TOP-5 Best Back Support Braces Worth Buying in the UK | What Do Medical Practitioners & Fitness Instructors Say About their Effectiveness? | Buyer’s Guide
A few years back, my mom had injured her back when she slipped on the icy ground. It was not really severe, but the lower back pain kept her up at night and caused her a lot of discomfort. As part of the treatment and prevention therapy, the doctor prescribed her to wear a lumbar back brace, but no more than 5 hours per day. She said it helped her tremendously: it made it easier for her to deal with the moderate pain and encouraged her to stay active (which turned out to be crucial in the healing process).
In this article, I tried to find out if braces help with lower back pain and recovery. I’ve researched the subject, including the opinions of medical healthcare practitioners, fitness instructors, and alternative medicine devotees, as well as excerpts and conclusions of primary scientific research papers. The prices range from £16 to £50 to make it easier to narrow your choices.
From this comprehensive review, you’ll learn: how to wear braces, how to choose the best one for your specific needs, why braces can be effective in treating adolescent scoliosis, why fitness trainers recommend using the brace if you are overweight, and what precautions you need to be aware of when wearing a lumbar brace.
For back pain, there is also a spinal Decompression Back Lumbar Support that provides support and stabilization for the lower back and a Beurer wireless mobile heating belt that can be worn comfortably and not visibly under the clothing.
How Does a Lower Back Brace Work?
Back support braces usually fit around a patient’s waist and are fastened with Velcro. Additional stability is achieved by the supportive steel/plastic springs or a plate that conforms to the patient’s back; some lumbar devices have adjustable straps that enhance comfort during use and help minimize discomfort in the groin area.
Manufacturers claim that back support braces provide enough compression and support for the lower back to help in the recovery process against such ailments as chronic back pain, muscle strains, lumbar orthosis, osteoarthritis/arthritis, sciatica, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, and hernias, as well as develop better posture for working and reduce industrial low-back injuries.
Back Braces in Fitness
My husband, who is a certified fitness instructor, says that he would recommend lumbar back braces for people with excessive weight, chronic diseases (such as protrusions and hernia), as well as those in the early rehabilitation stages after injuries.
During his 10-year work experience, he observed that the belt reduced the axial load on the lumbosacral spine and allowed his clients to live fuller and more active life. In addition to using the support brace, he recommends strengthening exercises for the cortex muscles (abdominal and lower back).
Also, if a client has mild back pain but still wants to continue with the usual training, he recommends using the support brace to reduce the weight burden on the spine and relieve the pain.
He advises using the belt along with other sports equipment. For example, press the legs, the back is fixed and supported both by the belt and by the fitness equipment, and train separately upper back and hands. Some other types of planks and exercises are possible; all must be approved by a certified trainer and done under his or her careful supervision.
How Back Braces Differ | Reviews
In this review, I’ll cover the best back braces currently on the market; describe their main features and differences, both advantages and disadvantages. You’ll learn the different types of lumbar support braces: supportive steel springs, adjustable straps, breathable mesh, a brace resembling a classic corset - in short, all significant braces with the most positive reviews.
Mueller Lumbar Support Back Brace with Removable Pad
A Mueller lumbar brace is specifically designed for sports injuries. Judging by the reviews and comments, it’s one of the best back braces for sports. The manufacturer claims that this back support brace relieves muscular weakness and osteoarthritis/arthritis, reduces the load on the intervertebral I disc (L1-L5), and can be used for posture control, lifting activities, etc.
Mueller Lumbar Support Back Brace has a double-layer design allowing a custom fit and adjustable compression to the abdomen and lower back. It has a plastic component that reduces brace rolling, as well as a special removable lumbar pad that cushions and compresses the lower back. One of the advantages of this lumbar brace is that it has supportive steel springs that fit the natural curvature of your spine. Mueller Lumbar Support Back Brace is available in regular and plus sizes.
