Quantcast

Don’t wear a lumbar support too much

Don’t wear a lumbar support too much.  Your natural back brace is made up of abdominal muscles, spinal muscles and core muscles.  If you wear a lumbar support too much, you’ll weaken these muscles.  In other words, your body can become dependent on the use of a back support and its excessive use can ultimately weaken your back, your muscles can become lazy. Wrapping a brace around your waist can feel like support initially.  At first, wearing a brace may alleviate pain but, since its prolonged use may cause your core muscles weaken, when you choose to remove it your pain will instead be worse.

 

When you wear a lumbar support too much the supportive spinal muscles, the deep abdominal and back muscles that normally support your spine, will lose their strength.  Muscles need to be consistently exercised in order to stay strong.  These muscles are less active while your spine is being artificially supported by a belt.  Once these muscles become weaker, when you stop wearing the belt, you may be more susceptible to injury and more likely to hurt your back. 

When you wear a lumbar support too much you may also have a false sense of strength and support and you may lift heavier, bend and twist at the waist more often or sit longer.   

There are times when wearing a back brace is beneficial such as immediately following a severe injury or after a surgical procedure.  Wearing a lumbar support is useful till healing takes place and muscles regain their strength.  In these cases gradual removal of the back support is achieved by implementing a physical therapy regimen in order to strengthen the muscles.

Wearing a supportive belt could also be beneficial during the lifting of very heavy objects.  However, rather than wearing a belt, it is best to focus on using proper form and posture when bending, lifting and sitting, and to perform conditioning exercises regularly to keep your trunk muscles strong.  

 

 

 

http://www.drweitz.com/scientific/Backbelt.htm