Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints we get as a chiropractic care facility in Kailua. Generally due to bad posture, heavy lifting, or sitting at work all day, lower back pain is almost inevitable in everyday life. Your lower back carries an immense amount of pressure while you are both standing and sitting. Is your back in pain? There is a good chance that in your research you have come across the increasingly popular “back support” braces for lumbar support. But do these braces really do what they’re supposed to?
A brace is defined as a “device that clamps things tightly together or that gives support” which is exactly what its purpose is with the back. In the cases of spinal surgery or disk degeneration, a special back brace is needed to aid recovery as well as prevent further injury. Although this is very true for surgical braces, the back braces that you purchase at sporting goods stores are consist of a layer of neoprene and are fastened with Velcro straps or buckles. Rather than providing a stable brace for the back, these braces are providing an external version of additional abdominal muscles.
The braces are decided to add support for the spine and create less pressure on the lower back. One main cause of back problems is heavy lifting or straining activities where you engage your back over your core muscles. Store bought braces are helpful with reminding the wearer to engage their abdominal muscles as opposed to their lower back muscles. Because the brace acts as external abdominal muscles, often the real muscles get lazy because they are not actually being engaged.
Although these braces can provide short term support, long term use of these braces is not advisable. This is why rather than using a store bought brace, Oahu Spine and Rehab is able to help your strengthen your back and your core muscles right here in Kailua. If you have been using a device like mentioned about, we can help wean you off of the brace and work together to create a plan to re-strengthen the muscles supporting your spine. Wearing the brace for shorter and shorter periods, alongside our physical therapy, OSR will be able to get your muscles back to fully functioning in no time.
Here at OSR we can plan a physical therapy program that will focus on your lumbar support. Our physical therapists will work with you in order for you to find and maintain your “neutral spine” position. Once we have worked with you in order to train your spine to stay in a good position, your back pain will cease as well as your core muscles will be taking a lot of the pressure from your back.
This program of lumbar stabilization will
OSR can work with you to build a physical therapy program that works best with your situation! Contact us today if we can help you!
