[ashwinprakas]

While driving my Zen for extended periods usually around the ballpark of 100~150 KM's I experience bone pains between the shin and knee on my right leg, the reason for which I believe to be due to the angle at which the foot rests and the constant shifting between the throttle and the brake.

The issue doesn't reoccur while driving the Estilo or Corolla.

Guess this is due to the shortage of leg room which is forcing my leg to be placed at an angle, Unless I'm missing something.

Edit: The reason I refer to it as bone pain is because I'm pretty much used to riding motorcycles for extended periods and have categorised pain into flesh pain, muscle pain and bone pain, the last one being the worst kind.

[docmech]

Originally Posted by B103

What a coincidence. I too suffer from the same or a similar problem and my experience could help others in this forum.

Hi, your problem is what we call Coccydynia, it pain at the tip of the tail bone. It's a socially embarrassing condition as sitting becomes the most painful thing but however its usually a benign condition. The real cause why it happens is not known, a fall is the most commonly reported cause. All it needs is cushions that relieve the pressure over the tail bone and some hot packs. Pain medication could be necessary in severe case. In more severe cases pelvic strengthening exercises are needed. Invasive treatment is rarely ever required.

It's not related to a disc prolapse and sciatica.

[NSK123]

While I am jumping to conclusion that that pain I had vs. yours appears to be same, do you want to try Vajrasana for 5 mins every day for 2-3 weeks? It really helped me.

Originally Posted by spirits999

Hi folks,
Don't know what would be the right place to post this hence posting it here.
I recently bought a pre owned BMW GT 2014. The vehicle is in first class condition.
I have been driving manual transmissions from almost 18 years now, and suddenly have moved to an auto transmission.
Now problem is I have started experiencing my sciatic nerve pain from the hip to below my thigh above the knee in the left leg. Surprisingly, this leg is always on the dead pedal, so that shouldn't have pained. I did a lot of research on this and the only explanation is that since the right leg is doing most of the job, the torso is twisted putting pressure on the left side.

I've tried various seat positions but nothing seems to be helping. I'm really worried. I would like to know if there are other folks using automatic cars and are facing this kind of issue. Is there anything that you suggest or you did to solve this problem. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[jayeshdamle]

I have a Sciatica pain as well as a slip disc. My Physiotherapist advised me to take a break every 3 hours, even if it just to stop at the side and take a round walk around your own car is OK.

Also being in oilfield on a 28/28 rotation, I fly nearly 12 hours every 4 weeks, I just make sure to take an aisle seat and walk myself every now and then.

This has made a lot of difference to me and have not experienced any pain in the last 2 years.

[laser2707]

Many of the posts reflect what I suffered 4 years ago. I owned a Ritz and drove it daily to work in Mumbai. The long commute Vashi to Kalina & bad roads probably caused what Doctors then diagnosed as "Prolapsed Vertebra" or mild "Slip Disc". Mild it was not as the pain was excruciating. I never linked the condition to my driving.

Yes many a times I returned home with a stiff neck which I relieved by doing neck rotation exercises. Otherwise I then thought it was due to inadvertently putting awkward pressure on my back. I was advised bed rest (lying on the floor) for 2 weeks after which I underwent physiotherapy. I have had one relapse since then. Luckily I was in the hands of a good physio who taught me a series of exercises. Doing the exercises helped me get cured in one week when I had the relapse.

One aspect I find nobody has touched on is the mattresses we use. I now sleep on a cotton mattress & not on a fancy foam mattress. This has helped me a great deal. Earlier I often awoke with a sore back. This does not happen anymore. There are a lot of fancy mattresses like "Tempurpedic" which cost a fortune but are a waste of money. We spend a good 6 - 8 hours sleeping during which our muscles recover. If the back gets stressed due to a mattress then the whole purpose of rest gets defeated. These small fixes have helped me. I hope those who are suffering can benefit from it. Back pain is excruciating & left unattended can become a chronic condition.

[RajBajwa]

I have an automatic and manual car in my garage. I have been driving manual cars for the past 15 years. It is only in the last year and half that I have the second car which is an automatic. I want to share something here. I am knocking on wood whilst typing this. I haven’t faced problems with back pain or legs become sore with driving long distances with a manual car. However with driving the 320d automatic for long distances where I have spent more than 3 hours behind the wheel I get uncomfortable and get a slight pain in my left leg which is rested on the dead pedal. When I shared this with my friends that I enjoy the manual more than the automatic and that it is easier on the leg they dismissed me off stating that the whole explanation is counter intuitive. Everyone prefers an automatic for added comfort. Anyway, I love my 320d for the driving pleasure and I enjoy my old humble MT car for the purist in me who loves cars of all types.

[vsbabu]

What a useful thread! I didn't have a problem when I started using my little A-Star AT in Bangalore traffic (it was actually a boon from using Innova MT). However, since the last 2 years I now drive to Coimbatore and back over alternate weekends. Though in Innova MT, due to highway driving, left leg is pretty much unused. Have got all the symptoms mentioned in the thread with pain predominantly on the left back side above the hip. Doing planks have helped a bit as does always taking stairs and switching between standing workstation and sitting one, in regular intervals.

Last week, I ended up doing this commute twice in 7 days and things are bad again. It is much better if I take a break in this 5.5 hours drive and walk around - didn't do that last 2 times.

