Ergonomic considerations for big older dudes
 

I try to be a health conscious person; I use a sit stand desk and try to comply to ergonomic standards which are highly available for office work.

It would seem like anything that consumes a decent chunk of our time should give consideration to ergonomics. I spend a total of about 50 minutes in my FRS each day making my commute. And I probably get in and out my car car8-10 times a day. I've owned the car for a little over a year and I've developed some knee pain which I noticed intensifies during the commute. I'm 38, 6 2, and about 210lbs.

I've noticed that I've molded my behavior getting in and out of the car in my cars best interest. The previous owner had scuffed the door near the driverside speaker by continually rubbing it with their foot. When I first got the car I noticed I was doing the same thing. Well, I quickly amended that habbit but the unfortunate result is a game of twister when climbing in, and out of the car. The issue is exacerbated in confined spaces; such as narrow parking situations.

My seat position is all the way back on the rails, but the seat angle is relatively upright. The upright position allows my arms to comfortably reach the steering wheel, but my gd hair is touching the ceiling and my line of site seems way too high on the windshield. All of these factor have led me to ponder I sad potentiality... that I'm too damn big, and too damn old for this car! That's not a concession one enjoys entertaining. Before I sell this fun lil bastard for a bloated challenger I thought I'd see if I was the only big old guy trying to make things work with this car. Perhaps there are some strategies I haven't considered. :iono:

@Ultramaroon care to comment?

I know a guy who is much bigger, and much older than you that DDs a twin. He hangs out here.

Edit: shoot, tcoat beat me

Don't know what to tell you.

I'm 43, 6'2" and 195 (that 15lbs may be the difference), and I don't have any issues. I do have long'ish arms - I wear a 44 long jacket - so my seat is all the way back and the seatback is also back a fair bit. Even if I move the seatback more upright for AutoX or track driving though, my helmet doesn't touch the ceiling (maybe get a haircut? ;) :D).

I do scuff the door card a bit getting in and out if I'm in a tight parking space and can't open the door all the way, but I guess I just don't worry about it.

And seat padding, back, lumbar support, under the knee supports to change leg angle? Bunch of stuff out there for car seat position changing/comfort.

When getting into your car, watch your left foot ( assuming LHD) and try to keep it pointing parallel to your hips. Also, try bending your left knee as little as possible, you may find opportunities to distribute the stress of entering/exiting the car if you're cognizant of these behaviors and seek to adjust them. Make sure as you lean into the car, your left foot leaves its contact patch to avoid this twist as you sit down. Much easier said than done.

Everything feels strange at first, but I had this exact same pain, and changing my left foot pivot ultimately resolved it.

EDIT: Also, before exiting the vehicle, put the steering wheel all the way up, it'll help to accommodate this change in behavior. Just have to put it down/up each time which can be obnoxious.
EDITEDIT:: And do be careful of having the seat perfectly upright, you may start introducing sciatica pain and be -much- worse off.

Thanks DarkPira7e, I will attempt to give your suggestions a shot although I'm having a difficult time visualizing the movement. I am a left handed driver, I'll try the parallel movements with minimized knee bend to see where that gets me.

Stevesnj; do you have some example product links? I'm curious about the knee support in particular.

As another random tidbit; I believe I have an unusually long upperbody perhaps due to a sixth lumbar vertebra. My brother; who owns an mx-5 was laughing it up one eve as we observed how much taller I was, but only when sitting down lol.

https://www.wikihow.com/Sit-in-a-Car-Without-Back-Pain The first step shown here is what I'm trying to explain, haha. Sitting hips first is the best way to explain it, I like how this article puts it. I know full well that with this car, it is nearly impossible.

First off, I suggest you screw your car's best interest as far as getting in and out, just treat the scuffing area with something slippery and let it take care of itself.

Second thing, I suggest you do your best to find parking spaces where you can open the door all the way.

Third off, take your time getting in and out of the car, your knee will thank you.

I ain't big but I'm relatively old.


humfrz

Relatively? Compared to the sun?

I'm 37, 6'5" and back up to 350lbs (:cry:) with a host of knee and ankle problems, and have no issues DD'ing the BRZ. Though my weight might be up there I do go to the gym 5-6 days a week (just proof you can't out-train your diet lol). I do admit I'd like a bit more headroom, it's fine for a daily but I doubt I'll ever be able to get in there with a helmet on.

If it's not already, maybe lowering the seat will help? Press down on the lever a few times.

