If you are wondering “how do back braces help with lower back pain?” then you have come to the right place!
Also, know that it is a common question among skeptics suffering from lower back pain.
It is estimated that an astounding 60-80% of adults deal with this problem at some point in their life.
Back pain is a debilitating issue that interferes with your daily activities and you basically become desperate to find a solution.
Back braces can be a great help to fix this problem and they can even help alleviate pain, but they do have their drawbacks which I am going to explain in this article together with how exactly back braces alleviate pain.
Why Use a Back Brace?
First of all, why would you want to use a back brace?
Well, wearing a back brace is both a non-invasive and conservative approach to help reduce back pain and improve your posture. This is comparing to surgery.
Back braces can relieve soreness and pain in the muscles and prevent further injury in your spine. It works by supporting the backbone and stabilizing the affected muscles.
Depending on the back brace design, it can cover your entire back or it can be small enough to focus only on target areas.
If used after an injury, the back brace immobilizes the bones and its surrounding tissue giving your spine and muscles a break from their usual workload.
Your body can relax and begin its healing process. No stress and no strain mean more time to repair.
If you are using a back brace to improve your posture, it forces your muscles and joints in a position that encourages good posture.
You can read more about using a back brace here.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Back Brace
Use of back braces has its pros and cons.
Studies show that these braces can work for people with poor posture, people with injuries or for those in their old age.
They can be a great form of treatment because they are affordable and relatively easy to use.
They are also very easy to buy online, and if you are looking to buy one you might be interested in this buyer’s guide.
Wearing a back brace can help improve posture, reduce back pain or shoulder pain, and they can also offer additional support for labor-intensive jobs that put stress on the back.
However, as most helpful things in life back braces do not come without their drawbacks.
Perhaps the most concerning issue is that long-term use of back braces can lead to muscles becoming weaker potentially making the problem even worse or make you dependent on wearing the brace.
If you only have minor pain in your lower back and would like something less conspicuous, then I think you might like this other kind of products.
Some people also get minor skin irritation from wearing the brace, while others have big problems getting the right fit.
When Could Wearing a Back-Brace Help with Lower Back Pain
Wearing a back brace should help relieve pain immediately and this is because both tension in your muscles and pressure on your spine is lessened.
Additionally, the immobilization caused by wearing the brace potentially make it easier for joints and surrounding tissue to heal.
Basically, when the area is not compressed there is more space for blood to circulate with nutrients and oxygen increasing recovery speed.
Types of Back Braces
Back braces come in different types and sizes. They can vary in size, material and price.
Typically they are either a bit elastic or rigid while giving support for your whole upper body or just the shoulders and upper back.
If you suffer from lower back pain you need a back brace that supports the whole upper body. Depending on the severity of your problem you can get an elastic or non-elastic back brace.
The rigid and non-elastic brace will provide the most support but will also restrict your movement the most.
Most of the braces you can buy are generic ones. You can also have one custom-fitted but for a high price.
If your problem is serious and you want a custom-fitted back brace, I would say you should probably consult with a profession first and even get your doctors recommendation first. This way you can be more confident you are getting the right one.
If you are fine with a generic back brace, you can buy them many places online. I like to use Amazon.
Who Should Use A Back Brace?
The generic back braces you can easily buy online are commonly used for posture correction. My wife has been using a brace for some time now because she has bad posture.
However, you may also consider getting these back braces if you have a smaller injury.
For very serious injuries like osteoporosis, scoliosis and ruptured discs, doctors actually prescribe back braces as part of the treatment. Usually after a patient has undergone surgery.
These back braces are different in design and come at a much higher price than the “posture back braces”.
Both braces can work to alleviate acute pain, increase recovery speed and improve posture, but they also share the same issue from prolonged use.
Wearing posture braces long-term can worsen the problem as muscles become weaker. Besides that, if you only treat the pain (the symptom) and not the cause of the pain you won’t succeed.
People Like Wearing Back Braces
Even though back braces have their shortcomings most people find them useful. They can reduce pain, keep the spine and your body straight and take some “pressure” off the back.
Some people are happy about how wearing a back brace help make them conscious about their posture.
But for having success with wearing a back brace you really need to get the fitting right and use them properly.
Good Or Bad?
Back braces help with lower back pain by providing support to the aching muscles and your spine.
They are very helpful in maintaining good posture and recovering from injury.
But while they provide relaxation to your back, you should be careful of becoming dependant on them.
Back braces are not a quick-fix or a complete solution. You still need to strengthen and stretch the right muscles.
It turns out that one great to way to deal with lower back is having a good amount of strength in your core muscles and a good posture in general.
My name is Marcus, I am a lawyer (LL.M.) and the founder of this website. Besides sometimes doing lawyer stuff, I like to write about fitness and health and share what I have found “works” for people like YOU. If you want to know more about me and my vision for this website then you can 