At any given moment, approximately 1/3 of the US population suffers from low back pain (LBP), and nearly 80 to 90% of us have at least 1 moderate to severe bout of it in our lifetime. The reasons why vary as much as the colors of a festive garden, but the result seems to be approximately the same; pain and varying terms of disability. There are many different modalities and tools that chiropractors may use in these circumstances for both prevention and treatment, and one of the more commonly seen is the back brace.
Back braces come in many different styles, shapes, and sizes, which one, if any, should you be wearing,for how long, and during what activities? There has been some debate in the medical world on this exact topic, and based on the current published research and human biomechanics, they appear to be greatly overused. Back braces do exactly what you would expect, which is embrace and stabilizes the back, but it may do so with some negative adaptation of inhibiting or “weakening” one’s core. This can be problematic as our core musculature is what keeps us upright ,able to hold heavy objects safely, and is the foundation of protecting one’s spine. In my experience, about 90% of non traumatic back pain (pain caused by something other than direct damage such as a car accident, fall, etc) occurs at least in part due to an inhibited or “weak” core. Our bodies are fantastic at adapting. If it doesn’t feel the need to use a specific muscle, it’ll quickly adapt by inhibiting it, or “shutting it off”. This is the underlying reason why our posture is poor from sitting all day. Our core goes silent as we hunch and roll our shoulders forward, and our bodies then collect that as the norm and the subconscious habit is formed. In terms of a back brace, it’ll be snug to help stabilize the lumbar spine. With it being snug, our bodies over time adapt and relax the core so to speak because the brace is doing the work for us. Since the brace is doing all the work, the musculature and ligaments of the back will atrophy or waste over time making one even more prone to injury while not wearing the brace. This is not to say that back braces are to be avoided like the plague, as there are times that could be beneficial to wear them. Multiple conditions chiropractors may see such as spinal instability, scoliosis, post surgery, or any condition with severe pain that is relieved with a brace, may require a brace short term. Those that are healing from an injury and have a physical job such as in a ware house may be suggested for one as well, but in all these cases, core development and spinal stability training should be done so the core can get developed and the brace can be left behind. Similar to the concept of crutches, they are best used in the interim until one is able to perform typically without them.
Another common style of back braces used are seen routinely in the gym. Frequently power lifters will use them as extra support while attempting to lift extremely heavy weight. This may not be a bad idea even if your core is very strong, but it tends to get over used. For lighter lifts that aren’t “back-breakingly heavy” for the individual, it’s likely best to do so naturally so the body doesn’t adapt and get used to not firing the core musculature while repeating similar activities in the gym, home, or anywhere else for that matter
Like any health related advice, it becomes very personal and circumstantial, so if your unsure if you could benefit from a back brace, or want a spinal exam to assess spinal and core health, visit www.functionised.com/chiropractic.html and schedule a chiropractic exam in Colts Neck NJ. Have a healthy week, and get Functionised!
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