this off as insight, but I do think the car seat is the culprit.

My primary criteria when purchasing a car is comfort and support of the driver seat. I also evaluate position and alignment of the pedals along with tilt and telescopic adjustments for the steering wheel. Many people say that Volvo seats are best for people with low back pain, but I have had better luck with German cars. Others say that Nissan's zero gravity seats help them.

There is no one size fits all answer, so you will need to evaluate what works best for you. Different models from one vehicle manufacturer may feel better or worse, and even different trim lines within a given vehicle model can feel differently. In the meantime, you try using a lumbar support with your Prius to see if that helps. Good luck with your search.

Hi @claire733
Welcome to this group. As you see you can always get great advice from others. I have learned so much and have enjoyed great support from others who have walked the same road.
You have received some good ideas, and I would agree that the seat of your vehicle is probably a main agitator.
I find my Toyota Corolla suits me best. When I was experimenting, I discovered that you can have a different seat installed into your vehicle - not the cheapest suggestion, but a possibility.

Hey Clair,

I feel ya w/the pain our cars cause us! Above some mentioned German Cars - being comfortable. We’ve had 3 MB’s, 2 BMW’s and a Porsche 911 - all hurt my back. (I was originally hurt in 1979 - German cars not until 1985 to present).

I had a 2002 MB sport Coupe for 12 years. I had to get rid of it because the seat hurt my back/butt after my ~45+ min commute to work. I loved that car!!!

I’m on my second MB - an E-350 convertible. I have had it for 10 years. It was a CPO car, and came w/so many options, I have still not used all of them - like self parking. I can parallel park like a boss, why use the dopey, slow ‘park assist’?!

One of the options is air bags accessed by 5 rolling wheels between driver’s seat/console. Unfortunately, the 2 wheels that control the lumbar/higher airbags, no longer work. The one option I need!!!

Another problem is the car is so low, trying to get out of it is a killer.

My husband had a Porsche 911 for 15 years - yeah, no. He then bought a MB E-320. That was comfortable.

He now has a Tesla Model Y - SUV - can’t get out of it so easily because of the high bolsters on the seat. When I drive the car, that side has a lumbar support. Not on the passenger side. I think I must haul my self out w/the steering wheel. That side is so much easier to use.

Best was the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4Xe - plug in hybrid. Much higher, had a handle to haul myself in with. Unfortunately, this was a rental during a 3 month work assignment this past winter.

I’m thinking, I’m going to have to get an SUV. We had a Lexus RX-350 from 2007 to 2023. Our daughter has the car now, 260K miles - runs like a top!! Maybe I’ll buy one of those.

Too bad Lexus and other car dealers don’t sell like Tesla - order the car online, the price is what it is. $200 ordering fee. The destination fee was ~$1300. No BS ‘doc fees’, dealer add-ons.

One thing I’ve found that sometimes helps, especially on long trips in my car is the 1/2 roll version of a Mackenzie roll. The front is round, back is flat, so it fits w/in the seats side bolsters.

Someone above mentioned German cars being comfortable - we’ve had many of them, and I don’t think they are the end all and be all.

Good luck!!

I have been through major lower back issues and pain that goes beyond description. So I can relate to you. As far as stretching goes. I am truly surprised that your physical therapist did not show you all the proper stretching exercises to do. The important part is that you need to do them first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Having laid in a bed in a prone position for at least 8 hours has allowed things to stiffen and move. So the very few stretch you want to do is to lay flat on your back and pull you knees up to your chest as far as you can. Hold for a count of 10 for the first time. Work you way up to a count of 30. After that you will lay on one side and roll your shoulders down. You will do that for a count if 20 each side. Then finally you will lay flat on your back and swing one leg over your body until it is hanging off the bed fully. You will hold that position for a count of 30 and repeat on both sides. Once out of bed, you will stand up straight feet shoulder width apart and you will bend at the waist reaching to place your hands on the floor. Do not bounce. You can have someone help to push your shoulders down gently to increase the stretch. But do not force. You want to feel the stretch and you will feel some pain. But practice these moves. And as long as you are not to far progressed in degeneration you should experience some relief. Also consider joining a gym to get some strength training in. Most often people experience lower back problems due to weakness in the area affected. However, if caught and corrected in time it can be relieved. You don't want to end up under the knife if you can help it. I had three back surgeries done on my lumbar spine. The last being a TLIF. Complete fusion and caging. And looking now to have my neck done due to degeneration and spinal stenosis. So put effort into correcting you back issues now.

