Daily laborer or weekend warrior…how to do get ready
for spine-demanding tasks? What do you do when you have to move a heavy package? Reach
for the back brace or brace yourself? The “brace yourself” option
may be the superior approach! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic recommends
back braces for back pain patients who may be helped by
their support. We also propose self-controlled actions
to McHenry back pain sufferers to safeguard the spine
when its use is required (moving boxes, digging
holes, raking, etc.)
BACK BRACES FOR BACK PAIN PREVENTION:
Not All It Seems
Asymptomatic workers were directed
to wear back belts at work with the intention of lessening
low back pain or injury. 1380 published medical studies were considered.
Reviewers uncovered no consistent evidence for back brace
use to prevent low back pain or occupational back pain in
workers. Absenteeism wasn’t decreased with back
belt utilization either. (1) Mind you, this review was of back
brace use by asymptomatic workers. In this circumstance,
the back belt is not for everyone. Now for McHenry back pain sufferers, the back belt has
advantages. Non-rigid lumbar support belts are reported to help
non-specific low back pain sufferers with their pain and disability. (3)
Deciding whether to use a belt or not is where
your McHenry back pain specialist at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic comes in to figure
out what is best for each back pain sufferer. Each McHenry
back pain sufferer – office worker, factory worker, family manager, etc. - is unique
and must be considered individually. Having all workers wear
a back brace to try
to reduce back pain for a few does not
work as this paper demonstrates that a back brace may work
for some but not all.
ABDOMINAL BRACING MAY WORK BETTER
Abdominal bracing is a self-regulated,
pre-activity motion, a deliberate way of increasing
spine stiffness to constrain spine displacement ahead of a spine-demanding job. It seems 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) through
the lower lumbar spine (L4L5): by 45% at L4L5, by 94% at L1L2, and 50% at L5S1.
Such self-bracing stimulated all abdominal and back
muscles. Flexion motion was limited at most
of lumbar spine levels when challenging trunk flexion
demands are met with abdominal bracing. (2) It is
worth knowing how to do! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is prepared to show
you how to do this worthy movement as part of your McHenry
chiropractic treatment plan!
SPINAL MANIPULATION WORKS FOR BACK
PAIN
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic offers
a comprehensive chiropractic treatment plan for those times
when the back pain just won’t go away. When work duties
or chores result in your spine - cervical, thoracic or lumbar -
hurting, The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management combines gentle, relieving spinal
manipulation with specific exercise and nutritional advice to return
you back to life.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Jenna Kloor on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes the importance
of helping a patient be able to do something like walking to help herself as she
recuperated from her back pain episode with The Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management and even enable her to
shovel snow!
Schedule your McHenry chiropractic
appointment soon. We help our McHenry workers and
weekend warriors avert and recover from spine
pain.