Each profession is complex in its own way and has a certain impact on people's bodies. Working as a driver is no exception, and a detailed examination often reveals a whole bunch of diseases in professional drivers with experience. They are mainly provoked by a constant sitting position and minimal mobility during working hours. Let's look at the occupational diseases of drivers, what leads to them and how to prevent their development?

How to Prevent Digestive Disorders in Drivers

Doctors are aware of a variety of professional diseases of drivers, but it usually starts with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The first trouble is the growth of fat deposits on the abdomen, chest and hips. Many truckers who are forced to lead a sedentary lifestyle are overweight due to the fact that the food they eat is not digested properly, turning into fat. The reason is simple: the driver, due to minimal mobility and lack of physical activity uses almost no energy.

Prevention of occupational diseases is not an easy task, but in this case everything is quite doable. The driver only needs to give up fast food, sweet soda, all kinds of snacks and other useless food. With an unbalanced diet, it will be impossible to fix anything. The diet should consist mainly of foods with a low content of fast carbohydrates and fats, that is, the menu should preferably be composed of:

• lean meat;
• low-fat dairy and fermented milk products;
• fish;
• vegetables and fruits.

It is recommended that you cook your own meals and take them on the road in containers, or buy diet food from eateries. In between flights, it is recommended to go to the gym, go for runs, and do cardio.

In addition to obesity due to insufficient physical activity another disorder associated with intestinal motility may develop. Food consumed on the go is not fully absorbed, lingering in the body longer than necessary. This leads to the accumulation of toxic substances, impaired production of enzymes and irritation of the mucous membranes. All this leads to inflammation of the intestines, gastritis, ulcers, and even the appearance of low-quality polyps. To avoid all this, drivers need to eat not on the go, but in a cafe at the table, and after eating it is worth allocating 10-15 minutes of walking - this is good for digestion. Often, drivers also develop diabetes due to malnutrition.

Why Drivers Have Circulatory Problems

Cardiovascular disease is also quite common. Even medical statistics confirm that men who are forced to drive often and for a long time are more at risk of developing hypertension and sometimes even heart attacks. This phenomenon has an elementary explanation. The high emotional load arising from the fact that the driver is forced to constantly control the road does not allow him to relax.

Oil is added to the fire by minimal activity with a weak metabolism, which causes muscle atrophy, including the heart. in a sitting position cardiovascular system it’s just that you don’t have to fully function, so her condition is gradually oppressed.

Prostatitis in drivers

A driver who is constantly in a car seat may have problems with the reproductive system. The main reason is the lack of loads. In men aged 20-50 years, prostatitis is a common disease, and many patients of urologists are drivers. The first symptoms of the disease appear general weakness and rapid fatigue. The sooner treatment is started, the lower the likelihood of serious complications in the form of infertility and impotence.

Prostatitis develops due to stagnation of blood in the pelvic area, which is aggravated by constant shaking and physical overload when driving over bumps. Seat heating also has an extremely negative effect, because overheating of the groin area is dangerous for the male genital organs.

A professional driver who spends a lot of time behind the wheel periodically gets out of the car. When this happens in the cold season, the body experiences sudden temperature changes, which also negatively affect the prostate gland and provoke its inflammation.

Infertility is an even more dangerous disease of a professional driver, which can lead to untreated prostatitis. The risk is especially high if the driver constantly drives with the heated seat on. Frequent auto-diseases of taxi drivers and truckers are also associated with other sexual disorders, including:

• weakened erection;
• reduced potency;
• premature ejaculation;
• difficulty reaching orgasm.

If the pelvic organs are not treated in a timely manner, the violation will progress and lead to serious deviations.

Muscular and skeletal systems

People who constantly drive cars have probably paid attention to how discomfort in the spine occurs after long trips. Muscle pinching is one of the most common problems among professional chauffeurs, and many ignore the resulting discomfort.

Gradually, pain, burning sensation and numbness occur in the restrained area. If nothing is done, the musculoskeletal system may be deformed. In advanced cases, internal bleeding appears, the digestive organs fail, and material metabolism is disturbed. In general, the health consequences are the most unpleasant.

