Seat the cause of back pain?

So I'm just trying to figure out the source of my back pain. I went from my '04 wrx seat to my '12 LGT seat. I picked up my LGT and had a long road trip, and it was at the end of that trip that I got some bad back pain. I never had this problem with my '04 wrx seat, but they are obviously quite different.

I'm really thinking of swapping my LGT seat out for a seat more like my wrx, but I'm not sure its the seat that caused the problem. Its been a month now, and my back still doesn't like my LGT seat. =( Anyone else's back dislike the 5th gen seats?

Have you tried playing with the lumbar support and seat bottom angle a bit? I typically need a little lumbar support in most cars, but I have noticed that with this seat I need more than I think I usually do. I have noticed the lumbar deflating so every couple days when my back starts to hurt a little I pump it up again and my back says "Aaahhhh...." LOL.

Also, bringing the front of the seat bottom up higher has helped in my case.

I don't think I have ever attributed a noticable increase in back pain to these seats, but I was rearended a few months ago and while the car was in the body shop I had a 2013 Jetta rental for a month. Those two things together and my back was not happy. After I got the LGT back I figured out that an increase in the lumbar helped the stiffness and tweaks go away.

I've played with the settings a lot, and I just can't find a good setting. The lumber support doesn't seem to have much effect either. I just flew this past weekend, and I had less pain in those seats than I do with my car seat. =( So frustrating...

Bottom seat angle seems to make a difference. Seat lower than higher.

My experience is the 2010 seats have been fantastic on long trips.

Hope you find a sweet adjustment spot

i have a small wash cloth rolled up that i put behind my back for support. i have lower an mid back issues so the usual lumbar supports just dont do it.

Come on!! Your making us 5th gen drivers looking even worse. Everyone already thinks we are old people, now we have a bad back thread, next comes Help I can't get it up!!

Wouldn't be an indication of age if its just bad seats. Now where'd I put my cane?

They're not "bad" necessarily. The side bolstering is crap, there's no getting around that. The rest of it you should be able to address with tinkering.

That said... I had a hell of a time getting mine dialed in.

Try some really extreme settings and then back them off until you are comfortable. There's something a little weird about the way the seat/pedals/wheel line up.

I have pretty severe back issues. injuries over the years have wreaked their havoc. Ergo, I see a physical therapist regularly, and have a regimen of daily exercises. It all keeps me going.

My 5th gen Subaru was giving my back a lot of trouble. However, it showed up in my right leg. After an hour on the road, my leg began to ache, and nothing seemed to help. This went on for a long time, even though I changed positions, amount of lumbar support, etc.

One day, i mentioned it to my physio. He asked me to take him to my car, and sit in the seat, while he viewed my positioning from outside. First thing he did was to get rid of all lumbar support. Second thing was to have me adjust the seat and seat back angles, and finally, he changed my distance from the controls, just a bit. I drive a 6MT, so that last issue is critical for a short guy, like me.

No more pain. The following weekend, I drove for 4 hours, and it was like magic. I suspect when one has total control over angles in a number of different planes, it is difficult getting it all to work together, correctly.

Best.
Byll

Originally Posted by Byll

I drive a 6MT, so that last issue is critical for a short guy, like me.

This is what I have trouble with. It would be a lot easier of the pedals either came forward or the wheel went back a little more than lolNonelol. I also go with zero lumbar, do angle first and then deal with distance. I can't imagine running the lumbar with such a shorty bottom cushion.

Originally Posted by SurlyOldManMN

There's something a little weird about the way the seat/pedals/wheel line up.

I think everything lines up great. That was the first thing I notice when I sat in an LGT. It just felt right to me, seating position wise. Also keep in mind that everyone is different, leg length, arm length, height and weight.

I pull the wheel very close. Any racing driver will tell you that you don't want your arms extended, you want them bent. Also, extenting your arms too much tends to make you slouch your shoulders over in the seat. Honda's are notorious for far away and low steering wheels.

Maybe you could do some exercises to strengthen your back or stomach muscles?

Get ready to spend $$$ trying to remedy this.

Originally Posted by GTEASER

I think everything lines up great. That was the first thing I notice when I sat in an LGT. It just felt right to me, seating position wise. Also keep in mind that everyone is different, leg length, arm length, height and weight.

I pull the wheel very close. Any racing driver will tell you that you don't want your arms extended, you want them bent. Also, extenting your arms too much tends to make you slouch your shoulders over in the seat. Honda's are notorious for far away and low steering wheels.

Yeah... I'm not "that guy".

I'm nowhere near having my arms extended. I just have little stubby legs. If it was an auto I would have no problems. If I try to set dead upright, I'll be eating the steering wheel by the time I can properly work the clutch. I can't keep both hands on the wheel and crossover because it's too tight. I don't think racing drivers would care for that.

Sorry to hear about the problems you guys have with the seat and your backs. My only issue, other than the obvious lack of side bolsters, is the seat losing height for which I still don't have a good answer. It's been to the dealer and I got a BS answer.

I have "contemplated" putting in aftermarket seats...mainly so I don't slide of of my seat sideways.

Maybe an aftermarket seat is what you need?!?!?! I know I'd use that excuse with the wife to get better seats.

Good luck!

I forgot to mention the lack of adjustment available in the headrest. If I make adjustments similar to Byll, then I think that puts the headrest "upright." That would mean that the back of the seat is leaning back maybe...120 degrees? (if upright is 90 deg.) Leaning back that much is weird for me because I usually have mine at like 95-100deg, but at those angles, the headrest causes problems. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

Given adjustments for height, lumbar, leg angle, back angle, seat position (distance from pedals/steer wheel), that's a lot of combinations. I really need to find that sweet spot asap, because the longer my back hurts, the more I'm going to dislike my LGT. =(

Like fredrik, part of my reason for considering an aftermarket seat is to increase the "hugging" factor. The other half is for previously mentioned reasons. =/ Then again, I don't plan on tracking or autox'ing my LGT, so I guess I don't need my seat to hug me that much. =p