I have a 2009 Cooper, automatic, that I love. I injured my hamstrings running about 2 years ago, have done PT, injections, etc, with only mild relief. I noticed this week that if I drive our other car, a minivan, my hams don't get nearly as sore as when I drive my Mini (even though I sit on a soft pillow in my Mini). Has anyone else had sciatica or leg/glute pain in their Mini? if so, how did you address it? Thanks! (I'm terrified I will end up having to change cars!)

 

I have a 2009 Clubman S Auto. I found that the seat was a little different from my older car too. I just keep the seat height as high as I can, to support my legs. I may have to change seat positions from time to time, if I have a temporary problem. But no real problems after I got used to the car in a week or two.
The best thing that I have found is to do some muscle stretches once or twice a day to relieve the sciatica pain. But I'm sure that you and your PT know that.

 

I agree. Keep doing the PT.
I noticed only that the mini has the ride of the caddilac in comparison to
the CRX. (BTW, I have had some skelatal issues just to let you know).

Also, the best way that I have found to combat being hurt/having injuries/being old/whatever is to be impossibly strong. So consider
a weight program too.

 

I drive mine about 1200-1400 miles per week lately. I get the normal soreness from being in one position too long during the 600 mile commute. I compensate by adjusting the back angle and the seat height when needed.

 

Try raising the seat height a bit. That's been the only thing I've been able to do to help with it.

 

I'm actually a Personal Trainer myself so im glad I finally found a threa I could possibly help as much as possible.. So being that you only do have a small space to work with in your mini.. Your leg is more likely to act up or get irritated so since I'm not gonna tell you to get ride of your mini because that's just rediculous. I will tell you the best thing for you to do is workout and stregthen our body (notice I said body) you need to work out your whole body and not just your hurt or weakened leg. Cause then your whole bodies system increases your muscle rebuilding process which will improve your driving experience in your amazing mini and your daily life.. Everything becomes much better.. Sry if I just ranted but it's my occupation and when I get to be able to help somebody with what knowledge I have I just jump on it lol.. But I wish you the best with your mini experiences.. And just ask any question you want in this thread or pm me if you want any exercises that would help you out

 

Sry just read over my poorly written rant (i blame my iphone) and most of it doesn't make sense so if you have any question just pm me and I'll try to give the best answer possible.

 

Go to your neighborhood auto upholstery shop or find out who your dealer uses. Maybe they can chage the way your seat fits and possibly add heated seats. Does a different style of Mini seat fit you better? Not a lot of support in the base seat.

 

+1!!!

Bandaiding the issue with adjustments to get comfortable is just that, a bandaid.

 

I do agree with keeping up the PT (I'm an athletic trainer by trade) and stretching.

Does it seem like a pain from pressure, or from position? Either way, seat adjustment will probably help. I know some folks were experiencing a sciatica-type pain and it's because the front of the seat was angled too far upward, digging into the hamstrings/glutes. So you might try lowering it more to relieve that. If it's positional I'd just keep messing around with the assorted adjustments and see what works.

 

For what it's worth, I recently had to get rid of my manual transmission MINI because the left leg/clutch action was killing my knee. Add to that the seat was killing my back. Not sure your age... but I just turned the ripe old age of 45 and decided it just wasnt worth the pain. As much as I loved my MINI, I have no regrets.

 

you need to do strength training... need to.. when you start getting older and i mean older you will deff be thankful you did the strength training.. my mom who is also a personal trainer is well "over the hill" and has never had a injury in her life...

 

It was so heartwarming to see all the posts! I am so discouraged after 2 years of pain, and the thought of getting rid of my Mini makes me feel even worse. I turned 44 today, and I do feel old and decrepit. Enough lamenting...
So, I tried raising the seat up this week, and it hasn't helped much. I actually got injured working out with a trainer, who had me sprinting. I was really strong then, and have lost a lot of muscle and conditioning since my injury. I will try to adjust the angle of the seat, based on what MLPearson suggested, as well as going to my dealer to see what they suggest. I so regret not getting the heated seats! I was trying to find a way to angle this into justifying getting a Countryman, but not sure if that will help. I guess I have to check those seats out. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

yay sadly enough there are alot of wanna be trainers out there that just do stupid stupid stuff. you deff should have never been sprinting with a injury thats just rediculous!!

