On a frightful Friday evening in mid-August when stormy winds blew away a portion of the roof at Delhi Airport, 41-year-old Preetha Nair was stuck at the wheels for four hours, like thousands of others.

The rains played havoc with traffic and Nair, on her way home, was among the tide of office-goers trapped on the roads. The next day saw Nair, a media professional, confined to her bed with an excruciating back pain brought on by her hours in the car.

Experts say if only Nair had invested in a small back brace, she could have prevented straining her back so badly. Back supports and neck collars are useful preventive aids to avoid injury to the lumbar region and cervical region while driving.

According to K.N. Krishna, consultant neurosurgeon at Wockhardt Hospitals, Bangalore, prolonged journeys can lead to uncomfortable problems for the back and neck. 'We travel in vehicles that appear luxurious but not comfortable at all for the back,' he says.

A survey among bus drivers of the state-run Delhi Transport Corporation and others by MGRM Medicare, a research-based rehabilitation products company that makes braces and splints, revealed that a majority suffered from back pain.

Indeed, during the survey, the company also discovered the reason for the annoying habit that these drivers have of parking the buses in the middle of the road while picking up passengers rather than on the kerbside.

Because of back-pain, they wanted minimum turns on the wheel which exacerbated their pain. Let's, therefore, look at what happens to the back typically while driving.

Often, the spine is subjected to considerable vibration and jolting. If the vehicle has poor suspension, then the problem is compounded - especially on pot-hole-laden Indian roads.

During prolonged periods of driving, the natural lumbar curve of the body is also practically lost, thereby putting extra strain on the vertebrae and discs. When the driver's seat is pushed back - and so many people tend do that - it causes the legs to be straighter, placing strain on the hamstrings.