If you don’t get up every two or three hours and do a warm-up and simple exercises, a professional driver will definitely be overcome.

Other health problems

Exhaust fumes cause many health problems. Men working as taxi drivers or truckers have to constantly stay in an atmosphere with exhaust gases. Over time, this becomes a problem leading to health problems. Respiratory system affected, as toxins penetrate the bronchi and lungs. Smoking aggravates the situation, and frequent auto-diseases include mucosal degeneration, emphysema, and even oncology.

Above, we have already found out that stagnation of blood in the pelvic area in drivers is the cause of many health problems. Without proper prevention, the driver is unlikely to be able to avoid such a chronic disease as hemorrhoids. The risk of developing it is especially high if the car has an uncomfortable seat, but this is not main reason. Incorrect bowel movements due to an unhealthy diet often lead to constipation, which contributes to hemorrhoids.

So we figured out what diseases drivers most often suffer from. Only the prevention of the listed chronic diseases and timely access to a doctor when the first symptoms of any disorder are detected.

On the roads of the United States, you can get into an accident, run into evil cops or become a victim of a real tornado. But in recent times truck drivers are much more worried about their own health than about force majeure situations.

Road freight transportation is dangerous not only because it is associated with great responsibility (after all, the cost of a tractor and cargo behind the driver's back is often measured in tens of thousands of dollars). There is another danger - the long-term consequences of sedentary sedentary work and poor nutrition. They are fraught with serious health problems.

In the West, being a truck driver is considered relatively lucrative, especially since you don't have to go to college to get the job. However, doctors say: truckers are at risk for a number of serious chronic diseases.

George Wilson worked as a truck driver for over 10 years. Like many long-haul drivers, Wilson often lived at work in the cab of his heavy truck. In 2016, Wilson had to leave his job due to health problems. A sedentary lifestyle led to obesity (the weight of the driver exceeded 200 kg), diabetes and shortness of breath.

“The lifestyle of truckers is absolutely unhealthy,”

Says Wilson, talking to journalists Business Insider.

In the US, the driver profession ranks 7th in the top ten professions with the highest mortality rate. This is not surprising: road accidents happen every day. In 2016 alone, 660 truck drivers and occupants of heavy trucks (shifters, freight forwarders, etc.) died in accidents on the roads of the United States.

However, among the reasons that repel job seekers from working in trucking, health problems are in the first place. So says University of Pennsylvania professor Steve Viscelli.

“The salaries of drivers are relatively high, but they do not justify the health problems that their work is fraught with,”

Viscelli says.

Most truckers in the US smoke and are overweight

In those places where heavy trucks stop, there are shops and catering establishments. However, drivers are unlikely to be able to find fresh fruits and vegetables there; they are more likely to find cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and other "fast food" items.

True, recently small fitness rooms have begun to appear in some parking lots, but so far their number is negligible.

“Drivers like me want to make money, which is why they drive all day. They choose the fastest, most affordable food. As long as the truck doesn't move, the money doesn't drip: that's the whole secret."

Wilson says.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the US, 7 out of 10 truck drivers are obese, while among other professions, the share of workers suffering from this disease does not exceed 33%.

“We could use decent eateries, something other than stinky McDonalds or Subways.”,

Says Steve Manley, trucker with 20 years of experience. "Truck drivers need to be careful about food or they're in big trouble."

According to the CDC, more than half of American truckers are heavy smokers, while less than 19% of other occupations smoke.

Hypertension, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, lack of sleep - two-thirds of truckers report having at least one of these risk factors.

George Wilson has not been a driver for 2 years. He is happy to report that he has lost more than 45 kilograms.

"I've lost weight, but I still have a lot of work to do," says Wilson. “Each kilogram lost is not easy.”

Health problems, unfortunately, make themselves felt. The ex-truck driver cannot fall asleep without the help of a special apparatus to facilitate breathing. Reminds me of diabetes.

“This work seriously affected me, undermined my health,”

Wilson says. "I'm not surprised that there is such a severe shortage of drivers in the industry right now."

