Low Back issues with 16 Civic

civicryan

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One of my main concerns (almost only), is At times i do have lower back stiffness/some pain. And I wonder, not only about the comfort of seats on long drives, but the getting in and out of the car. The seats seem to sit pretty low. ...

This is why I have also considered a small SUV/CUV. LIke a CX5 or something....I have been driving our 2015 CRV more lately as i am trying to keep my miles down before i return my leased Fusion, and do notice that it is much easier to get in and out at that seat height. .... but other than that i like more all the other benefits of a civic (sedan car) .

Can someone talk on how they've done with the everyday in and out, up an down of the civics driver seat?

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IndyHonda

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I can definitely notice a big difference getting into my 2016 Civic as compared to my 2013 Accord. I'm fine with either one, but the Accord was higher than this Civic sits. I do have back issues from playing sports for 20 years and now sitting in front of a computer for work and I am concerned about the Civic seats not having adjustable lumber support. So far, it seems fine. But when I travel soon for work I am curious if it will bother my back at all.
 

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I always have the seat dropped all the way down to its lowest position as I'm upper body tall and don't have any issues getting in and out. My almost 50yr old back suffers from lower disc issues and the Touring's leather seats are great for me so far with no issues on a long 400 mile trip (one way). I went from a 2006 Civic with a pronounced non-adjustable lumbar support to the new Civic's non-adjustable, visually less pronounced lumbar support and was a little worried at first. Now I find it has perfect support and my back doesn't get sore at all. I do re-adjust the seatpan angle often to vary the thigh support as this seems to help with back pain.

Look at the HR-V if you're looking for more height. I was impressed with the little HR-V and seriously considered that as an option to waiting six months for the Civic to come out.
 
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civicryan

civicryan

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I can definitely notice a big difference getting into my 2016 Civic as compared to my 2013 Accord. I'm fine with either one, but the Accord was higher than this Civic sits. I do have back issues from playing sports for 20 years and now sitting in front of a computer for work and I am concerned about the Civic seats not having adjustable lumber support. So far, it seems fine. But when I travel soon for work I am curious if it will bother my back at all.
Thanks for sharing the info. Yeah, i noticed a decent amount of difference in seat heigth from my 13 Fusion to the 16 Civic too. Probably similar to your accord. I have went on 2 short test drives and my back seemed to do fine. the seats seemed plenty comfortable. (one was leather, and the other test drive was without). ... But its difficult to replicate real world usage on a test drive. So thats where my question here comes in for you guys. .... and i'm exaclty like you as far as, played sports for 20 years and now sit in front of a computer for work most of the time. lol ... Glad to hear the seats are doing well for you so far.



I always have the seat dropped al l the way down to its lowest position as I'm upper body tall and don't have any issues getting in and out. My almost 50yr old back suffers from lower disc issues and the Touring's leather seats are great for me so far with no issues on a long 400 mile trip (one way). I went from a 2006 Civic with a pronounced non-adjustable lumbar support to the new Civic's non-adjustable, visually less pronounced lumbar support and was a little worried at first. Now I find it has perfect support and my back doesn't get sore at all. I do re-adjust the seatpan angle often to vary the thigh support as this seems to help with back pain.

Look at the HR-V if you're looking for more height. I was impressed with the little HR-V and seriously considered that as an option to waiting six months for the Civic to come out.
Glad to here you have been doing well with the civic so far as far as your back is concerned. I'm sure you learn ways to get in and out to limit any back issues over time. I know in my Fusion, i have certain ways i get in. certain place i put my hands , etc. ... thanks for sharing your experience!
 
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LennyR

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If you have lower-back issues and problems both getting in and out and riding in any car, I have two suggestions based on my own (painful) experience.

First is for the in and out. It seems like you may need to do core strengthening exercises, both lower back muscles and lower abs. You can really stabilize your back with those muscles as you move in and out, up and down; that is, you can do it if the muscles are toned and strong enough.

The second is to get a back cushion and, if necessary, cut it to fit between the bolsters of the driver's seat. For me at least, this is a good or better than any built-in lumbar support. I even take my cushion with me when I ride is someone else's car. This is the one that I use, and it only costs $20: http://smile.amazon.com/OPTP-Origin...0230092&sr=8-2&keywords=mackenzie+back+pillow

Hope this helps!
 


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civicryan

civicryan

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If you have lower-back issues and problems both getting in and out and riding in any car, I have two suggestions based on my own (painful) experience.

First is for the in and out. It seems like you may need to do core strengthening exercises, both lower back muscles and lower abs. You can really stabilize your back with those muscles as you move in and out, up and down; that is, you can do it if the muscles are toned and strong enough.

