With the right preparation, some of the challenges of driving with arthritis can be reduced.
Here are some of the everyday challenges that come with driving, and some helpful tips for overcoming them.
1) Getting in and out of the car
If your joints are stiff and painful, a car with wider doors might allow you to get in and out easier as you won’t have to bend quite as much. On the other hand, if you have weakness or tenderness in your joints, smaller doors will be easier for you to manage.
Solution
Cars with three doors generally have wider doorways than cars with five doors, so this is a key thing to keep in mind when searching for your next vehicle.
You should also consider the height of the vehicle and make sure the seats aren’t too high or too low for you to comfortably access.
Some other accessibility features to look out for include:
- Doors that open and close smoothly
- Doorways with no sills, or with low, narrow sills
- Conveniently placed handles that will provide extra support for getting in and out of the car
- Electrically-operated seats that allow you to easily adjust your positioning
Top tip
The best way to get into your car is to sit in the seat first and then turn to bring your legs in. Do this in reverse to get out of the car easily.
If this is difficult for you, there are a couple of things you can do to make it a bit easier:
- Try looping a strong length of fabric around your foot so that you can pull it over the doorsill by hand. You could also hook a walking stick underneath your foot and pull your legs in that way.
- If swivelling your body in the seat is an issue, you could place a plastic bag on your seat to make this easier. There are also specialist swivelling cushions available. Whichever method you opt for, you’ll need to make sure you can remove it from your seat before you set off.
- To help you with reaching and securing your seat belt, a lot of modern cars have an adjustable seat belt fixing. You can also find accessories that make the seat belt easier to reach or adjust so that it sits more comfortably.
2) Using your mirrors
You need to make sure you can use your wing mirrors and rear view mirror easily to look out for other road users while driving.
Solution
A panoramic mirror can replace your standard rear view mirror to help with increasing your visibility while driving. This can be particularly helpful if you have pain and stiffness in your neck.
You can also combat blind spots in your car by installing additional mirrors to your doors.
3) Braking and accelerating
If you’re comfortable using one or both feet, you may be able to drive an unadapted automatic car.
Solution
Whilst the brake and accelerator is usually controlled with your right foot, if this isn’t possible, one option could be to have an accelerator fitted on the left side of the brake pedal (where the clutch would sit in a manual vehicle) so that the vehicle can be operated with your left foot instead. These are usually made removable so that other people can drive your car if necessary.
If you don’t have use of your legs and feet, ask for advice from your doctor about whether hand controls are likely to make your arthritis worse. If you drive an automatic car, you can then approach a specialist converter to have hand controls installed. They might also install a footrest and a guard to keep you comfortable and stop your feet from interfering with the foot pedals.
4) Turning the steering wheel
When stiffness and tenderness is a particular problem in your hands and wrists, gripping the steering wheel can be painful.
Solution
If you find the steering in your car to be too heavy, speak to a specialist mechanic about making it lighter.
Another way to make steering easier is by covering the wheel with a foam tape or a thick steering wheel cover.
If you need to steer with one hand, you can have a steering ball or spinner fitted, which will free up your other hand for using the hand controls. Spinners are available in different shapes and sizes, so you should be able to find one that’s easy to grip and comfortable to use.