 

I am very interested in this issue -- because, regrettably, the Countryman I just got is causing me significant discomfort. Finally picked up my baby (my first mini!!) and after 45 minutes began to have distinct discomfort. The angle of the lovely seat puts pressure on my pelvic bones, and I was having leg pain, too. I think I've solved the leg/sciatica pain with adjusting the angles, but not the hip pain. I am 49, but have spent the past 9 months becoming much fitter -- using a pretty intense "boot camp" program, so total body workout, weights, cardio, abs, the works, and was able to complete a challenging cycling trip in hilly Portugal last fall. I haven't been this fit since college, so I'm not sure I can do much there. It really feels like my German-American pelvis is a bit too wide!! I am in LOVE with this car, apart from this one issue... any cushions or other items that can fix this? I have a long commute and need to be comfortable.

 

I have the same leg pain issues. I think the seat bottom on the sport seat is too narrow , too deep and too short- it crams you into a bad position in relation to the gas pedal. I use a pad that I made from an aftermarket full seat pad. It helps a bit but is not a total solution.

 

I find that the lower seat cushion is just too short. I find that it seems to be a matter of lower thigh support in my case. I'm not that tall (6'), 27 yrs old, I run regularly and I just can't figure out why these are the only seats I've had this issue with.

 

Spent the last two days driving my husband's Odyssey, and I can definitely tell the Mini makes the pain worse. My husband, who's been driving my Mini, says it's reactivated his sciatica. I guess I need to start shopping. :( Sounds like a Countryman isn't the issue. I know I should be grateful I had at least 2 years with my sweet little car (her name is Mini Pearl). Not sure if there are any "Hee Haw" fans out there...

 

I used to have comfort issues as well. A combination of three things helped:1) I put 1/2 spacers under the front of the seat rails. This put a slight tilt on the bottom portion of the seat. This slighly changes the angle of your legs. I am tall so I could not raise the entire seat up.2) I retrofitted the lumbar support into my seat. It was not originally equipped with lumbar support.3) I went to an upholstery shop and had the foam in the "wings" replaced with a softer type of foam. The shop actually cut the wings off and made new ones that were softer.Maybe one or all of these may help.

 

Iguanad,
Can you elaborate? I am encouraged by your suggestions, but I am very auto-illiterate, and don't quite understand some of the terms you used. What are 1/2 spacers? And how did you add lumbar support? And did you add a lumbar pillow? I have one that I use on my desk chair. I could get one for my car. I will check into getting the upholstery changed. Thanks very much for all the suggestions!

 

1/2" spacers are stainless steel nuts that I put under the seat rails. I removed the two torx bolts that hold down the front of the seat. Placed the spacers under the seat rail where the holes for the bolts are, they are larger than the bolts, then put the bolts back in. This raises the front of the seat by 1/2 inch. it doesnt sound like much but it makes a big difference. I did not add a lumbar pillow. My car did not have lumbar support. Some MINIs do. I bought the parts for a seat that is equipped with lumbar support and installed them in my vehicle. There is a thread on this somewhere, search for lumbar retrofit. I hope this helps.

 

Reading all these posts is seriously bummimng me out. I have recently taken a few MINIs out on test drives and found the seats seem to agravate my sciatica pain as well. Now the seats in question were in an '07 and '10 Cooper (Justa) so I guess they are the base model seats. I did sit in a Countryman with the lounge leather seats and it did seem better. They were softer and wider so the side bolster (left side is the one that bugs me) didn't dig in as much. I see one of our MINI dealers has a 2010 Mayfair edition (not sure what that is) that has the lounge leather so I might give that one a test drive this week as I hate to give up on my MINI ownership dream too quickly. Having said that though I have spent the last three years putting up with pain with my '08 Tacoma sport seats and don't want to go through that again. Right now I have a big lambswool cover on the seat which helps but don't really want to put one of those in a MINI.
I guess I need to get back to doing my stretching exercises that my massage therapist taught me! :-)
Thanks,
Alan

 

Wow you made me feel soooo good about myself and adding 2000 miles to my car in three weeks ... that is one hell of a commute ...

For the OP, I always get pains in my lower body when driving my mini and i leave my wallet in the back pocket ... maybe this could elp ?? im a salesman not a DR so I dont really understand the body like that but maybe it might help ?? cause it makes a big difference when im motoring !!

 

Unfortunately I never carry my wallet in my back pocket so I guess I can rule that one out. :-)
Thanks,
Alan

 

Stretch, stretch and more stretch !! I have MS and the one thing that keeps me nimble and painless, is to stretch. Even when sitting and relaxing, I use a wide elastic band and stretch muscles in my legs.
I do stretches for every muscle in my body. My gait is wobbley which can effect the back, pelvis and leg areas. To combat that, there are specific stretches which can be looked up on-line, or shown by a PT.
It doesn't take long to see the good results of daily stretches and I hope your MINI days are good ones, always.