Shoulder / Neck Tightness

How old is the seat in your truck?

 

Neck and shoulder pain is often from hunching. Your shoulder blades should touch your seat back. The more upright you sit, the better. Too much recline and it'll make you hurt, too far up and down and you'll hunch forward. Adjust your seat and try finding your sweet spot.

 

Or your "G" spot....

 

That sounds way more exciting.

 

AHEM, @F150Jim and @Kev's Sunshine, I am on the Internet you know....

 

Sorry baybay, someone mentions G spot and I get excited. You know me. lol

 

4 and 6? or 4 and 8? 4 and 6 is a bit wonky.

 

I prefer the Hammer 1 hand method. I have seen "trainers" drill into rookie heads that they need to keep 2 hands on the wheel, and get a certain grip and whatnot. But a 2 handed grip is a mistake.

How so?

If you had to type a response using your elbows and arms, your response wouldn't read right even with auto correct. Your fingers muscles, tho not as strong as the arm muscles have much more precision for things like typing.

"Six, we are talking about driving, not typing. Get with the program."

That practiced precision that's available at your fingers is what allows you tomore precise control in steering. It's ever so apparent on slick roads. And there's a lot less stress and fatigue.

"But Six, what if you blow a steer?"

Been there. Done that. Strong left hand grip on the steer, right hand on the trailer hand brake, pull it 1/3 way down. Will slow you down and even save your front rim from being chewed up.

1 hand, left about 8 o'clock is the most relaxing grip for me.

 

To the OP Kryon:

Consider getting an x-ray of your neck to see if it is out of alignment. A decent chiropractor should be able to tell you for not much money if your insurance won't cover it. It sounds like you may have some issues with the discs and vertebrae in your neck, maybe a bulging or herniated disc.

I continued driving for years after having pain in my lower back that only got worse as the day went on. I wish I knew then that my back was deteriorating due to degenerative disc disease which has now resulted in herniated discs, scoliosis and spinal stenosis. This can happen to your upper (neck) and lower (lumbar) spine, and driving only makes it worse. It will feel like a muscle tightness problem but is really your nerves being pinched by your vertebrae because your discs are losing height just like a tire slowly losing air.

I am only 46 but I now have a 30 degree curve in my lumbar spine and cannot stand up for more than 10 minutes or sit up more than 30 minutes without being in ungodly pain. The pain started out 12 years ago as just mild discomfort after being on my feet all day. It progressed to pain that kept me up all night after being up and down on my feet all day, to finally not being on my feet much at all and looking for a new job. I never once thought it was my spine collapsing on itself, it always felt like muscle pain because it extended down my legs.

Ironically, I went from a desk job to a driving job because I needed to be sitting down all day, something that was impossible with a desk job. Only after the pain got so bad I couldn't sit up any longer did I find out that driving was the worst thing I could have been doing and only accelerated the degeneration of my spine. I am now on disability and looking at major surgery if I want to stay out of a wheelchair. My neck is also starting to deteriorate but it is probably where my back was 10 years ago.

Back and neck pain is nothing to be ignored. Take it seriously or it just might take care of you.

 

Honestly you are free to handle the steering wheel how you want. I know of two situations where drivers sustained serious thumb damage when they had a blowout on the steering axle both were holding with one hand. I've had a steering tire blowout and honestly had I not had both hands on the wheel I would have wrecked. Also one more point. Not all steering tire blowouts are the same. The violence of the event depends on where on the tire the blowout come from and the type of tire. Thankfully todays tires handle heat better then before. However a steering blowout is very serious.