Going to follow this thread with necessity and hoping to see more valuable posts from all fellow T-bhp'ians.

[Alterlife]

I have the opposite problem with my car. I had left knee pain in Bangalore traffic with a manual, now with an automatic my right knee hurts .

[Arjun Reddy]

Interesting thread, a quick question, all the back pain issues reported seem to be AT + Sedan/ hatchback combination. Has anyone experienced this with the automatic SUV?

Only one report of back pain in an Innova from the previous post.

I guess this may something to do with sitting low and an automatic. Especially the German sedans. I tend to choose the lowest setting in my car to drive. Though I have not experienced any back issues even after a long drive in an automatic , this thread makes me wonder if the high chair like seating on an SUV will ensure a more comfortable ride and the seating posture may not contribute to back issues irrespective of it being an AT or a manual.

[pseudo_coder]

I switched to AT (ecosport) to save my left leg. For me, I experience pain in the right leg instead. I think it's because the A pedal is a bit hard in ecosport.

[Dieselritzer]

Originally Posted by EDDY21.05

Hey, can you please share the details of the doctor? I am suffering from a similar problem for the last 6 years. I have tried multiple treatments but they have all given only temporary relief.

Dr Karkhaanis, Andheri East, chakala.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

While driving my Zen for extended periods usually around the ballpark of 100~150 KM's I experience bone pains between the shin and knee on my right leg, the reason for which I believe to be due to the angle at which the foot rests and the constant shifting between the throttle and the brake.

The issue doesn't reoccur while driving the Estilo or Corolla.

Can you please check whether those cars have 'dead pedals' to rest your left foot when not in use. If so then you have the answer. Install a dead pedal.

I am almost certain that your problem is arising due to the odd angle at which you are resting your foot.

[ruzbehxyz]

Besides the various causes of Sciatica nerve pain like herniated disc, etc there is one more cause of pain which is not easily detected. That is 'Piriformis Syndrome'.

There are various articles on Google and videos on YouTube which one can refer. In places like UK, US Piriformis surgeries are also done.

https://www.spine-health.com/conditi...about-sciatica
This is one the best websites to read about Sciatica and back problems.

https://youtu.be/2r1uaRAHbj4

https://youtu.be/zha5jIv4_44

[Pkumarblore]

Hello BHPian's, Before I proceed any further I would like to say hello to everyone as I am a new member on Team BHP and this would be my first writing.
I feel very privileged to be a part of this great automobile forum. I request the moderator to excuse me if I have committed any error while posting this reply.

This is a very informative thread to write about since the car market is moving towards automatics very briskly. I think the notion that automatics relieves us from knee/joint pains does not hold good with every driver or maybe with choked Indian cities, at least me in this case. Back in 2011 I shifted from Swift Diesel MT to Skoda Rapid Petrol AT. My daily commute was about 50kms in peak Bangalore traffic. Initially for the first few weeks driving seemed to be a breeze, but then at the end of the 1st month of ownership and driving daily, I started experiencing pain in my right knee while driving. Sometimes in the left knee too, but the pain was not as much as the right knee. I tried all combinations of seat+steering positions, but none helped.
I reached a stage that after driving for about 15 mins. in morning traffic, my right knee would start to pain. I would always want to stretch my legs to get rid of the pain, but could not do while driving since the well was not deep enough to stretch. I would often pull the car by the side and stand out for some time before proceeding again. This became a regular affair.

I was wondering if I had bought the wrong car. And not to mention the A pedal on the Skoda Rapid AT was pretty hard. At this point of time I was given a Ford Figo Diesel MT as a company car. And I never experienced this kind of knee pain when I drove the Figo. Instantly I fell in love with this car and started using it daily. Later on I realized that whenever I drove the the Rapid AT, my right knee pained, and to some extent the left knee too. I quickly realized that both my legs needed to be in operation distributing the muscle actions to remain pain free while driving.

In city traffic, the constant shifting between the throttle and the brake used to put enormous stress on the right knee and it would pain in no time. Within one year of purchase, I sold the Rapid AT and switched to Linea Diesel MT(I guess they don't have an AT in India) and my drives were knee pain free again. Currently I own an XUV MT and i10 AT(for my wife). Whenever I drive the i10 in the city for about 30 mins, my right knee starts to get sore, but the i10 A pedal is light and so I can manage an hours drive in the city.

I think there are some like me who need to keep both legs engaged while driving for muscle stress distribution.

[boohooper]

Originally Posted by spirits999

Hi folks,
Don't know what would be the right place to post this hence posting it here.
I recently bought a pre owned BMW GT 2014. The vehicle is in first class condition.
I have been driving manual transmissions from almost 18 years now, and suddenly have moved to an auto transmission.
Now problem is I have started experiencing my sciatic nerve pain from the hip to below my thigh above the knee in the left leg. Surprisingly, this leg is always on the dead pedal, so that shouldn't have pained. I did a lot of research on this and the only explanation is that since the right leg is doing most of the job, the torso is twisted putting pressure on the left side.

I've tried various seat positions but nothing seems to be helping. I'm really worried. I would like to know if there are other folks using automatic cars and are facing this kind of issue. Is there anything that you suggest or you did to solve this problem. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi. Remove your wallet from your back pocket before you sit in the drivers seat(assuming that you use one) and keep it in the dash or some place you'd remember to take out from after you reach your destination. Also check the seat for bumps or un eveness.