Brand new member and his sciatic nerve from these dang seats .

Howdy from Tennessee...I have surfed for knowledge here before so I finally joined...
I have been reading up here on the seat woahs that seem to be across the board on the stock seats..The only time I have Sciatic pain is when I drive my 07 Tacoma..I will eventually swap or modify mine..But in the meantime, are any of you old guys having this problem ?? I have tried supporting my leg with various stuff...I just haven't been able to get it dialed in yet..I machined a couple of aluminum square pieces and raised the front of my seat almost an inch..I raised the rear about a half inch..I can see now and it helped some..Anyone have advise for an old hippie ?

 

nope

 

I'm 37 and in great shape but I have a blown out back from multiple injuries from my line of work. I got the risers for the seat mounts and they made a huge difference. I also use a pillow the size and shape of a coke bottle on long (6+ hour) trips.

Outside of what you've already done I can't think of much besides taking the seat covers off and adding new/more foam. Good luck to you.

 

crank the lumbar support as much as you can - also just making sure that you do not sit on your wallet - could be compressing the nerve where it travels through your glutes

 

Soneone on TW makes those spacers. I think they are made from square aluminum and are about 1 inch thick. He sells them with longer bolts which is a higher graded bolt than OEM.
There was a pair of these posted for sale on 6/26 at 20:08 by Dlovell90. He was asking for $38.00 Shipped

 

My TRD seats are really comfortable. I've always loved them

 

I think you need to raise the back, not the front.


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fs-aluminum-seat-spacers-for-seat-mod.563843/

 

By far the best advice. I had sciatic nerve problems when I was 40 (25 years ago) and it was the worst pain I have ever experienced. Fortunately I went against the suggestion of surgery, but instead started a life long regiment of exercise that keeps me pain free.

BTW- I raised the back of the DS seat about an inch which did help with the overall comfort. Now if I could just widen the bolsters a little bit...

 

Yes, raise the back so that the "bucket" seat flattens out and there is less stretch on the sciatic nerve. Also is it your right or left side? moving the seat forward a bit can help as well so that your leg is less stretched out and again stretching the sciatic nerve. Generally stretching your hip flexors and strengthening your hip flexors will help as well.

btw I am a physical therapist... Something that I recommend to my patients as well is a cushion like this that will flatten the seat out:

$55 Tush Cush Original Orthopedic Seat Cushion - Navy Fabric

https://www.amazon.com/Tush-Cush-Or...ld=1&keywords=tush+cush&qid=1593379997&sr=8-5

 

I’ve driven my truck with TRD seats 14 hours straight without any pain.

 

I must've missed the part where you previously stated having sciatic nerve pain while driving your truck, found out how to alleviate that pain and now able to drive long distances, thus having a productive contribution to the thread and this guys problem........

 

Did you test drive the truck before you bought it ?

 

Not really giving a shit what you missed Scooter.

I am pointing out that the seats are not the problem since he blames them in the thread title. His body is the problem. There are treatments and exercises to alleviate sciatica. I have had sciatica and treated it successfully at home. Let the OP decide what’s relevant, not you.

 

Thanks guys..I will use the exercise and stretching that was recommended..I still am thinking the seats are part of this because I don't have this problem driving other vehicles...And I did notice a bunch of posts about swapping out the Tacoma seats and whatnot...I wonder what all that is about now...But Thanks much !

 

It is not recommended to raise the front, which is why no one sells front raisers but many sell rear raisers. With the way the front mounts attach to the floor, raising them will cause significantly increased risk of failure in an accident. I run 1” rear raisers, and changing the angle of the seat by raising the rear does make it more comfortable IMO, but I have no health issues for a comparison.

 

Thanks Crash...Besides the best advice of improving my problem by stretching, I finally see that your point is exactly what I needed to realize..I got my wires crossed by reading stuff about raising the seat for the height itself..And yes, you can buy spacers for the front and back...For height purposes...Now I know I need to raise the rear to solve my problem..Thanks much !

 

You can use washers to start with. This will allow you to go in increments to find the sweet spot. Otherwise take it to good upholstery shop and have them shape your seat better to your needs. Usually a couple hundred bucks

 

Thank you much 749...Y749...You made me realize that I can fix this problem much easier by taking your advice...I'm always looking to modify this truck at every turn..I DO want to raise my view a bit since I'm 5'9"..But not at the expense of some searing pain...lol

 

Sounds like you already raised the rear, return the front to the stock mount and experiment with how much rear lift is comfortable. The stock setup tilts way to far back, feels like a car seat in a truck, leading to an acute back/leg angle which isn’t comfortable IMO. Raising just the rear provides a more upright seating position, and less bend at the hip/back, which I find far more comfortable. It does improve visibility as well.