Every day, more and more people suffer from chronic back pain, and one often–overlooked culprit is sitting in your garage.

Thousands of people deal with chronic back pain every day and sitting for extended lengths of time can exacerbate it. If you suffer from back pain and have to drive fairly long distances to get around town, or if you like to take seasonal road trips, follow these tips to help reduce your back pain while driving.

TRY A VENTILATED FOAM SEAT CUSHION
These are great for drivers of all ages who deal with back pain. A seat cushion will improve your posture and weight distribution while helping minimize discomfort in the hip and tailbone regions.

INVEST IN A LOW-COST LUMBAR SUPPORT
If you don’t already drive a vehicle with adjustable lumbar support, there are products you can buy that will attach to your car’s seatback. You can also use something like a small pillow or towel by placing it in the middle of your back.

DRIVE AN AUTOMATIC
If you’ll be looking for a new car soon, choose one with an automatic transmission rather than a manual. For those with chronic back pain, working the clutch all the time can cause discomfort because it increases pressure on the lumbar discs.

RELY ON CRUISE CONTROL WHENEVER POSSIBLE
This will promote equal weight distribution since you can put both feet on the floor more often.

GET A HEATED SEAT COVER
If you don’t have a car with heated seats and you deal with back pain on a regular basis, investing in a heated seat cover is a good idea. The heat helps relieve back pain and spasms, not to mention that’ll warm you up on cooler days.

Other useful tips include sitting upright (don’t lean the seat far back), not slouching (place rear end as far back in the seat as possible) and moving the seat closer to the pedals (so you don’t have to hyperextend your legs). If you’re taking really long trips, also make sure to stop often and stretch out or do a quick set of exercises.

This article originally posted on PeoriaNissan.com.