Top Back Braces & Lumbar Supports To Relieve Back Pain & Sciatica
A Chiropractor's Recommendations & Product Review
As a chiropractic physician my recommendations are made based on a variety of factors including spinal biomechanics, research evidence and practical considerations such as ease of advice implementation and cost particular products. I would like to disclose that, although I may get a referral fee from some of the items advertised or reviewed, this will never impact the integrity of my reviews or recommendations. I hope you find my recommendations useful; however, if you have a specific spinal problem or condition, and have not yet done so, it is recommended that you contact your qualified health care provider for recommendations that may apply to your particular case.
Peter C. Spathis, DC
The Best Back Braces & Lumbar Supports To Relieve Back Pain & Sciatica
Back braces and supports like lumbar belts, sacroiliac supports (SI belts) and chair cushions can be very helpful during acute back pain episodes to help minimize or relieve pain as well as sciatica. In addition to improving posture and keeping the spine in a position that usually reduces pressure on spinal discs, they can provide the support required to prevent muscles for spasming in an attempt to protect the painful area. They also serve as a reminder to maintain proper posture during these acute episodes. Chair cushions and other lumbar supports can be used at home, in the office or even in your car and are usually appropriate for long term use to help support proper posture and minimize back pain and spinal problems over the years. However, back belts such as elastic lumbar supports or sacroiliac belts, are typically intended for use only during acute back pain episodes, or for short periods during heavy lifting or increased spinal stress. This is to avoid prolonged immobility of spinal regions, which can predispose to spinal degeneration, as well as muscle deconditioning. For certain people - such as those with an aortic aneurysm for example - belts that increase pressure on the abdomen may be inappropriate and contraindicated To ensure that these products are appropriate in your specific case, it is recommended that you discuss this with your qualified health care provider before purchasing or using one.
The first two items listed below come from "Braceability", a company specializing in braces for different part of the body, not just the lower back. If you are interested in visiting their website for a general product review, this link will take you to their home page and this link to their back pain and injury treatment product section. However, as the scope of our discussion and product recommendations is limited to back pain, I would particularly recommend consideration of the following two items from this company if deemed appropriate by your qualified health care provider for your specific condition.
In my opinion this is one of the best back brace/support choices for people with back pain from a musculoskeletal cause or sciatica due to a herniated disc. This brace provides enough support to keep the lumbar spine closer to a neutral position while limiting movement and stress on spinal joints and associated structures. A further advantage of this brace for those with spinal disc herniations is that it provides more compression than many similar products. This results a type of support that may help reduce the "loading pressure" on the disc which can help to both relieve pain and promote recovery during the acute phase. It should be noted that the compression we are talking about in this case is NOT "axial compression" which imparts more pressure on the disc and is potentially harmful - fortunately this product may actually help reduce or minimize that type of compression. Those with a specific condition such as a herniated disc should, of course, be evaluated and managed by a qualified health care professional that can help them decide if this product is appropriate for their specific case. However, at a very reasonable price, I believe that most people who would benefit from this type of product will be happy with this item.
A problem I have seen with some popular lumbar supports and braces is that even their x-large sizes are often still not large enough to provide the necessary support to much larger individuals. As its name suggests, the "Bariatric Big & Tall Support in Extra Large Overweight to Morbidly Obese Sizes" is designed to do just that. If you are a much larger than average individual or have had a problem with items fitting due to your size, this product should do the job and is worth considering.
It is difficult to find a lumbar support belt or "brace" that will work for everybody due to the variety of body proportions and support requirements in our population. However, this one does a nice job of trying to achieve this impossible goal. It is made from material that is firm enough to provide needed support but with enough "give" to adequately conform to the lumbar region for most people. Adjustable elastic sections on each side allow you to further control the degree of compression and it is wide enough to provide a large area of support. The material and construction also allow this product to be more "breathable" than some other types of support belts and may help minimize sweating. Finally, considering its features, I believe this to be priced very competitively and should be a great value for most people interested in a lumbar back support belt/brace of this type.
As a specialized support for the sacroiliac (SI) joints, this belt is not quite as wide as a typical lumbar support. It purposely fits lower on the hips and, by virtue of pelvic biomechanics, is able to support the SI joints without limiting movement in the lumbar spine. This is useful for certain conditions, such as when hypermobile SI joints are the cause of back pain, and can provide significant relief in these cases. If your qualified health care provider feels you would benefit from an SI belt, this one provides the needed support for most people at a reasonable price and is worth considering.
For the price, it's hard to beat the value of this maternity belt. Not only does it help provide needed support to sacroiliac joints that have been destabilized by the effect of hormonal and structural changes that occur during pregnancy, it also helps support your belly to assist in reducing back, sacroiliac and round ligament pain. This product may be inexpensive but has the advantage of not being too bulky so it can maximize comfort while still providing the necessary degree of spinal, pelvic and abdominal support. If your obstetrician has recommended this type of maternity belt/support, click on the link to see if this is the one for you.
This is a nice lumbar support for a car seat due to the simple method of placing it at the correct height to keep the apex of the of curvature in the corresponding area of your lumbar lordosis for best support. This is done with adjustable straps at the top and bottom of the product so it stays in place instead of sliding down over time or shifting from side to side. Although this product can be used on more than just car seats, I believe its design is best suited for automobile use and is likely to be most effective for this purpose.
Lumbar supports don't have to be complicated. You just need something to help support the natural curvature (lordosis) of your lower back when you sit. This product provides adequate lumbar support for this purpose and is made from a mesh material to improve airflow and minimize sweating. You also get two supports for a very reasonable price so you can have one for two different chairs - your car and office for example, or one for you and one for your wife. This is a simple, relatively inexpensive product that most people will find effective in providing the lumbar support they require when sitting.