Thank you for the kinds words of encouragement. I truly do appreciate them. And please believe me when I say that I am not trying to get ahead of anyone in any of these matters. I just know that time can be of real importance in these types of matters. So as I said, I am not trying to get out in front of my doctors. Just mostly trying to understand.
You see, these are not the only issues that I am dealing with. They are just the most recent ones. My fully medical issues that I have going on right now and numerous. Lets start with heart disease already. I have abnormal nonspecific ST Waves and T Waves. It started out with just the T waves being abnormal less than a year ago and has progressed to the ST Waves now. I also have a 30 to 40 % blockage on the left side, but doe not require intervention as of yet. I have Chronic Kidney disease. Non alcoholic fatty liver syndrome, GERD, Schatzshy's ring. Type 2 diabetes, (Hypoglycemia) however that is controlled for now with diet and exercise. Spine stenosis of both the lumbar area and the neck area. My lumbar spine from L2 to L5 has already been fused as a TLIF was performed and I now have 10" rods and screws and other hardware in place and am on course to have my neck fused as well as I have bulging disks, two vertebre have slipped backwards over connecting vertebre and have pinched my spinal cord into a kidney shape. I have carpral tunnel in both hands. and three fingers and my thumb on my right hand are painfully numb. Often times feeling like the skin is being peeled off. The left index and middle are in the beginning stages of going numb. most of my lower extremities I can barely feel or not feel at all due to the severe level spinal stenosis. I have dropped a drop of scalding hot grease onto the top of my left foot right where the toes meet the foot at the base of the arch. And that was on my bare foot. Did not notice it until I felt a wet spot on my sock a couple days later and investigated. I dropped a 30 lb pipe wrench on my right foot and the only reason I know it hit my foot is because I watched it and I was wearing converse sneakers at the time. Did not feel a bit of it. I have lag in my left leg where it causes tripping issues. And yet I still work as a delivery driver and use my legs every day, even though most days are an extreme struggle. And all of this came about within the last 2 years. And everyday, no matter how positive I try to stay, I am watching my health fade and my abilities lessen. And most of that is because of the heart issues that I deal with. Some days i have no issues, but other days, which are becoming more frequent, I have to sit down to take breaks because of having heart issues. Or because I become winded. And no matter how active I am, no matter how much exercise I do, I don't grow any stronger. In fact it seems just the opposite. I find myself muscles becoming fatigued almost immediately from something a few days prior I did easily without any issues. I could go on and on with all that I go through everyday. But I think you all get the point. Everything I have mentioned, I have been diagnosed with by doctors. To add to all of that is, PTSD, depression, suicidal ideations, anxiety with panic attacks. I just don't want to end up having everyone drag things out because they are not taking things as seriously as they should and then I end up paying the ultimate price. I honestly believe that everything that is going on with me save the mental health issues are all related.
I hope this explains why I am experiencing the anxiety and the fear that I am am. As well as why I am seeking answers. Not to self diagnose, but to understand what could, not will, but could lay ahead for me if things turn out badly. Believe it or not, gaining knowledge helps to ease my mind, because if things turn out for the good. then I have gained knowledge of a situation. If they go the other way, then I have the knowledge of what I could be looking at and can better prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead. It helps to take the fear down a lot for me. And seeking answers is simply my way of dealing with the terror I feel inside. Especially since I am all alone in this world. I have no family and no friends to speak of anymore. Friends faded away as friends often do, and family has passed on. At only being 57 years olf this is a lot to deal with at the same time. so I hope you all understand me a little better.

Thank you for sharing such a detailed and personal account of what you're going through. I can’t imagine how challenging it must be to manage all these health issues at once.

I had a laminectomy L2-S1 two years ago. I have numbness and tingling in my feet and lower legs ... which leads to balance issues. My spine surgeon has suggested that a fusion of L4-S1 might rid me of the numbness and tingling, which is caused by compression of nerves in lower back. He described a surgery that would be a ALIF one day to replace discs for fusion.... then the following day he said he would go in from the back to insert rods/screws. Did you have this type of procedure, or did your surgeon do everything through the TLIF?? Not sure why the rods could not be placed on the first day when the discs are fused. Thanks! Best wishes! Mike