The second is to get a back cushion and, if necessary, cut it to fit between the bolsters of the driver's seat. For me at least, this is a good or better than any built-in lumbar support. I even take my cushion with me when I ride is someone else's car. This is the one that I use, and it only costs $20: http://smile.amazon.com/OPTP-Origin...0230092&sr=8-2&keywords=mackenzie+back+pillow

Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info. and that pillow seems like it may be helpful.

as far as the core strengthening , i agree 100%. over the past couple years i have lost over 100 pounds and have really done well to improve my core. this has helped tremendously , and i rarely have back issues anymore. and i have done fine in my FOrd Fusion over the past few years, and the civic is just a little lower , so i am sure i will do fine. ... but just had a little bit of a concern of getting the car and then 6 months later feeling like its too low for me and my back. also i read some reviews that the last civic generation was very bad for peoples backs.

thanks agian for the info LennyR! :)
 

RedTouringMA

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I have a really bad back, spinal stenosis, arthritis and 4 bluging discs, but so far I have not noticed any increase in pain while driving my Touring or afterwards.
The key for me is the heated seats keeping my back comfy while I drive. This car is much more comfortable for my back than my Crosstour was.
 
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civicryan

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I have a really bad back, spinal stenosis, arthritis and 4 bluging discs, but so far I have not noticed any increase in pain while driving my Touring or afterwards.
The key for me is the heated seats keeping my back comfy while I drive. This car is much more comfortable for my back than my Crosstour was.
Thanks for your input here. i'm glad that you are doing well so far with the civic. and i am sure there was a decent amount of R&D that Honda put into these seats, i'm sure they listened to customers concerns with the seats on the last gen. .............. I was thinking I was going to go with Civic EX-T with Sendsing... but now I am leaning more towards the EX-L with sensing. I think the seats might be a little more comfortable / supportive.
 

RedTouringMA

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Thanks for your input here. i'm glad that you are doing well so far with the civic. and i am sure there was a decent amount of R&D that Honda put into these seats, i'm sure they listened to customers concerns with the seats on the last gen. .............. I was thinking I was going to go with Civic EX-T with Sendsing... but now I am leaning more towards the EX-L with sensing. I think the seats might be a little more comfortable / supportive.
I test drove the EXL with Sensing first, and the seats felt identical to the Touring I eventually bought.
I'd also driven the 2015 EXL with Navi, and omg the seats were awful! My back started to hurt with in a couple miles.
I commute 70 miles a day, so no way was that going to work for me, plus I hate the look of the 15's
Once I saw the 2016 there was no turning back, I HAD to have one.
So far I have 350 miles on her, and my back is very happy with it.
 
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civicryan

civicryan

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I test drove the EXL with Sensing first, and the seats felt identical to the Touring I eventually bought.
I'd also driven the 2015 EXL with Navi, and omg the seats were awful! My back started to hurt with in a couple miles.
I commute 70 miles a day, so no way was that going to work for me, plus I hate the look of the 15's
Once I saw the 2016 there was no turning back, I HAD to have one.
So far I have 350 miles on her, and my back is very happy with it.
ok, glad you saw the difference form the last gen and the new gen. that helps feel at ease a bit. ..... 70 miles/day huh, thats a decent amount of driving. Up until about 4 months ago my commute was 3 miles / day. lol ... but now i have moved and my commute is about 40 miles/day. So i have noticed when you spend more time in your car, you really want to enjoy that time. If you have a very short commute, then it doesn't seem to matter as much. ( if that makes sense)lol ... thanks again!
 


RedTouringMA

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ok, glad you saw the difference form the last gen and the new gen. that helps feel at ease a bit. ..... 70 miles/day huh, thats a decent amount of driving. Up until about 4 months ago my commute was 3 miles / day. lol ... but now i have moved and my commute is about 40 miles/day. So i have noticed when you spend more time in your car, you really want to enjoy that time. If you have a very short commute, then it doesn't seem to matter as much. ( if that makes sense)lol ... thanks again!
That's why I always go for the high end trim. I spend a lot of time in the car and want to enjoy it
 

billc

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I know the driver's seat has either a manual pump (lower models) or the power adjustment (higher models). Coming from an Accord, I agree the low seats of the 2016 Civic were a little uncomfortable for me. But when I pumped it higher during test drive, that was back to my Accord level. Does anyone with either an EX or perhaps an EX-L trim know if the front passenger seat has a manual pump also? That seated pretty low and I'm concerned my spouse wouldn't like it. The back seats seemed to be as high as our Accord so no problems there, only concern is possibly the passengers seat
 

RedTouringMA

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I know the driver's seat has either a manual pump (lower models) or the power adjustment (higher models). Coming from an Accord, I agree the low seats of the 2016 Civic were a little uncomfortable for me. But when I pumped it higher during test drive, that was back to my Accord level. Does anyone with either an EX or perhaps an EX-L trim know if the front passenger seat has a manual pump also? That seated pretty low and I'm concerned my spouse wouldn't like it. The back seats seemed to be as high as our Accord so no problems there, only concern is possibly the passengers seat
If there is a lumbar in my Touring, I don't know where it is.
 

RedTouringMA

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I'm not referring to lumbar. I wanted to check if the passenger seat had a height adjustment since by default it's seated so low
There is no passenger seat height adjustment
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