Daily laborer or weekend warrior…how to do prepare for spine-demanding chores? What do you do when you need to move a heavy package? Get the back brace or brace yourself? The “brace yourself” alternative may be the superior approach! New Hampshire Spine and Sport proposes back braces for back pain patients who may be helped by their support. We also suggest self-controlled activities to Southern New Hampshire back pain sufferers to safeguard the spine when its use is required (hefting boxes, digging holes, raking, etc.)
BACK BRACES FOR BACK PAIN PREVENTION: Not All It Seems
Asymptomatic workers were told to wear back belts at work with the aim of lessening low back pain or injury. 1380 published medical studies were considered. Reviewers uncovered no consistent evidence for back belt use to prevent low back pain or occupational back pain in workers. Absenteeism was not decreased with back belt utilization either. (1) Mind you, this review was of back brace wearing by asymptomatic workers. In this circumstance, the back belt is not for everyone. Now for Southern New Hampshire back pain sufferers, the back belt offers benefits. Non-rigid lumbar support belts are reported to help non-specific low back pain sufferers with their pain and disability. (3) The decision of belt use is where your Southern New Hampshire back pain specialist at New Hampshire Spine and Sport comes in to figure out what is best for each back pain sufferer. Each Southern New Hampshire back pain sufferer – office worker, factory worker, family manager, etc. - is unique and must be addressed individually. Putting a back brace on all workers in an effort to reduce back pain for a few doesn’t work as this paper demonstrates that a back brace may benefit some but not all.
ABDOMINAL BRACING MAY WORK BETTER
Abdominal bracing is a self-controlled, pre-activity motion, a deliberate way of increasing spine stiffness to limit spine displacement before doing a spine-demanding task. It appears to work according to researchers! Abdominal bracing is personally controlled. In a recent study, abdominal bracing significantly reduced sagittal plane motion from the lower thoracic spine (T12) throughout the lower lumbar spine (L4L5): by 45% at L4L5, by 94% at L1L2, and 50% at L5S1. Such self-bracing initiated all abdominal and back muscles. Flexion motion was restricted at the majority of lumbar spine levels when challenging trunk flexion demands are encountered with abdominal bracing. (2) It’s worth knowing how to do! New Hampshire Spine and Sport is ready to show you how to do this worthy movement as part of your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic treatment plan!
SPINAL MANIPULATION WORKS FOR BACK PAIN
New Hampshire Spine and Sport uses a comprehensive chiropractic treatment plan for those occasions when the back pain just won’t go away. When work duties or chores leave your spine - cervical, thoracic or lumbar - hurting, The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management mixes gentle, relieving spinal manipulation with specific exercise and nutritional advice to get you back to life.
CONTACT New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Jenna Kloor on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes the value of helping a patient be able to do something like walking to help herself as she recovered from her back pain episode with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management and even be able to shovel snow!
Schedule your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment soon. We help our Southern New Hampshire workers and weekend warriors prevent and recover from spine pain.