It just so happened that a man without a horse was called at all times "horseless", one might say, having lived his life in vain. Centuries have passed, but the situation has not changed. A car, also known as an “iron horse”, for a man of the 21st century is the best toy, and a beloved child, and an integral part of the image, and a hobby, and for many, a job. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that modern man lives in a car. But, unlike its four-legged counterpart, a modern horse requires from its owner not only hay and oats, but also ... health.

Every doctor in your local clinic: neurologist, urologist, proctologist, cardiologist, orthopedist, etc. - there is something to be said about this couple "a man and his car." But, unfortunately, according to state standards, he is given only 15 minutes to see one patient, and he simply does not have time to speak out. Let's try to make life easier for doctors, and especially zealous "carriers" who go to the nearest bakery through 3 U-turns, instead of going there on their own two minutes - to give food for thought.

So, "professional" diseases of drivers can be conditionally divided into four groups.

First group

Diseases arising from prolonged sitting. These include: osteoarthritis, habitual dislocations, radiculitis, hemorrhoids and prostatitis.

Second group

Diseases associated with prolonged high stress factor. The human nervous system is in constant tension, which causes cardiovascular diseases. Drivers often experience cardialgia, hypertension, and heart attacks.

Third group

Diseases associated with irregular and malnutrition during work. But this is more the lot of professional drivers than amateurs. These include: peptic ulcer, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, colitis, dysbacteriosis.

Fourth group

Diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle and metabolic disorders: obesity, diabetes.

What can be done to prevent the above diseases of drivers from entering your life?

No matter how trite it may sound, first of all, diversify physical activity. Driving a car should not be the main means of transportation, it is worth remembering about your legs at least sometimes. Walk on them in the park, put flippers on them in the pool. Swimming very well helps to relieve psycho-emotional and muscle tension.

In addition to rational physical activity, you can take care of your health by equipping your car with devices such as massage and heating seat covers (in principle, automakers today take care of heating the driver's seat, even in budget models). But no matter how good passive massage is, it is necessary to alternate with rest every three hours spent driving. At least half an hour. Moreover, you need to carry it out not just by parking to the side of the road and closing your eyes, but by getting out of the car and taking a short walk.

Experts have found that 12 hours spent behind the wheel without proper breaks lead to temporary impotence!

Another disease of drivers is overeating. There is not enough time for a normal meal, so chips / crackers / sweets / chocolate are eaten in traffic jams, fortunately in big city they are everywhere. Since at this time the driver’s attention is not absorbed by food at all, but by the color of the traffic light and the “dummies” trying to overtake him, the amount of this “edible garbage” absorbed per day exceeds all reasonable limits. There is no satiety, but excess weight and increased blood levels are right there. Conclusion: snack on health. Only the right products. Do not be too lazy to take a cucumber, carrot, apple, whole grain bread sandwich with you. And deny yourself the pleasure of washing it all down with sweet soda (see the figure for the sugar content in one bottle). If you can't live without "Pepsi-coca" - at least buy a diet (light).

About nerves. To the question: “Do you think it is useful or harmful to swear while driving?” visitors to one of the "driver's" forums answered something like this:

"Healthy. This is the removal of negative energy from the body ... "
“Steam must be released immediately ... otherwise nervous breakdowns will begin later ...”
“When you swear, you splash out the negative, and you are more attentive while driving, and you don’t freak out. As a result, you have less opportunity to collide.”
"I'm only silent, but it becomes easier."

“Do not keep it to yourself” - agree with the opinion of the majority of drivers, and if it hurts, it’s better to speak out stronger than clench your teeth and put pressure on the gas, trying to “prove by deed who is in charge on the road”! Accidents on the roads are already so high, so do not add your mite to it.

Moreover, health is more expensive!

Each profession affects a person in a certain way and can make him disabled. The work of the driver is no exception. What kind of occupational diseases of drivers quite often become a problem for those who spend most of their lives behind the wheel? What are they associated with, and how can this be avoided?

