My 2010 Prius Causing Me Back Problems!

Thanks Roy, I have several lumbar cushions and have tried them all. Neighbors and friends have been lending me theirs to try as well. It's clearly the seat in the Prius. If my 1.5 hour ride in the Honda Fit doesn't make things worse tonight I will know for certain.

 

I responded to this in your PM.

 

Ok just got back from a 1.5 hour trip that's 1.5 hours each way. My wife drove both ways in her Honda Fit. My back isn't back to 100% and my arms hurts so that I couldn't drive but I had no additional pain for that length of time and the 1.5 hours back was uneventful as well.
I can't do that in the Prius. I know that for certain.

 

That's the thing I can't figure out what is causing the problem. Apparantly with problems like this you have to try various things until it's fixed. It could be a pressure point or something. I don't know. I do know that the seat in it's lowest position angles down and the bottom seat cushion is very soft. I thought fixing that might be the answer but putting a stiff cushion in there didn't help much.
I've added lumbar pillows and various cushions to my back as well. I really don't know what's causing the problem.
The custom interior guy thought it might be something in the frame pressing against my back as he also felt it was uncomfortable. I wish I knew.

 

The Prius is our long distance car. My wife only drives locally. I have to drive long distances for work and the Fit is not great for long hauls. Sure we've done it but for our trips and work a bigger car is preferable. Yes she could use it but that would leave me using the smaller car on long highway trips.
I guess if we were going to be burnt on the price we'd have to do that for a year. I'm hoping to sell it and not lose too much.

 

+1
Thanks, you make some very valid points and we have been thinking about them. Camry seats tend to be very soft. The Accord had firmer seats which for me is better. I will probably try the Jetta TDI but reliability is a big factor there.
Health will win out over mpg. My wife thinks we should buy a BMW as the seats are hands down the best I've ever sat in. The cost is very high and the car is only good while in warranty.
The BMW 128i might work since I don't need gobs of power and it will have the great seats. No real back seats tho. Plus I hate Run flats!
I'm trying to keep the budget down but the fact is a comfy car that I can drive everyday will win out over a great mpg car that sits in my garage. I'm going to miss the Prius it has it all except for great seats. It really should have power seats that are firm and supportive. Marshmallow soft doesn't work for me.
I don't care for SUV's since I wouldn't use any of their feature like towing. I have about 6 cars on my list to look at. I'll probably rent for 1-2 days any car I'm thinking about and take it for a very long drive and see how I feel in it.
Thanks for the suggestions

 

Yes I used to carry my wallet back there. My doctor told me it was a big NO to that, so for many years now I've carried it in my front pocket. Good idea mentioning it, many people wouldn't realize that sitting on their wallet is bad for their backs.

 

Update
Ok here is an update about what I have been trying.
I had ordered the Obus Forme back support system. This is about as trick as a seat cushion can get.
I'm going to use this on my computer desk chair as well.
The cost was $140 for both the seat cushion and the back support. It's a bit cheaper on Amazon but buying locally was faster. I have to go to a funeral tonight and it's about an hour and 20 minutes away so I'm going to test this new setup out. I'd like to note that not one part of my body is touching the original seat and that it's not just a cushion but formed plastic with a gel pad over that. It ties fairly snugly in around the back as you can see.
It feels great in a hard chair so we'll see how it works out in the car.

 

Thanks MaggieMay and LRKingII.

Mystery Solved!
I had a good long ride with the Prius and have found the source of the problem. It's the seat cushions themselves.
The seats are just too soft and to verify this was what it was I too a sheet of 1/4" plexiglass and set it on the seat then set my orthopedic stuff on top of that. You could feel the entire seat drop at least an inch and a half. Tried it with and without the plexiglass. My wife tried it too. Then I went to the passenger side and did the Butt test. This is where you sit on your hand. Well it siunk in just fine and then a bit later it sunk in some more. You really shouldn't be comfortable sitting on your hand but in the Prius it is. The seats are that soft!
The Plexiglass made the entire seat compress, since it spread my weight out.
I think it's the foam that Toyota uses. It's less dense than the foam in a Camry seat and my wifes Honda Fit is much firmer than a Camry.
I guess it's just the way the Prius seats are. Toyota has always had soft seats and that is what the problem seems to be. Even with the orthopedic supports my back still hurts but not as bad as before.
Sitting on the plexiglass is better but the problem is the foam in the seat at least for me.
My 84 year old aunt had no problems with the seats at all.
If I have them customize the seat I will effectively lose the airbag because they don't have the special thread that allows the airbag to split the seam on the seat in a collision.
I think the seats in the Prius are fine for 95% of the people that drive. I can't have soft seats even at my desk it's a rock hard seat and I'm ok with it.