The luxurious comfort and cosy warmth from heated car seats can make the cooler months in NSW from June to August all the more tolerable whilst on the road, but are they bad for your back?

At least once in your life (and likely on more than one occasion) you may have had to experience the discomfort of feeling too cold in your car or in someone else’s car. Driving alone? Easy solution, just turn on the hot hair and open up the vents until you’re feeling nice and toasty.

If you’re travelling with passengers, however, what may be a toasty warm car might be too hot for your passengers. The solution is heated car seats which can pinpoint heat directly to you or your passenger(s) without causing too much complaints (hopefully) that the car is too hot or too cold.

HEAT AND BACK PAIN

Those suffering from chronic back pain and/or arthritis can find plenty of relief from heat. It’s pretty well-known that heated pads, blankets, and heated car seats can alleviate many of the symptoms of back pain.

Heated car seats help to ease and relax muscles in the back and the lower back so that driving is relatively pain-free and much more comfortable. 

HEATING UP THE WHOLE CAR

Using your car vents to heat up the car can provide some relief from the cold, but there are some problems with this method of heating up your car’s interior. Firstly, the heat is indiscriminate, blowing all through the car and potentially making it unbearable for other passengers.

Secondly, heating interior spaces is highly inefficient in terms of energy usage and heat loss. Ask anyone who’s camped in their van or caravan about heating up on chilly evenings and it should be pretty clear that heating up an entire vehicle is a challenge.

During very cold weather, this also means that there is a delay between starting up your car and getting it to just the right heat to drive in comfort, so many drivers (especially in colder climates such as in North America) have remote startup and heating so that by the time that morning coffee is finished brewing, your car will be sufficiently toasty warm by the time you sit in the driver’s seat.

ARE HEATED CAR SEATS BAD FOR YOUR BACK?

When we’re talking specifically about the heat generation of your heated car seat, the pinpointing of heat to painful areas of the back provides much-needed relief and is good for your back.

The caveat, however, is that uncomfortable seats won’t do much to improve your posture or to relieve long-term chronic back pain. This isn’t necessarily a problem with the heated car seat, but rather your sitting position whilst driving and the ergonomics of the seat itself.

For this reason, it’s important to consider purchasing a heated car seat that is also ergonomic and supports good sitting posture whilst driving, especially over long distances where you’re continually sitting in the same position.

It is also important to seek professional chiropractic help if you’re experiencing pain and discomfort whilst driving. A good chiropractor can recommend treatments that provide immediate and long-term benefits for back pain, and they can also help you find a better and more comfortable way of sitting down whilst on the road.

BETTER BACKS

Spring back into action with a healthy and supply back with chiropractic care from Better Backs.