my back hurts...

I lean my seat back slightly "home boy" style

That transfers weight from my lower back onto my sides and shoulders.

A good seat makes all the difference in a horrible ride to a very comfy one. Have you considered swapping in a seat out of a Escalade or maybe some other fancy car? I've been wanting to try that and am hoping the bolt pattern matches up or is at least close.

 

Good posture, a good seat and getting out of the truck and moving around periodically are all important to keeping the back from getting painful. Lumbar support of some kind may help too. Experiment with your seat position to find the most comfortable adjustments as well.

 

Do not carry a wallet or anything else in your back pocket; it throws your spine out of alignment and causes back pain.

 

Great advice ! Also try riding with no air in your seat" Bull Hauler style " you will ride with the movement of the whole truck suspension, not just the little air bag on the seat.

 

Like Rogue said, you can really help your back out by rolling up a towel, shirt jacket etc... or even use a small pillow tucked in your lower back.

I don't think its necessarily the truck either. I could be wrong but I noticed you have been driving for about a year. The longer you drive or the more time you put in behind the wheel the more your back muscles weaken and when your back muscles weaken your discs in your back tend to get out of whack and then in order to keep them in line the muscles around them spasm or strain to keep them from slipping out of place. Its the muscles spasm and strain that causes the discomfort and pain. The only way to avoid this is to exercise everyday and keep these muscles strong to avoid the weakening and slippage. Happens to me every time I go back over the road and have put in a few months of driving and slacking on my exercising.

When this does start to happen you really need to be careful because it can ultimately get worse and lead to you throwing your back out. One day you will find yourself doing the simplest of movements and your back will totally go out! Keep on exercising!

 

I had the same problem driving a school bus, they have no lumbar support at all. I guess they thought we only drove 2 hours a day. A lumbar pillow, chiropractor, magnesium, and exercise helped a lot, as well as keeping the seat low. Hope you feel better, sciatica stinks.

 

Something else that really helps is to wear one of those wide belts you see warehouse workers wearing. I wore one sometimes and it really supports the lower back.

 

The first 6 years of my driving career I drove nothing but trucks with chalmers, hendrickson and camelback suspension. Nothing helps with trucks with those suspensions so you just got out of the truck as much as possible and hope you didn't have a lot of driving time empty.

 

you think your back hurts?? (i am sure it does).....but try the lease roads in the oilfield in NM.......