Lower Back Brace with Adjustable Waist Straps
Its primary focus is on protecting L4 L5 S1 Lumbar vertebrae. It also has two nylon bars that specifically target the psoas muscle in the waist to help alleviate the muscle soreness. A sophisticated yet easy-to-use pulley mechanism adjusts the back to the position and supports the customer's needs.
The manufacturer states that this lumbar brace is suitable for scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and herniated disc, among other lumbar ailments. While it almost certainly helps alleviate the discomforts associated with these diseases, one should always consult a doctor before buying any type of specialized equipment. King of Kings lumbar brace might also be immensely beneficial for people with jobs involving the risk of lower back pain; the manufacturer explicitly lists the following activities that might require additional back support: gardening, fishing, heavy manual labor, and driving.
Brace with Adjustable Suspenders
This back brace has a wide and lengthy Velcro loop which makes it easier to wear, tighten, customize, adjust, and remove the brace, as well as reduce or eliminate ridging of skin while bending or sitting.
Removable suspenders reduce the pressure on the groin area and provide additional lumbar support, especially during laborious industrial tasks. One of the main advantages is that this belt comes in eight sizes to ensure a customer chooses a perfect fit.
How to Choose the Best Back Brace
Due to the complexity of the back, pain can originate from any number of causes, so it’s best to ask your doctor for recommendations; perhaps, he/she will direct you to a specific brace for your problem.
Other than that, make sure you choose the right size for your body, which suits your spinal curvature and makes you feel comfortable.
Almost all good lumbar support back braces have removable pads that cushion and compress the lower back, providing more support.
If you are involved in strenuous labor or would like to purchase a back brace for fitness, then look for breathable mesh backing that would take care of the excessive moisture during any physical activity.
Choose the back brace that would allow a tighter tension adjustment (if necessary) with side straps, as well as minimize the risk of bunching and slipping.
If you need additional back support, then perhaps it’s best to choose a brace with removable suspenders.
Pros & Cons of Using a Back Brace. Who Can Benefit from Wearing It?
- As discussed earlier, wearing braces can benefit adolescents during major growth spurts, especially in reducing or preventing idiopathic scoliosis. The major disadvantage, though, is that braces have to be worn for more than 13 hours per day and for more than one year (sometimes even for three years). The prolonged hours of wearing a brace as opposed to a few hours of operation, unfortunately, do not add more kudos to lumbar bracing.
Teenagers complain that they have to wear baggy clothes to conceal wearing a back support, which makes them uncomfortable and more introverted.
- Another group that can benefit from lower back bracing is workers involved in manual labor, where wearing back support can help prevent more industry-related back injuries. However, there is not sufficient evidence to recommend that uninjured workers wear the supports.
- Athletes can reap the benefits of an enhanced range of motion, and while braces are not effective in preventing back pain during athletic activities, they can certainly help alleviate the pain and serve as an effective treatment in combination with other preventive interventions.
However, along with the benefits come the costs of wearing a lumbar brace which can lead to negative side effects if used inappropriately or long term: muscle wasting, skin lesions, and gastrointestinal problems, among others.
Precautions for Using/Wearing a Lumbar Brace
First of all, if you experience severe pain, you’d better see a doctor as soon as you can. If your lower back pain is uncompromisingly serious and severe, the back brace won’t help much. But if you experience a moderate or low level of pain, then back belts and braces can help you tolerate it, or, otherwise, ease your discomfort to a certain degree.
If, for some reason, the pain still persists, then see a doctor again to rule out serious ailments associated with back pain (like kidney stones or even cancer). Ask your doctor if he/she supports the use of a back brace in your specific case. And once your doctor approves the use of lumbar support devices, then try to find the one that will best fit your body.
The last bit of advice is especially important because wearing a back brace (if done wrong) leads to skin irritation, uncomfortable rubbing, and even lesions. But if lumbar support fits well and is worn according to your doctor’s instructions, it should not cause any health issues. To avoid any skin problems, it’s recommended to wear an undershirt between your body and back brace.
