Seating issue--Arthritis in knee makes driving painful

I had injections in hospital into the center of both knees of what I recall was hyaluronic acid.... the idea was that this stuff would help with the remaining cartilage and lubrication. It was something like $400 per knee and was covered by my extended health. In my case it didn't really help, as OA seems to attack not only the cartilage, but also the bones. I guess this Prolozone might be a way to go if it is a case of wear and tear due to time, and not underlying disease that is causing the joint to fail.

Good to know though, thanks for sharing.

Roland

 

The therapists say I am doing really well, but that is after only two visits so far, so I can only say I am trying hard to do what they want, and already got into trouble once for doing more than they asked.... they have a carefully designed program to follow and don't want you to suffer any problems by over doing it.

How did he injections go? I hope your coxcomb worked better than my expensive stuff did. I actually feel that some of the over the counter stuff I'd pick up at Wal-Mart worked better when I took just slightly higher than the recommended dosage, but hey I'm a big fella. Triglosamine I believe it is called, but I've bought and used almost every supplement I could over the years.

I was once told you'd have good and bad days and just to go with it, you cannot predict it. Generally the cold wet months of winter are harder than summer's dryer weather, and often I feel it before a change from good to bad, or high to low pressure days... but not always... just has it's own mind. So you may never find a pattern that perfectly fits.

Roland

Roland

 

I wish you the very best.

It seems to me that the thing that will cause the pain to be worst is the constant pressure on the accelerator. Why not look into a steering wheel-actuated accelerator retrofit? It sounds like you can still brake just fine, so maybe just an accelerator replacement will do.

Another possibility that I'm looking into is visiting a "Relax the Back" store. They might be able to come up with a better seating solution.

 

Can you place your foot flat on floorboard in front of pedals and rest your knee on center console when in cruise control? That's what I do.

 

I realize that you don't have a back problem, but maybe straighter posture/less back strain will help you. They're a retail store chain and website which sells products for people with back problems, such as chairs which provide better support and alignment. You might also consider a chiropractor, if you can find an affordable one. What they'll do is to work on your back so as to provide better posture, which could help ease the pain you're experiencing.

 

I hope it gets better because you are right, it's a strain to hold a foot above the gas pedal when in cruise control.

 

Hello everyone. I am new to Prius Chat just to post to these knee and back pain posts. Toyota is not perfect and neither is the Prius. I was forced to own a Prius. It is a terrible car for back and knee pain suffers.

My daughter loves her Prius and I am happy for her. We have owned 4 Prius andI am sick of them.

They have a lot of problems and issues that Prius lovers refuse to admit.

It it rediculous to buy a car then have to work around the new car you just bought or take pills to drive a car.

Stop blaming yourself for pain when driving a Prius and blame the designers of the car. You may very well have arthritis and join pain before owning a Prius but I know for a fact that the Prius V vibrates terribly on long road trips and that vibration from the driving foot up the leg to the knee to the hip and back is terrible.

After a four hour drive, I could barely walk the next day Enough is enough.

I can drive the Prius V to the grocery store and around town because I am getting out and walking around. But on a 3 to 4 hour drive, the pain is terrible no matter how the seat and steering wheel is arranged. On my highway, the cruise control is useless.

I bought a real sheepskin from Ikea and put it under my feet. For some reason, the sheepskin reduces the vibration from the part of the car that the foot touches. I did not choose to buy any Prius.

Yes, my Prius vibrates. I feel every little bump in the road and it doesn't feel like a sportscar either. Sometimes I put a small seat cushion on the driver's seat and sometimes I do not. Sitting on pillows seems to transfer the vibration to my hips so I use a 1 inch thick chair cushion from Ikea. Perhaps the arthritis pain is triggerred by vibrations. I try to eliminate all vibrations.

The curve of the seat is meant for a certain sized person. The curve of the sides of the seat compress the hips. Adding the seat cusion levels out the seat.

The drivers lower back and seat height and angle can be adjusted in the Prius V. I seem to need a taller seat whereas my 6 foot 5 inch tall son keeps his seat very low and pushed as far back as possible.

The steering wheel feels weird when I try to raise it higher so elevating the seat is limited to 1 inch with the cushion.

The lower back can be adjusted with the Prius V which is wonderful when I am in the drivers seat. When I am in the Passenger set, I use 3 pillow - one for each arm and the head. I fill in the lower back with small rolled up towels. I use the real sheepskin for the feet. I throw a towel over all of it to make it look nicer and hold the parts into place.

The Prius V has heated seats which I highly recommend even in the summer when on long road trips. A DC converter should let you use a heating pad from home.

I discovered that some arthritis sufferers do best with cold applied to affected areas. I am one of those people Cold packs applied to my lower back eases the pain. Perhaps travel with a reusable cold pack in a cooler and see which one works better.

True, Ibuprofen eases the pain -- but it adds to gastric distress also.

The Prius is a great car for some people but not for everyone. Toyota should be ashamed of itself. My father in law is in his 90s and he owns a Prius. He is a doctor and refuses to consider that the Toyota Prius contributes to his sciatic nerve pain. Prius lovers are so blinded by their love of the machine that they lose sight of reality. The Prius causes more pain for some drivers and not everyone should own a Prius.

I hope this post helped someone.