Last week I was asked a question that I get asked a lot throughout the year. 

“Hey Doc, what’s your opinion on wearing a lumbar support brace from XYZ?”

1st off, I am not brand loyal nor do I really care where things come from. The important question is why do you want a lumbar brace?

When I go to the gym, there are certain lifts like a Squat that I always use a lumbar squat belt for. The squat belt helps to remind me to push pressure to my core, keep my spine straight like a spear, and focus on my breathing. So if you plan on moving some furniture around the house, heck yea, wear a lumbar brace but if you plan on sitting on some furniture around the house I do not see a need for a brace.

I am a fan of bracing for two objectives: instability and preventive short duration load management. There is a third objective I like bracing for, scoliosis, but for most practical question purposes lets just focus on the two above. 

Instability, wearing a lumbar support to help with low back instability is like having a band aid. It a good short term fix, but it is not a long term solution. Long term your back may become dependent on wearing a brace, when it already has everything it needs to be stable. Using braces for load management is fine, and encouraged. I do not recommend wearing bracing all day though as mention before due to dependence of the brace.   You can not buy your way out of low back problems. There is no magic pillow. There is no magic brace. There is no magic stretch. There is no magic vitamin. With an instability, the only answer is stability exercises and chiropractic. So if you know someone that has a low back instability, tell them to contact us through our website www.plainfieldchiroandrehab.com and  they can experience what the best chiropractor in Plainfield can do for them.