The Hidden Risks of Driving for Musicians: How Everyday Driving Habits Can Undermine Your Playing
Dr. Lou Jacobs, Musician Health Specialist, Chiropractor & Acupuncturist – Portland, Maine
Musicians spend countless hours refining technique and posture with their instruments, but few realize how much time they also spend behind the wheel. Long commutes, late-night drives to gigs, or endless touring miles can take a physical toll that creeps into your ability to play.
We’re not talking about car accidents. We’re talking about the small, repetitive, cumulative stressors that musicians experience while driving. Stress that can compound the same issues you already battle with your instrument. Injury perpetuating and reinforcing factors are critical to recognize to help move beyond the injury you are dealing with, and when concerned about prevention.
This post explores how driving habits can quietly sabotage your performance and offers practical, body-conscious ways to keep both your car and your body in tune.
1. The Driving Posture Paradox
The Risk
Driving posture often mimics poor playing posture: slouched back, forward head, shoulders rounded, and one leg extended unevenly. Over time, this compresses spinal joints, tightens hip flexors, and weakens postural stabilizers, many of the same muscles you rely on for proper playing mechanics and breath control. Remember, your arms are effectively connected to your body at the spine. Tension in the back due to posture and other behaviors may affect the way your arms work, or don’t work, while playing. Watch this video to see the restriction in shoulder movement with slumped posture!
Common results include:
* Mid-back stiffness that restricts rib expansion for wind players and vocalists.
* Shoulder fatigue that shortens bowing range for string players.
* Lumbar tightness that reduces pelvic mobility for drummers or pianists.
Safer Technique
* Sit back fully into the seat, adjusting the angle to support the natural curve of your lower back.
* Keep your shoulders relaxed, not protracted.
* Adjust mirrors to force yourself into upright posture, you’ll notice quickly when you start to slump.
* Use lumbar cushions if your seat lacks support (a rolled-up towel can work in a pinch).
2. The “Guitarist’s Elbow” of the Road: Steering Strain
The Risk
Gripping the steering wheel too tightly for long periods overactivates the forearm flexors and extensors. These are the same muscle groups responsible for picking, bowing, and pressing strings. Over time, this can lead to lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) or medial epicondylitis—conditions that are devastating for instrumentalists.
Safer Technique
* Loosen your grip—your car doesn’t need a death hold.
* Keep your wrists in a neutral position rather than cocked upward or inward.
* Occasionally drop one hand (when safe) to rest the forearm and promote circulation.
* Stretch your forearms at stoplights—extend your arm, pull fingers back gently, hold for 10 seconds.
3. Footwork Fatigue: Pedal Pressure and Lower Back Chain Tension
The Risk
For drivers with manual transmissions, or anyone spending hours with one foot on the gas, the asymmetry creates pelvic torsion. This can pull the lower spine and contribute to sciatica, low back pain, and even referred discomfort into the instrument-side shoulder or hand.
Safer Technique
* Adjust your seat distance so your knee remains slightly bent at full pedal depression.
* Use cruise control during long highway drives (when safe) to allow both legs to rest symmetrically.
* Stretch your hip flexors and hamstrings after long trips.
* Keep your wallet or phone out of your back pocket, they tilt your pelvis and compound asymmetry.
4. The Shoulder Belt Bind
The Risk
Seatbelts are lifesavers, but they can also create subtle tension across the neck and shoulder on the dominant playing side. For violinists and violists, this compressive pattern can mimic the same upper trap overuse seen during hours of bowing or chinrest pressure.
Safer Technique
* Adjust the belt height so it crosses the chest, not the neck.
* If you’re small-framed, a seatbelt clip can relieve pressure and reduce shoulder strain.
* When stopped, gently roll your shoulders and extend your neck to prevent stiffness.
5. Long Drives and Nerve Flow
The Risk
Extended sitting compresses the sciatic nerve and reduces circulation through the thighs and lower back. For drummers, pianists, or bassists… anyone needing precise lower-limb coordination, this can dull nerve firing and slow muscle response.
Safer Technique
* Take a 3–5 minute standing break every 60–90 minutes.
* Stretch calves, hamstrings, and hip flexors during fuel stops.
* Try seated nerve glides (ankle flexion and extension) to maintain circulation.
* Stay hydrated—muscles and discs depend on water to stay pliable.
6. The Smartphone Slouch
The Risk
Waiting in a parked car scrolling social media? That forward-head posture and thumb overuse amplify the same hand and neck stress musicians fight from phone use offstage. Add post-drive stiffness and you’ve got a recipe for thoracic outlet irritation or wrist tendinitis.
Safer Technique
* Hold your phone at eye level, not lap level.
* Use voice commands or mounts instead of repetitive texting motions.
* Give your thumbs a break – your fretting fingers will thank you later.
7. Chiropractic Care for the “Road Musician”
Musicians on the road, whether daily commuters or touring performers, often benefit from chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture to:
* Restore proper spinal mechanics after prolonged sitting.
* Improve joint motion in wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
* Enhance nerve flow and reduce accumulated muscle tension.
Consistent care and self-awareness prevent driving from becoming the silent saboteur of your technique.
8. Final Thoughts: Drive Like You Play – With Awareness and Control
Driving may feel automatic, but your body is always participating. Every mile driven in tension adds up—tight shoulders, numb fingers, or aching backs that subtly steal your range, feel, and finesse.
Treat your car seat like a practice chair: ergonomics first. Awareness is the key to endurance—on the road, and on your instrument.
Dr. Lou Jacobs, Chiropractor and acupuncturist in Portland, Maine, has been working with and specializing in the health and performance of musicians of all types, for over 23 years. His work has been highlighted in Guitar Player Magazine, and his client list is extensive, having worked with some of the best horn players in the world today. Dr. Lou is always accepting new patients and offers tele-consulting for musicians outside of Southern Maine. Dr. Lou also works with families and is board certified in chiropractic care for children and pregnant moms. Dr. Lou may be reached by calling (207) 774-6251 or by messaging his office manager, Sandra Escobar, at Sandra@DrLouJacobs.com.