Driving!

Body: 

Okay, how does one go about driving with a prolapse? I have finally figured out the posture - most of it, anyway - still waiting on the book from Amazon (_s_l_o_w_!) but I can glean info from this web site. So far, so good, except ... when I drive!

I've read most of the driving tips I found on this site, but I still can't seem to get it right. I have a van with built-in lumbar support, which is nice, but I inevitably have problems by the end of my drive, and they stay that way until I get home and I'm able to relax. The back of the seat seems to slope downward, causing me to crunch up into a V. I am short, so I have to pull the seat close to the steering wheel. Hence, no wiggle room to speak of.

I tried a towel behind my rear today but that didn't do much except make me feel like I was falling off the edge of the seat!

Any other ideas?

Towel behind lumbar spine?

I went on a 5hr drive time two the other week and felt fine after I got out...

Maybe it depends on alot of things.....

Sometimes youre holding someone else's heart in your hands. You can drop that heart & bruise it. You can squash that heart & hurt it. Or you can stomp on it & totally annihalate it. You stomp on that heart or bruise it. It can forever be changed ♥

Hi Robin

We have had discussions about this before. Try the search box.

Briefly, back of seat as upright as possible, and/or add a small lumbar cushion. I have slung mine on an adjustable strap which I hang over the head restraint at the right height. It is also adjustable for other car seats and I can hang it on my shoulder when at airports etc.

You can buy hi density foam wedges that are used by people who have had hip replacement surgery. Put one under your car seat cover with the wide edge tucked right in close to the seat back, to 'horizontalise' your seat.

Try and organise your seat so that you don't have to reach forward to the steering wheel. This keeps your shoulders down and back.

Cheers

Louise

Thanks for the comments! I guess the driving is what gets to me most of all. I did check out the other posts on here - I will try the wedge if I can find one. I can go all day with no problems - seems like the pelvic exam may have exacerbated things and now everything is moving back into place. I've even been out gardening this morning, pulling weeds (I love to garden!), swept our barn, moved a few small things around in there, and no worries.

I find when pulling weeds, if I lean over, bend one knee, and lift the other leg in the air like I'm balancing, everything stays intact. If I squat too far down on both legs, however, problems occur.

I can drive short distances - just drove to the convenience store about a mile down the street. But it seems that anything over five miles and there you go! So this is one of my problem areas, it appears. :P

Hi Robin

Hopefully it will become less of a problem further down the track. This whole POP thing can be a little bit 'two steps forward, one step back'. Eventually, once you have developed your full raft of new ways of doing things, you will probably develop more confidence in your body's ability to adapt.

On the weeding front, I always wondered why my Mum had a rubber pad that she used to kneel on to polish the floors, and a kneeler with a handle that she used in the garden. She has never had prolapses, but like many people as they get older, she had difficulty getting down low with her tennis knee.

I find kneeling works well, as I can get down further. I get callouses on my knees, but the knees still work OK! I try to maintain the strength in my leg muscles and hips, which give them stability. I agree that full squats just put more pressure on the pelvic floor, and my knees push into my belly space, unless my feet are well apart and feet pointing outwards. Another posture is to stand with feet about two feet apart with feet pointing outwards and just flop forwards deeply from the hips with sides of belly on thighs. It is kind of like my torso is suspended, and all my organs kind of wriggle back towards my belly button while I am down there. Use your knees as much as possible. This is where long skirts and loose trousers come into their own. I would not be a pretty site from the back!

I think it is quite good for us to be getting down on the ground, and getting up again repeatedly. It is a workout within itself. Climbing stairs and ladders is also good for our lower body strength, stability and balance.

Of course, you don't take risks. The trick is to mind your safety, hold on tight, get a good footing, use even surfaces, and do it all slowly and deliberately. All these things are physical workouts that are built into day to day activities. I agree with Christine's theory that the comfy chair is our worst enemy. It conspires to make life too easy to enable us to keep fit and strong with everyday movements.

Long live my knees and hips!

Louise