Low Back Pain? Take the Belt off!
Reported April 24, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — At any given time, 31 million Americans are suffering from low back pain. It’s a common problem, especially for people in professions that require heavy lifting.
Many people attempt to remedy their lower back pain by wearing lumbar or lower back supports — the large supportive belts that can be worn around the waist. But new research shows these belts are not particularly useful for preventing low back pain. In fact, data shows lumbar supports are no more effective than lifting education or no treatment at all in preventing pain or reducing disability in those who suffer from low back pain.
Researchers at the Amsterdam School for Health Professionals in the Netherlands looked at 15 studies that included more than 15,000 people with low back pain. In an analysis that measured prevention of pain and number of sick days used, they found no difference between people who used lumbar supports and those who didn’t use them.
“We recommend the general population and workers not wear lumbar supports to prevent low back pain or for the management of low back pain,” the study’s lead author Ingrid van Duijvenbode, was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2008, Issue 2