Ugh! My Back! ... Now what? Sell?

Steel said:

After all these years, I buy my dream car, a 2017 GT/PP/MG...and then mess up my back! The clutch pressure is killing my lower back. Even the doc says it' not good. What do I do? :shrug:

1. Sell the car and buy an auto-trans?

2. Change out a perfectly good manual trans for an auto?

3. Sell it and buy a Honda Civic and "cry" every day to work. :frusty:

So frustrating...my car barely has 900 miles, kept in the garage and NEVER redlined! I've been babying it because I wanted to keep it for years.

Now what?

(Never thought my first post would be this.)

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If you truly can't repair your back and just keep your car, consider trading up to a 2018 mustang GT A10 or scatpack A8, or shell out a bit more for a ZL1 A10 or Hellcat

I have constant back issues stemming from a bad accident years ago. I thought about the auto thing then I came to my senses.

Try some physical therapy when you can get mobile. Hopefully that'll help.

Sucks so many people here are siding with the doctor here.

Most physicians are full of shit. They prescribe medications to resolve symptoms, but hardly focus on the root cause.

How did you cause this injury? What do you do for a living? Do you sit all day? Are you doing physical work all day with bad movement patterns and poor posture?

Those who are saying you need to focus on fixing your back via methods like exercise and physical therapy are NOT wrong. It’s absolutely a good idea.

The best way to help your back is to ensure it’s not doing work it doesn’t need to be doing. If you have poor posture and are hyper extended... you’re going to cause excess torque/strain on your spine. If you have weak core muscles, your spine does double duty. If you sit all day at a desk, your hips get tight and your pelvis rounds forward which causes stress on the lumbar region of your spine. Tilted hips cause probation of your knees (inward collapse) and it works all the way down the chain to your feet where you get collapsed arches. I could go on and on. It’s all a connected chain. Buying orthotics for example is not a solution to flat feet. It’s treating a symptom, not a root cause.

Your body can take a ton of abuse but it’s not designed to be in poor positions ALL DAY. That’s how you all end up in these situations.

OP unless you have a serious life changing injury like something that resulted in fused vertebrae, I’d seriously heed the suggestions here and see a physical therapist. Forget your doctor telling you to never drive a clutch again. That’s absolute bullshit. Fix the imbalance in your body, strengthen the parts that are weak and are causing the compensation and I guarantee you’ll feel better and this problem will disappear.

I see your in SC. Not sure who your doc is, but Southeastern Spine Institute in Mt. Pleasant changed my life about 18-19 years ago. I actually had Dr. Don Johnston, the man that started the group, do my surgery. I had 3 herniated discs from L2 to L5. He did a double laminectomy on the outer discs.
Shop docs before shopping a new car. Knowing what I do about back injuries, sounds like you have something that needs some work done.

Rig up a hand control.

Get a second opinion and some physical therapy.

I'd get a second opinion before I gave up my manual.

My dad had chronic back problems. His doctor said that one of the most common mistakes people make is the way they get into and out of cars. A lot of people stick a foot in and then twist their pelvis and back to get into the car.

The best way is to turn your back to the seat, sit down on it, and then swing your legs in. Getting out is the reverse. This has been great advise for getting through a lifetime of small, sporty cars with my back mostly in tact (knock on wood). I'm set on ordering Recaros so I suspect the bolsters will be a test for this method.

Steel said:

After all these years, I buy my dream car, a 2017 GT/PP/MG...and then mess up my back! The clutch pressure is killing my lower back. Even the doc says it' not good. What do I do? :shrug:

1. Sell the car and buy an auto-trans?

2. Change out a perfectly good manual trans for an auto?

3. Sell it and buy a Honda Civic and "cry" every day to work. :frusty:

So frustrating...my car barely has 900 miles, kept in the garage and NEVER redlined! I've been babying it because I wanted to keep it for years.

Now what?

(Never thought my first post would be this.)

Click to expand...

Dont sell it keep it and try to fix your back problems. Good luck.

I have two herniated discs, about 18 years ago my orthopedic surgeon referred me to a biokineticist in a last ditch attempt before surgery. It was a life changing experience, I still haven't had the surgery, lead a pretty active life, and know how to move without hurting my back. The previous Doctor I had would just pump me full of painkillers and told me to do nothing so I wouldn't hurt my back.
Moral of my story, get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion.

DrGrabster said:

Have you tried my little taped on noggin (Jenga)?
The advice from youngsters to shape up is well intentioned.

However, just wait till they are infirm and old (ish). They, my dear, have no idea.

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No shit! Wait until that prostate (lack of) function sneaks up on you.

Arthritis in the hand or arms kicks in. I'm not quite 55 yet, but this past Saturday I changed some lamps up inside the front bumper on my daughters 2013 Escape. Couldn't grip the bulb properly with my left hand. Neighbors thought I came down with a sudden case of Tourette's.

Well, I'm thankful for everyone's thoughts, but due to my back injury, I have to sell. (So sad!)

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92237

_

GLWS and hope you get something good to replace it.

Good luck on sale. Get to the chiropractor ASAP, that has helped me a ton.

Do not sweat it, I have a bad back and was in the exact situation you are in. I had a 2015 Ruby Red M6 that I loved, but the clutch was killing my back in traffic.

I traded it for a 2017 Performance White A6 and could not be happier. I just took most my mods off and even had them swap out my aftermarket wheels at the dealer.

I even moved my Ngauge and had Lund send me a new tune for Auto. Drives great.

Just do it, you will be thankful when you have a pain free ride.