You should not become reliant on your back brace. Lumbar support can never be a long-term solution. Brace dependency can result in muscle atrophy. It is important to work on strengthening your core muscles, use other treatments as advised by your doctor to supplement wearing a back brace.
Try to figure out your physical boundaries to avoid reinjuring your back. Don’t try to outperform your physical limitations while wearing a support brace or when you stop wearing it.
What do the medical practitioners say?
Scientists’ opinions vary a great deal in terms of the effectiveness of lumbar braces. But most of them agree on its overall short-term efficiency in treating mild to moderate pain.
Fitness trainers, for example, specifically recommend not using the brace to treat lower back pain but for preventing injuries and in combination with other fitness equipment, to train other body parts while reducing the spinal pressure. Let’s look closer at some of the research findings to figure out where braces can and cannot help.
One of the most recent study (2017) published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concludes that there is almost no difference in pain or function between lumbar support added for treatment with treatment alone or other interventions in patients with acute or subacute low back pain. The study also specifically states that regardless of treatment, patients improve over time. Thus, clinicians and patients should select nonpharmacological or nonsurgical treatments first to alleviate the short-term pain associated with acute and subacute low back pain.
Another earlier study (2008) in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published on PubMed concludes that there is, in fact, moderate evidence against using lumbar supports as they are no more effective than no intervention at all. However, authors still express their concerns regarding the need for high-quality randomized trials on the effectiveness of back braces, since patients involved in trials didn’t always comply with the requirements to wear the braces for adequate periods of time.
In AmeriHealth Caritas' recent policy on Spinal orthoses (2017), which is solely based on evidence-based medicine, authors gathered information from a few scientific sources which recommended bracing neither for spinal fusion nor for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures due to lack of evidence.
While some of these findings and conclusions seem disappointing and discouraging, there are, however, studies that advocate using lumbar supports in the treatment of scoliosis. In 2013, The New England Journal of Medicine published an article on the effects of bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, which concluded that bracing significantly decreased the progression of the most common form of scoliosis in adolescents and helped teenagers avoid painful spine surgeries.
Another more or less encouraging study conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health back in 1996 observed the effects of mandatory wearing of low back belts by nearly 36,000 employees of Home Depot Stores in California. The researchers concluded that the use of back support braces significantly reduced acute low-back work injuries.
It is not surprising, however, that contrary to modern medical science, supporters of alternative medicine often favor the use of back braces. As published in US News, Scott Bautch, president of the American Chiropractic Association's council on occupational health, said that during the course of his 30-year career, hundreds of patients with mild to moderate subacute back pain used lumbar braces with a significant degree of success.
FAQ
Yes, most of the braces are designed for you to be able to move, bend, and lift objects while providing additional support for your lower back. However, it’s best to read the description to each particular brace carefully to see if it’s flexible enough for your specific needs before buying it.
To prevent any sweating or rubbing against your skin, you should wear it over a shirt. Also, look for lumbar braces made with breathable materials.
Proper exercise techniques under the supervision of a certified instructor should not lead to back injuries. However, if you have already injured your back or have mild pain in the lower part of your body, exercising with lower back braces can help alleviate the pain or provide additional support to prevent further injuries.
Look at the instructions carefully: usually, for each brace, there is a description on choosing the right size for your body complexion. Most of the time you have to measure yourself around the mid-section of the waist to determine your proper size.
Most of the reviews suggest that braces either don’t show under the uniform or can be slightly visible.
Conclusion
While there is no sufficient evidence on the effectiveness of using and wearing back support braces in treating most of the lumbar ailments, many people claim that it certainly helps them to reduce the lower back pain short-term or eliminate it together.
That being said, many back braces manufacturers state that lumbar braces can be used for preventing back pain or reducing the risks of back injuries in sports and manual labor. Before buying a lumbar support brace for you, please, consult your healthcare physician.
If you are looking for a heating belt for low-back pain, read Best Heating Pads for Back Pain in the UK Compared
