Back Pain, do back belts help?

Supportive back belts are worn by many people whose jobs include a lot of lifting, such as movers, grocery stockers and baggage handlers. People will also sometimes don them before taking on heavy work like shoveling snow during a Rochester Hills winter. But, do these accessories actually do the job that they are meant to do?

It is a very good idea to protect your back. Many injuries can heal poorly and cause chronic pain. Keeping your body in good repair is one of the best anti-aging secrets out there. However, there is little evidence that back belts are effective at preventing injury. Recent studies have indicated that back belts do not help avoid injury. In fact, there is evidence that they may even contribute to injuries, by making people who wear them feel a false sense of security.

If you wish to protect your back from injury, there are a number of things that you can do that are far more effective than wearing a back-belt. Always make sure that you warm up and stretch before lifting. Lift using the strength of your legs instead of your back. Make sure that you never lift more than you can easily and comfortably carry.

Regular strength building exercise has wonderful pain preventing and anti-aging benefits. By making sure your muscles stay toned and strong, you can prevent injury and back pain.

If you are injured, consider the services of a functional medicine practitioner to help you relieve the pain. In functional medicine, the focus is on treating the entire patient and promoting general good health, rather than on treating a particular injury or illness. This will help your body feel better overall, rather than simply transferring the center of pain from one region to another!