Drivers are more likely to develop certain diseases

Many diseases are associated with the fact that for many hours or even days the driver is in a sitting position and practically without movement. And this applies not only to truckers or drivers of public or freight transport. Many big cities dictate their own rules, and the car has already become far from being a luxury, but a direct one. For people, a trip to work due to constant traffic jams can last more than one hour, and, therefore, without traffic every day a common person is sometimes more than 4-5 hours.

Why do drivers get occupational diseases?

We can say that the profession of a driver is a time bomb for human health and life. This happens due to:

• too much tension in the muscles of the limbs and torso;
• long working hours;
• vibration vehicle;
• availability of overtime hours;
• responsibility for the lives of passengers;
• constant noise;
• responsibility for the safety of goods;
• work in a sitting position;
• the constant need to make urgent decisions;
• harmful effects of the working environment;
• frequent neuropsychic stress.

The combination of the above factors can cause various occupational diseases of drivers. need to take preventive measures in a timely manner.

The driver's body is constantly exposed to various kinds of loads.

Classification of diseases

Conventionally, all occupational diseases can be divided into 4 groups:

1. Radiculitis, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, osteochondrosis and other diseases associated with a long stay of a person in a sitting position. All this is due to the fact that blood stagnation occurs in the pelvic organs. For men, such diseases threaten impotence and infertility. A feature in cars like heated seats can hasten and exacerbate these diagnoses.
2. Cholecystitis, gastritis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, colitis, dysbacteriosis and other diseases arising from irregular and inadequate nutrition of the driver during work. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are perhaps the most common among those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel. Many truckers also suffer from excess weight, large abdomen and polyps in the intestines. Snacking and eating on the go contribute to the accumulation of fat on the chest, hips and abdomen. Changes in metabolism may be irreversible.
3. Obesity and diabetes - these diseases are caused by disorders in the metabolic system, as well as a sedentary lifestyle.
4. Hypertension, arrhythmia and other cardiovascular diseases. They arise from the impact on the human body of prolonged stress. When nervous system is constantly in tension, the risk of heart attacks and strokes increases significantly.

Also, the driver is constantly surrounded by harmful toxic substances. Exhaust gases contain more than 200 toxic products. Because of them, a person may begin oxygen starvation symptoms of which are nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness and high blood pressure. Subsequently, all this can lead to lung disease.

Prevention of occupational diseases of drivers

In order to minimize all the negative consequences of prolonged driving, it is necessary. Be sure to stop and stretch from time to time. You can perform simple physical exercises or at least just walk around the car.

It would be useful to equip the driver's seat with a massage cape. It will partially disperse the stagnation of blood in the pelvic area. For those who work as a driver, it is advisable to visit the pool, walk in the park and play sports in their free time.

As for food, you should not eat chips, crackers, chocolate and soda on the road. It is better to take vegetables, fruits, boiled meat, tea, milk or compote with you to work. In some cases, it will be useful to have a full lunch at a roadside cafe.

In order to prevent osteochondrosis, get out of the vehicle every 3-4 hours, squat, bend over and swing your legs. All this will take no more than 3-5 minutes, but will get rid of pain. Such walks also allow you to saturate the body with oxygen and reduce Negative influence toxic substances on it.

In order to reduce the emotional and mental stress, you can from time to time use the services of a psychologist, take sedatives (after hours).

Remember, the work of the driver should not harm your health!

Serviceable equipment and excellent health

Just as it needs timely technical inspection and repair, the human body requires careful attention. By doing simple physical exercises and eating right, you can prevent heart attacks and strokes, as well as maintain the health of the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems.

Do not postpone a visit to the doctor if you have health problems. It is better to identify the disease at the earliest stage and get rid of it completely than to start the disease and completely lose your ability to work. It is much easier to take timely preventive measures and prevent the formation of an occupational disease of drivers.

The end of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century was marked by the progression of new diseases, which were not previously given such great importance as in our time. We are talking about pain in the lower back, which used to be called "sciatica", "lumbago", "sciatica". Nowadays, more terrible terms are used related to the group of neurological diseases, such as osteochondrosis, spondylarthrosis, herniated discs of the spine, spondylolisthesis.

