The Back Brace: Curbing an American Epidemic

Back pain is nothing to sneeze at. It can diminish our wellness. According to a report by USA Today, about 80 percent of America experiences back pain and the most frequent is lower back pain (Appleby, 2006).

Back pain can be debilitating and, as the majority of Americans begin to age, back pain is increasingly becoming an issue, prompting much debate about the use of surgery and the cost of dealing with America’s aching back. A back brace is one such tool, providing reinforcement after injury or surgery or helping to support muscles that are overworked or otherwise in need of strengthening.

Back braces is something of a fairly generic term. It’s also not something to which we give lots of thought, until we need one, that is. There are different kinds of back braces, just as there are different reasons for needing one. Generally, all back braces can be divided into two categories: rigid and elastic. Most of us will never need a rigid back brace, as most of us will never undergo the surgeries that might prompt such a need.

Typically, after someone has had certain types of surgery, like surgery to fuse disks, or has suffered a bone break, a rigid back brace might be employed to limit mobility so that the affected area can heal. They are usually constructed of several solid pieces, molded to fit one’s shape and follow the spine, and are held in place most commonly by large straps that are enclosed tightly. These can cause difficulty in movement in general and are often quite uncomfortable, similar in function as a cast, but worn, usually, over one’s clothes, for an extended period of time.

Elastic back braces are far more common. Though they too can help to limit one’s mobility a bit, that is not usually the intent behind such an item. Many businesses attempt to lower the incidences of back injury by requiring their workers wear a back brace, believing that it will in some way shore up the back muscles and keep people from injuring themselves. It is, indeed, estimated that back injuries cost “$25 billion annually” for treatment of back injuries,” according to Duke University researchers” (Appleby, 2006). The “workers compensation costs and time lost from work add another $25 billion (Appleby, 2006).

How does such a device prevent injury? Most elastic back braces are soft, even pliable and made of material such as rubber, elastic, cloth or canvas. They can provide posture support. They support the muscles or help to distribute weight evenly throughout the back so that one group of muscles is not unevenly targeted and overexerted. They may make us of straps or other fastening devices, causing the wearer to feel enclosed. Many have stays, previously referred to as boning (women’s corsets from days past literally contained whale bone to provide rigidity in the garment). Some, like a lifting belt, do not. Some studies do indicate that use of such devices has been shown to reduce injury, but others believe that the move to such devices is simply an effort to reduce liability claims.

Options in a back brace are as numerous as the reasons for needing one.  While most practitioners frown upon the use of a back brace for extensive periods of time, a well-fitting back brace can help provide support for back muscles and allow them to heal or isolate them and keep them from injury.

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