DOES YOUR LUMBAR SPINE SUPPORT(BELT) HELP YOU IN REDUCING YOUR LOW BACK PAIN?

 

The specific cause of low back pain (infections/ fractures) may benefit from the use of lumbar support(lumbar belt) in adjunct to other management. In such cases, we aim at reducing the activity of muscles surrounding the joint by providing relative immobilization (passive support) to facilitate the healing process.

On the other hand, the non-specific low back pains are most times of mechanical origin which requires an active approach in the form of specific exercise for its recovery. Passive support like a lumbar belt if used in such cases can make a patient dependent and in the long run, can lead to spinal muscle weakness.

The Mckenzie method of Mechanical diagnosis and therapy follows a thorough assessment and examination which rightly classifies patients into subgroups and identifies who would benefit from exercise and who would not, thus leading to better outcomes.

Having low back pain is not always equivalent to using a lumbar (belt) support. It will depend on what your cause relates to.

Sonali Mehta

Physiotherapist

Cert. MDT