People who drive a lot are particularly familiar with this problem: long car journeys often cause back and neck pain. A new sports medicine based  sitting concept (car seat) promises help in this area.

Spinal health and sitting comfort are unfortunately still not an issue, even for the best and most expensive car makers. But even in a day and age in which most people work in a sitting position and back pain and posture problems are gaining the upper hand, a correct sitting position is the order of the day. Sports physician Dr Eduard Lanz, a specialist in orthopedics, however clarifies this misunderstanding: "Correct sitting does not exist, only correct movement." The renowned physician will give a lecture at the 10^th International Automobile Forum in Graz (23-24.10.2008) entitled "Sitting in mobility concepts”.  Using a seat project developed by him, Dr Lanz will show how driving can become spinal therapy. A conventional seat restricts natural movement and hampers breathing. Overexertion, tension and fatigue are thus preprogrammed, especially for frequent drivers. The ability to move in natural ways is particularly limited in a car. Proper movement promotes health, pain relief and comfort. "Movement as part of natural exertion is distributed over the entire body which serves to prevent problems," said Dr Lanz, explaining the positive characteristics of movement therapy. Although bedding the body in foamed material can achieve a pleasant feeling, the large contact area can cause many problems. Lanz has now drawn on his many years of experience and knowledge as an orthopedic surgeon and sports physician to create a completely new orthopedic seat concept. For this, the function of the musculoskeletal system is in the foreground. The body should also be able to function optimally in a car or car seat. The Lanz concept ® seat and the Dr Lanz mobilization backrest are designed to support the musculoskeletal system in this.  Together with the Gratkorn company, Concept Technologies and Prof. Florian Kramer of the Academy of Applied Sciences in Dresden,  Lanz has developed a prototype for a German car manufacturer in which, through the division of the seat into the thigh rest and the actual seating surface, the optimal sitting position can be achieved for each individual. Shoulders, neck, spine and spinal discs are relieved by the altered pelvis position which serves to prevent tension. This equates to an incredible improvement in driving experience and in-vehicle comfort, especially for those who spend a lot of time in their car.

Visions  for the future
That said, someone who wants such a seat will have to wait a while.  At the moment, for roadworthy cars, only Dr Lanz’s mobilization backrest is available for his patients. Only the Bentley GT has a similarly domed backrest as a standard feature. The sports physician wishes the following for the future manufacture of the standard-production car seat: "The seats of the future should be more strongly oriented towards the needs of the human musculoskeletal system and also allow natural movements in the relaxed position. People are still too often considered as normal body-sized, especially in the car industry. It is important that wellness in the car is not equated with immobilization, but rather with maintaining and improving bodily function through mental fitness. One should always keep in the back of the mind that an immobilized driver is more likely to fall asleep. The very large contact area of car seats is equated in particular with comfort. In frequent cases this pleasant feeling leads to an immobilization of the musculoskeletal system which subsequently leads to unnatural movement patterns and painful dysfunctions. This is because degenerative changes arise from immobilization, restricted movement or abnormal loading of the joints and spinal discs.

Patent protected
Far too frequently the focus of the car industry and its advisers on the shape of the human body makes it overlook musculoskeletal system function. Proposed improvements stem from sports medicine now-how. Here in particular function, not form is decisive. The criteria for a good and healthy car seat therefore accord with previous goals of safety, comfort, good adaptability to individual needs and body sizes, optimum support and relief of the musculoskeletal system and ability to correct individual movement restrictions and incorrect posture.
Based on these findings and considerations, Dr Eduard Lanz developed his car seat concept and has tested the resultant construction features on patients. The result is an innovative car seat that not only accommodates the shape, but also the function of the musculoskeletal system. Because of the success achieved, some key design features could be patented and in the future will certainly be discussed with the car industry.