I've found entering hips first makes it harder to get in and out. I generally step into the car, bend slightly and sit down, bringing my left leg in afterwards. Only issue is on windy days it'll blow the door into my leg if I don't hold it... :bellyroll:

I gave up on keeping the speaker area scuff free as I'm usually wearing my knee brace that scratches it. If it gets too bad I'll just replace the surround.

Is the knee pain only when getting in, out, or both? Maybe your legs are just tightening up as you drive? I have similar dimensions and age, with a destroyed femur, and have no problems getting in or out.

That being said, I prefer to sit up closer to the wheel while I drive and slide the seat back the few clicks before I exit. I'm not as stretched out when I drive or leaned forward to get to the wheel.

I couldn't agree more with being able to open your door fully. In my garage I can only open the door half way and I have to do gymnastics to get in and out. Outside where I can open the door fully, I can just slip in and out without much effort. Of course being 5'6 and about 130 lbs helps too.

Welp, back-in-the-day, when I was 5'6" and weighed 130 lbs., I didn't even have to open the door - :D


humfrz

I’m 47, 6’1” and 230 lbs. I sit in the car with my legs out side of it then swing my legs in one at a time. Pretty much the same process getting out just backwards. If I try getting in any other way it hurts my hip. When I drive my seat is two notches away from being all the way back and I drive with the back almost straight up and down.

Lower weight is higher performance. Always have been, always will be.

I'm 6'2" and 320, and If I put the seat straight up my hair is also in the headliner. If your seat is all the way lowered, you might want to try and remove the slider mechanism etc and just bolt it to the floor, or get an aftermarket seat.

And I agree hip first is the best way to get in the car.

I use the car as my dd and I love it. At the moment my commute is slightly above an hour both ways and the car is great. Leaning the seat back helps with the comfort for me.

63 and amply proportioned here. Moderate arthritis in right hip flared up... enough to cause me to modify ingress and egress moves.

I prefer seat on almost the lowest setting. I raise the steering wheel, pivot in the seat so feet on ground and stand up. It helps to wear smooth sole shoes. Some of my textured ones would create just enough drag to get a yelp out of me. You need door completely open so a wide parking spot to do this. Either park in the boonies or get a handicap sticker.

I have some scuffs by speaker but not much to do about it. Not ready for a Buick yet, although the previous gen Regal GT wouldn't be too bad. ... would it?

57 5'11" 215lbs...I stick my right foot in...lower my bum to the seat and use my hand to help raise-pull my left knee-foot into the car...

Commute is 45 minutes...I find the car comfortable even on long trips.

Issues: I would like the seat bolsters to squeeze me a bit less (yeah getting 15-20 lbs off would help I know) and getting my right leg comfortable. My right knee tires of resting against the console. Is there an aftermarket pad that I could mount on that side of the console?

If I have my work boots on (in addition to safety glasses, gloves, bump hat, kevlar cut resistant arm sleeves, hearing protection and hair nets while actually at work...PPE's safety first you know...UGH) there is not much room for the clod hoppers down there in the foot-well to maneuver my foot and leg for comfort.

Start squatting ass to the grass.

Solution to every problem.

Put boots in trunk, wear sneakers, change shoes.

Actually, you missed your perfect Buick by about 40 some years - :D


humfrz

Ha! We had one of these in the driveway when I was growing up. My just barely 5' tall dad looked so funny sitting in/driving that thing. His head barely reached the headrest on the drivers seat :sigh:

I have the opposite problem getting in and out due to a leg length under 30". I need to keep the seat pretty close to operate the clutch pedal properly so when I get in I have to pretty much go in backwards putting my right leg in as I plop down then bring my left leg in. Sometimes I rub the steering wheel hard but more often I squish the lower and side bolster and the fabric is starting to wear thin. Sometimes I'll think of it and move the seat back before I get out but I usually forget :iono:

https://media.giphy.com/media/pa5Nh6fQ4RGXS/giphy.gif

The seat mod for you - :thumbsup:


humfrz

With regard to getting out of the car when fucking assholes park too close to your door, I can usually solve that problem by parking where the fucking assholes can't or just don't want to block me. That means parking in an end space with my driver's side door facing an island or just parking way out at the other end of the parking lot and walking a little further. When I lived in Louisiana, shitheads would intentionally park next to me way out in the back 40. However, I saw less of that when I moved to Texas and hardly any of it at all in Florida because Texas and Florida dimwits are simply too fucking lazy to walk another 20 yards to be an asshole.

Usually it works. Every now and then some piece of human excrement will block me in anyway. I carry bottles of water with me, and here in Florida there's usually sand nearby for their wet windshields. I've been thinking of maybe carrying Silly String for that instead. Or condiments.

