Protecting your back using back support belts is a good remedy for those who are suffering from back problems such as joint pain, back injury, back muscle strain or people who are recovering after surgery.
Although preventing back pain is recommended, if you are already facing acute or subacute pain in the lumbar region and want to continue your work routine, a back support belt is a good option for you. These belts are also used in the workplaces where heavy lifting is needed.
There are many lumbar support belts are available in the market but not all of them are equally effective and as such it is recommended to take into consideration the pros and cons of each product before deciding on one option.
An orthopaedic lumbar support belt is designed in such a way that it provides enough support to your back muscles and helps in the reduction of your back pain which may happen due to muscle spasm, strain, injuries, sprains and the problems of intervertebral discs.
Orthopaedic lumbar belts effectively treat your lower back pain by following mechanisms:
Provides Sufficient Support
The support belt wearers confessed that during the periods of acute back pain, wearing the belt provided them with pain relief while their body was in various stances, i.e. sitting down, getting up, or perform any other posture changing movement.
Stabilises The Back
A lumbar brace supports your lower spine and provides more stabilization of the back and abdomen. It also tends to shift the weight from the lumbar region to the abdomen. Thus, stress from back muscles is lessened and pain is reduced.
Tends to Reduce the Micro Movements at Back Joints
If you are suffering from back injury, you must reduce your movements at the vertebral column. This is because the healing process is enhanced by limiting micro-movements. The back belt acts to limit the micro movements significantly at the joints of the vertebral column causing the enhancement in the healing process and reduction of pain, and reducing the possibility of further damage of the spinal nerve.
Corrects the Back Deformity
If you have any back deformity that is either congenital or postoperative, a waist support belt helps in the correction of deformity because it keeps the vertebral column in the normal anatomical position. With the correction of back deformity, back pain is significantly minimized.
Massaging and Heating Effect
Some belts are designed in such a way that they have massaging as well as heating elements. The massaging effect improves blood circulation and reduces inflammation. Your tense muscles are thus relaxed, and your pain is relieved.
Lessens Muscle Stress
Workers who do heavy lifting or other jobs that involve frequently twisting or stretching the muscles, are more prone to developing an acute episode of back pain. These physical activities put too much strain on lumbar muscles, causing injury or lumbar back pain. They need a back support belt to prevent lower backache or to treat an acute episode of back pain. The lumbar belt keeps the vertebral column in proper alignment, but it should only be used during your work routine, and not while resting.
Acts to Flatten Your Tummy
For people who do not feel comfortable with a bulging tummy, lumbar supports work wonders. It helps tighten the muscle of their abdomen, causing a reduction of extra pressure from the lumbar region of their vertebral column. Thus, the lower back pain is significantly reduced.
Enhances Your Working Capacity During Daily Routine
If you are unable to perform your daily routine tasks due to backache, a waist support belt keeps you moving. You can perform your routine tasks more easily while wearing a back brace because it corrects your posture, keeps your vertebral column in normal anatomical position and gives you an effect of pain relief.
Prevents the Irritation of Facet Joints
When you bend forward, your back pressure is aggravated while when you bend back. As a result, your facet joints are irritated. This can induce back pain, or if you are already suffering from back pain, may enhance your misery.
Pain due to this condition radiates to limbs as well. But if you wear a proper support belt during a period of backache, you can avoid the irritation of your facet joints and enhancement of pressure on your intervertebral discs.
Stimulation of Muscle Receptors
It’s a great benefit to wear an orthopaedic lumbar belt that it stimulates your muscle receptors too. The material of a belt ensures controlled compression to the back muscles with the panel inserts. If you move, it allows the mobilisation of your back in a controlled manner, which is good for the healing process of your damaged soft tissues.
Backrack Spinal Decompression Belt
Scientific Evidence for using Lumbar Support Belts
It is proven from a “2014 study in the journal Spine” that stronger lumbar support belts provide more motion restriction and trunk stiffness, which provide more standard care for lower back pain.
Another report in the “Fukushima Journal of Medical Science” in 2012 narrated that the use of lumbar spine belts for the treatment of lumbar pain causes significant pain relief as well as enhance muscle strength relevant to a limited time period. Back muscles are not weakened by the extended use of back belts and they provide enough support to the back.
A 2015 study in the journal PLoS One explained that lower back supports make better the health and quality of life of the patient, causes improvement in the postural steadiness, and lessens sacroiliac joint related aches. The authors claim that these belts are considered both cost-effective and low-risk, preventive and treatment modality for sacroiliac joint pain.
According to A 2002 study in the Journal of Occupational Medicine, 70% of home care workers with lumbar back pain confessed that they benefited from wearing a back support belt. The Compliance ratio was good. Wearing a belt has a good effect on the outcome, which is greatly influenced by the patient’s thoughts and beliefs.
Additional Information
In using a back belt, it is important to remember not to wear it for long periods of time.
You should also take it off before going to bed, as it’s not recommended to sleep with the belt on.
If you have been suffering from back pain for a long time, it is belt to consult your doctor to rule out any serious conditions, such as any form of damage to the spinal cord or nerve roots in the spine, spinal stenosis, ankylosis spondylitis, or even spinal tumours.
Additionally, wearing a belt is not a replacement for physical therapy. In the case of chronic low back pain, spinal manipulation provides quicker and more advanced relief from pain.
Author: Spinal Backrack