The terms themselves, when translated into common language, are in fact not as formidable as they come out of the mouths of interested physicians. For example, osteochondrosis is now used not only to justify back pain for adults, but also for adolescents called juvenile (that is, youthful) osteochondrosis. And if you understand this term, then it consists of two words: “osteo” - bone, “chondro” - cartilage. Osteochondrosis (Latin) and spondylarthrosis (Greek) have approximately the same semantic load, only “spondylo” is a vertebra in Greek. In a word, all these diseases can be rephrased in two words - "diseases of the spine." What and how they manifest themselves, how dangerous or harmless they are, this is the other side of the coin. Recently, the most "terrible" of the above terms is "hernia of the spine", with which neuropathologists scare all people with back pain. In fact, the word "hernia", i.e. "bulging", in no way refers to the intervertebral disc.

The very word "hernia" came from surgery, where it means "protrusion". For example, the intestines through a weak abdominal wall (inguinal hernia, hernia of the white line of the abdomen, which really need an operation with the reduction of the prolapsed intestine into place and the suturing of the abdominal wall with its subsequent strengthening). Where does back pain come from if the nerve is not infringed? But that's the whole point, that nerves can't get sick, they don't have pain receptors. They have nerve endings, and pain receptors have muscles surrounding the intervertebral disc. This is well known to physiologists, but least of all, for some reason, is known to neuropathologists. Therefore, neuropathologists are trying to treat with painkillers (injections, tablets) what cannot be treated with injections and tablets - muscles. A spinal disc herniation is not actually a bulge that supposedly impinges on nerve endings, creating back pain.

A disc herniation is its destruction (degeneration) - a term that accompanies the content of any description of a computer image of the spine. This destruction of the disc is due to its poor nutrition (“lubrication”), and the nutrition of the disc depends on the deep muscles of the spine that surround it and, when healthy, act as a pump that pumps this lubricant into the disc. In order for these muscles to work and constantly “lubricate” the intervertebral discs (“shock absorbers of the body”), they must be regularly looked after, i.e. fulfill special exercises, which are based on their contraction and relaxation.

If the muscles of the body are only exploited and not prevented, as is the case with truck drivers who spend many hours and days in one position, then sooner or later these muscles get tired and spasm. There is swelling of those muscles on which the drivers "sit". And the muscles give an alarm signal: “Master! We are tired! Stretch us, stretch us!" At the same time, sometimes the legs go numb, the legs “burn”. But the “owner” runs to the neuropathologist, who prescribes an anesthetic injection that turns off information from diseased muscles, although muscle spasm in the depths of the spine persists.

Pain relief can last for weeks, months, and the longer it lasts, the more difficult it is to remove (relax) the spinal muscles that are in spasm. From the side effects of anesthesia, bleeding of the stomach, allergies, depression, decreased performance and quality of life begin. One could compare this approach to treating back pain with operating a car without regular MOT (maintenance). If the driver does not monitor the lubrication of the bearings, then they burn out, turning into metal filings, but the bearing does not fall out - it just cracks and creaks the wheel. If you do not lubricate the intervertebral discs, they dry out (dehydration), and the “shavings” from them accumulate in the subglottic space of the spine.

This accumulation of an erasable disc is presented by neuropathologists as a "hernia", i.e. protrusion. A fundamentally incorrect interpretation of back pain leads the doctor to wrong actions, i.e. to the operation to remove this very hernia. The results of such medical actions, as a rule, are the same - wearing a corset for 6-8 weeks, limiting physical activity to 2 kg and the third disability group for a year, i.e. a sharp decline in the quality of life. You are a driver, this is your profession. After such "treatment" procedures currently costing in Russia from 90 to 160 thousand rubles, they are actually forced to change their profession.

You have to change wheels during your work, perform a large number of non-standard physical activity, which is no less than 2 kg, and suddenly this. What to do? How to protect yourself from back pain if you have to sit in one position for dozens of hours? There is only one way out: stop the car every 2-3 hours and perform special exercises related to stretching the spine and leg muscles. During the Paris-Dakar rally, after each 300 to 600 km stage, which takes place in the most difficult off-road conditions, I have to help combat vehicle pilots perform these exercises.

