Should You Consider A Back Brace For Lower Back Pain?

Have you been overlooking lumbar braces because you're not sure if they work? Many people are shocked to learn that they've been ignoring a top way to relieve back pain at home by skipping lumbar braces. Should you consider a back brace? In many cases, lumbar braces are recommended to patients by doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists. In other cases, a friend, family member, or coach might suggest a lumbar brace for someone struggling with back pain. Take a look at the basics of lumbar braces to discover if this option is something worth exploring.

What Is A Back Brace For Lower Back Pain?

A back brace is a wearable device that a person can use to provide natural, ergonomically focused support to their back. A lumbar brace should be comfortable while also helping a person avoid damaging posture habits. Back braces are typically made of a mix of rigid materials and elastic compression bands that create the right balance of "structure" and "give." Prefabricated lumbar braces provide pain sufferers with the benefit of being able to afford a lumbar brace that doesn't require a custom fitting. Lumbar braces are credited with reducing back pain, preventing injuries, helping with recovery, encouraging proper spinal alignment, and promoting correct posture.

Do I Need A Back Brace?

 

Anyone suffering from any pain or stiffness is likely to benefit from the therapeutic benefits of a back brace for lower back pain. When you order an affordable medical-grade brace on your own, there's no need to get approval from physicians or insurance companies to begin enjoying the benefits of a back brace. Some reasons why you might require a lumbar brace include:  

• You can benefit from spinal stabilization following spinal trauma or injury.
• You perform daily activities that increase your risk for back strain and injury.
• You have poor posture.

Some common conditions that have been shown to benefit from the use of lumbar braces include spinal injuries, herniated spinal discs, stenosis, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis. If you have scoliosis, the news on using lumbar braces for preventing further spinal curvature is promising. In fact, early bracing among people with scoliosis has been recommended by experts to help reduce the need for surgery later in life. Bracing may also help pregnant women to avoid pain! In a 2017 study, the use of belts among 46 pregnant women experiencing pain found that belting helped drastically reduce pain levels.

Why Does Bracing Help?

Bracing creates stabilization in areas where musculoskeletal tissue may be weak. Bracing helps reduce pressure on the weakened or injured area by reducing the amount of strength needed to support the bones and muscles. This can provide an opportunity for rest without requiring a person to remain sedentary during recovery. Bracing can be especially important for back pain because it helps to reduce pressure on the spine.

Ultimately, bracing helps reduce pain and pressure while also strengthening the muscle group that has been compromised. Bracing can help prevent further injury by helping a person avoid using postures that compensate for the injury. It's pretty common for untreated injuries to result in additional injuries because we tend to compensate for our posture and movements to avoid putting pressure on an injured muscle or joint. As a result, we create dysfunction in the surrounding tissue groups. That's why back pain tends to lead to neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, and more. Bracing helps us avoid this common "transferred pain" problem by creating sustained proper posture.

How Does Bracing Work?

Bracing helps to keep your back securely aligned. Of course, it's essential to pick the correct type of brace for the area of your body that is injured or inflamed. Fortunately, there's no shortage of specialty braces you can purchase without a prescription from a doctor. Lumbar braces are just the beginning. Some common brace types include:

• Back and waist braces
• Knee braces
• Leg braces
• Shoulder braces
• Elbow braces
• Wrist and hand braces
• Posture correctors

There are many different techniques that can be used when utilizing bracing for healing and therapeutic purposes. In some cases, bracing around the clock is recommended when the goal is to stabilize an area. In other cases, bracing just during waking hours is recommended. Wearing a back brace for lower back pain during work hours can also be a good strategy for saving your body from the strain caused by everything from lifting heavy objects using repetitive motions to sitting in front of a keyboard for long hours.

Can I Get A Back Brace Without A Doctor?

Absolutely! While many of our customers discover our lumbar braces through physician recommendations, Aofit clients are free to order their braces online without the assistance of a medical professional. Our prescription-free braces are made of medical-quality materials backed by years of cutting-edge research in the fields of physiology and bodily ergonomics. We offer our clients access to a health advisor to ensure that they pick the right back brace for lower back pain for their specific musculoskeletal issues. Don't let your pain get worse! Find your perfect fit with Aofit today.