Different seating positions for street vs track?

[TeutonicShift89]

Just finished my first track day and had already been experiencing knee pain unrelated to the car, but nonetheless exacerbated by it. Before the track day I was having left knee pain from clutching, but during the event they suggested moving so close that you can depress the clutch flat footed which did wonders for relieving strain. Problem is I left it like this on the 5 hour ride home and have pretty bad right knee pain now from being so close to the gas pedal that I have to "pull" back my foot to enable me to coast on the high way or in town without over accelerating. I did use cruise control but even then it didn't feel right.

Probably not gonna find any solutions in this format but would be encouraged a bit if anyone else can at least relate.

For what it's worth I'm 27 yo with a stressful desk job and a toddler at home and in recent years have gradually put on weight and neglected much exercise so I'm not in peak physical condition anyway.


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[FirstWinter]

Could the knee pain be from maybe bracing yourself when you're going around the corner rather than the act of pressing on the clutch? I don't think the first year models had the knee pads which caused some people to get bruised knees from driving.

[jjaisli]

Originally Posted by TeutonicShift89

Just finished my first track day and.....

Congratulations for that alone. I hope you had a great time, learned a lot and will continue to do more of them.

Originally Posted by TeutonicShift89

...had already been experiencing knee pain unrelated to the car, but nonetheless exacerbated by it...Probably not gonna find any solutions in this format but would be encouraged a bit if anyone else can at least relate. For what it's worth I'm 27 yo with a stressful desk job and a toddler at home and in recent years have gradually put on weight and neglected much exercise...

Yeah, well, welcome to the 2nd club. Just wait until you're in your mid 40s with kids in their teens. It doesn't really get any easier. When I was in my 20s, I could basically eat whatever I wanted and at 6'2" maintained a comfortable 185-lbs. When I hit my 30s my metabolism started to slow, work started to get busier and 185 went to 195 then 200 then 210 and then, well, worse. And when you hit your 40s, strange things start to happen to your body--aches and pains in places you never had them before. And seemingly for no reason. It's a strange time. Mentally, you're still the same person. And you don't 'feel' older. In fact, you wonder where the heck the time went. But just doing some basic cardio exercise is a LOT harder and takes a lot more effort as we get older. Remember to stretch. So the best thing you can do, as hard as it is, is just watch what you eat, portion control, cut down or cut out the fat & carbs and either join a gym or buy an elliptical machine. It's low impact and shouldn't be too hard your knees.

I used to run in my 20s but had a lot of back problems when I was around your age and had to give it up. That's how my weight gain started. But today, at 46, I'm back down to 189-lbs and probably healthier now than I was 10 years ago. It can be done. But I don't think you're going to find any solutions inside the car, only out of it. Go see your doctor. Or have him recommend a good orthopedist to check out your knee and make sure it's nothing serious. And make getting in shape a goal for the 2017 HPDE season.

[ubernostrum]

A lot of weird knee pain, especially pain that comes from using your knee in a way you don't normally use it, can be helped with some good stretching. For example a lot of people get knee pain just walking down hill. What is happening is they are hyperextending their leg muscles slightly. I have had similar issues when driving long periods, and whenever i adjust my seat it takes a few days before achy knees go away. Look up sports related stretches for your legs, especially hamstrings, quads and calves. I bet if you do them regularly for a few weeks you wont see the pain in the car anymore.

[soulreapersteve]

Spotted this last year on the forum, and I share this vid whenever similar questions arise.

Used to get aches and pains all over until I followed what they recommended. Try it out and see what happens!


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72qpgA7Cr_4"]Porsche Human Performance: Optimal Seating Position - YouTube[/ame]