As a result of such exercises in the last three years of participation in the rally, and despite the heaviest compression loads on the spine, there was not a single case of back pain after the stage. Injuries were and are, but more on that in another article. What are these exercises? So, every two or three hours (this is about you, not about Dakar), at least four hours, the driver must get out of the car and, having created a fixed support for his legs, holding his hands on some solid part of the body, try stretch the spine and legs by doing the "jackknife" exercise. That is, straightening the legs and arms, bend the torso as much as possible, trying to lower the pelvis as close to the ground as possible with a long exhalation "ХХАА" (not to be confused with the word "oh"). After that, straightening up and placing the legs as wide as possible, turn the torso to any leg, while the front leg looks forward with the toe, and the back one stands perpendicular to the front.

Now you need to try to slowly, on exhalation, bend forward (hands slide along the leg), trying to touch the ground near the front leg with your hands. Do not bend your front leg in any way, even a little. In this case, you will feel quite serious pain along the back line of the leg and in the region of the lumbar spine. Don't be afraid of this pain. Slow performance of this exercise on exhalation or several exhalations in one movement, in principle, cannot “infringe” or worsen anything! These exercises (naturally, to each leg in turn) I call decompression. They have a very large preventive ability both to prevent acute back pain and, if present, to get rid of these pains. But in each case, the exercises are performed through pain. And the more neglected your back is, the more severe pain you may experience when doing these exercises.

You shouldn't be afraid of them. I often say one shocking phrase: "Pain is a friend, only with a minus sign." If there is no pain that warns a person about some kind of breakdown in the body, then the person may die. At the same time, knowing how to get through the pain, you can not only cure the most serious illnesses, but also to strengthen the body and spirit, getting rid of the need to take painkillers. I would like to note that these back pains can return after long “sitting”, but by performing preventive exercises, each time the pain will reduce its intensity and severity.

If it is possible to work out on the horizontal bar before a long trip, then one of the best exercises is to lift straight or, at worst, legs bent at the knees until the toes touch the crossbar (“half-riveting”). Raising the legs is also performed on the exhale, and in the presence of pain (and the pain can be very strong) through overcoming it. It hurts only the first 2-3 movements. I would like to add to this that a bath or sauna helps to relieve pain. According to the rules - a Russian bath after exercise, and not by itself, but with obligatory cooling of the body before entering the steam room and obligatory dipping (with the head) after leaving the steam room.

There are also many myths regarding cold baths, one of which is allegedly arising from cold water prostatitis. But prostatitis is by no means hypothermia of the prostate gland, but stagnation in the muscles of the perineum, which (prostatitis) is also an “occupational” disease of truck drivers. To prevent prostatitis and prevent it, I would recommend deep squats before or immediately after a long trip, while keeping your arms extended upwards in front. To achieve the desired effect in one exercise, you need to sit down at least 100 times.

Get up after squatting, again exhaling “ХХАА”. Squats improve venous outflow of blood from the lower extremities and thereby maintain normal blood circulation in the muscles of the perineum, which is the main prevention of prostatitis. In conclusion, I would like to recommend truck drivers to regularly look into gym to maintain good muscle tone, which is necessary for the prevention of diseases that manifest themselves with long motionless poses. The group of these diseases includes headaches, fatigue, irritability, diseases of large joints, hypertension, hemorrhoids and a number of others.

Remember: diseases of the musculoskeletal system of the body, or rather, the musculoskeletal system, are treated only with exercises. But the right movement heals - the wrong one cripples. In itself, movement, such as playing football, volleyball, tennis, is not a prevention of the diseases we are considering. Correct movement, or exercise, is not entertainment, but a necessary routine, just like maintenance for a car. You have to do it - that's all! Preferably regularly. And through "I can't" and "I don't want to." My average patient is lazy, cowardly and weak. This is the crux of the whole problem. I don't want to make myself sick!

Sergei Mikhailovich Bubnovsky,
Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the KAMAZ-Master team at the Dakar rally