I wish I could get a swivel bucket, those things used to kick ass. My buddy had a 75 Cutlass with them and I loved cruising in that car.

Twice I've had to drop the back seat and squirm through the car to get in. Good thing I'm a young 52 :)

Is your seat all of the way down? If you look at the side of the seat there should be 2 handles: the rear most one is for angling the backrest and front one is for raising the entire seat up/down.

I should review my owners manual for seat movement options as I've seen a couple people mention "lowering"; I am aware of forward and back motion on sliding track to adjust distance to pedals; and the angle adjust for the seat back..incline perhaps? Did a quick google search on seat height and it sounds as though there is no stock option.

Something that has already made a huge difference was raising my steering wheel height. Somehow I completely forgot that I lowered it a couple months ago; the result was reduced range of motion for my knees, and I believe I subconsciously made adjusted my movement and tensed the knees up more. I don't think this was the sole cause but this adjustment has made a difference, and the driving has been more enjoyable as well! Not sure why I made the change initially...

What year is your car? I'm fairly certain that my 2015 is a base/no options model (bought it used, no window sticker came with it so I'm not 100% sure) and it still came with the up/down lever. Maybe earlier models didn't have it?

I'm 74, 5ft 7in, 244 lbs. I move my seat all the way back when going in and out.I go in ass-1st and then rotate 90*. When I get out, I rotate 90*, then, I put my elbows up on the A and B pillars and then do a "breast-stroke" to get my fat self out of there.

Better get your Buick, old man, before they quit maken em - :iono:


humfrz

[QUOTE=LoXodonte;3151262]I should review my owners manual for seat movement options as I've seen a couple people mention "lowering"; I am aware of forward and back motion on sliding track to adjust distance to pedals; and the angle adjust for the seat back..incline perhaps? Did a quick google search on seat height and it sounds as though there is no stock option.

The front-most lever on the left side of the driver's seat is for lowering/raising the entire seat. My 2013 model has this feature and sure every year after does as well.

pump this down....

http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/...psbadd43a8.jpg

6ft 205lbs here, I find it best to place my palm on the door sill plastic and use my arm to prop myself up off the seat to get out of the car. wife struggles either way and shes tiny in comparison.

I've got almost 30 years, and 50 lbs on you, i never have a problem rolling out onto the pavement
:D

I've been meaning to circle back to this. I tore up both my knees in martial arts when I was a teenager, and I'm paying for it now that I'm older. It doesn't help that I'm overweight, but my knees will act up just from sleeping with them in the wrong position. For your reference, I'm a long-legged 6'.

This car hurt my knees two different ways when I first got it. First was how I got into and out of the car. At first I would put my right leg in first, sit and swing my left leg in. That would put lateral stress on the joints and cause instant pain followed by inflammation the rest of the day.

I quickly learned to do what the rest of these folks have said, sit my fat ass in the seat first, then pull my knees up and swing my feet in together. It requires me to use my stomach muscles. It can be a challenge if someone has parked close to the door, but like I said earlier I'm usually able to park so that I avoid that issue.

The other way this car hurt my knee, especially the right one, is that the early years of this car came with a hard plastic knee rests next to the center console. I found that driving more than a short distance with my right knee resting against that vibrating hard plastic would trigger inflammation. I didn't even realize that's what was doing it at first. I would just get out of the car and feel like I'd taken a kick to the knee.

At the time (2014) there was a JDM-only option for softer padded knee rests, so I ordered a pair and replaced them. The swap is a bit of an ordeal, since you have to pull out the entire center console between the seats (if you try to force them out without removing the console you'll break stuff), but it's just more time-consuming than technically challenging. Toyobaru added the padded knee rests to the later models, so if this is your issue, either the JDM pads or the later USDM pads should work.

There's also a padded knee rest for the doors if your left knee position is the issue. I ordered a set of those also, but I've never gotten around to installing them because it never really bothered my left knee.

One other thing that may help you, I don't know:

Occasionally I can feel the inflammation coming on in my knees, and I've found that I can often head it off by doing a few leg extensions from a seated position. If I find that my knees have stiffened up during a long drive, when I get out of the car I'll swing my legs out together, then while still seated I'll extend each leg straight out as if using a leg extension attachment on a weight bench. For a lack of a better way to describe it, the leg extensions make it feel like I'm pulling everything back straight. Three or four of these is usually enough to smooth out the motion in my knee and make it easier to stand up out of the seat without my knees feeling like they're going to buckle.