Do you wear a back brace?

Farawyn · Jul 23, 2015

Your posts are not long and boring.

I have 3 herniated disks in my lumbar.

Before I worked as a nurse, I worked in a group home as a direct care worker and then later the psych person- we had to do takedowns, etc. I became an RN, and one day, with 4 other nurses, lifted a 500 pound patient. I was good until the next day when I went to take clothes out of the dryer and I couldn't stand up.

I had a back brace, but it made me worse. I am short and it never fit correctly. Took enough Naprosyn, Flexeril, Valium, whatever until I had a hole in my gut. Saw a chiro, who helped me feel great at the moment, but didn't last.

PT and improving my core was the only thing that helped me. I was out of work for almost 2 months, but it wasn't even comp, because I didn't document.

After my injury I carried 2 BIG babies on my 5'3" frame, and I was fine, because I was fit.

My back is hurting now. I've had a kind of a beery, fat ass summer. :bag:

Once I start working out again, I'll be good.

This is me. Everyone is different.

noelly10 · Jul 23, 2015

Your posts are not long and boring.
I have 3 herniated disks in my lumbar.
Before I worked as a nurse, I worked in a group home as a direct care worker and then later the psych person- we had to do takedowns, etc. I became an RN, and one day, with 4 other nurses, lifted a 500 pound patient. I was good until the next day when I went to take clothes out of the dryer and I couldn't stand up.
I had a back brace, but it made me worse. I am short and it never fit correctly. Took enough Naprosyn, Flexeril, Valium, whatever until I had a hole in my gut. Saw a chiro, who helped me feel great at the moment, but didn't last.
PT and improving my core was the only thing that helped me. I was out of work for almost 2 months, but it wasn't even comp, because I didn't document.
After my injury I carried 2 BIG babies on my 5'3" frame, and I was fine, because I was fit.
My back is hurting now. I've had a kind of a beery, fat ass summer.
Once I start working out again, I'll be good.
This is me. Everyone is different.

I, too, am short. Only 5 foot tall. So the back brace may not be a good option for me either.

I have been to a chiro, but not sure if I fully believe what they do, all do respect to those who do put their faith in a chiro.

I am a little more sedentary than what I should be, so maybe I need to start exercising lol.

mirandaaa · Jul 23, 2015

One of my friends said his doctor suggested stretching. Do a lot of toe-touches and other exercises that stretch your hamstrings. He said it made a WORLD of difference after just a week of 10 minute stretches every day.

I don't wear a back brace, but I wear steel-boned corsets every day so this has greatly improved my posture. It definitely isn't for everyone though. I suggest lots of research before going that route.

Farawyn · Jul 23, 2015

I, too, am short. Only 5 foot tall. So the back brace may not be a good option for me either.
I have been to a chiro, but not sure if I fully believe what they do, all do respect to those who do put their faith in a chiro.
I am a little more sedentary than what I should be, so maybe I need to start exercising lol.

The PT had me swIm. It really helped.

I'm not a chiro fan either, especially for long term help.

I hope you feel better!

ThatBigGuy · Jul 23, 2015

If you have spinal issues causing the pain, then you need to see your pcp.

If the issue is muscle related, also see your pcp.

That being said, there are two common causes of lower back muscle pain other than posture. Tight hamstrings will pull on your pelvis, which leads to stressed lower back muscles. Weak abs allow your tight hamstrings to pull even more, leading to more pain.

Youtube has dozens of yoga videos that show you how to loosen your hamstrings in order to gain some gentle back pain relief. Doing some crunches will help tighten your abs. If you do this for a month, and you should see some improvement. It only takes me a half hour to do a full lower back stretching routine and a bunch of crunches. I typically do this before and after a shift, and once a day on my off days.

It's really helped me. I'm well over 6 foot tall, so I'm always hunched over and my back used to always hurt. If the hamstring stretching and ab strengthening don't decrease your lower back pain after a couple weeks, then you should probably consult your pcp.

elkpark · Jul 23, 2015

Back braces were all the rage in healthcare settings a while back (like, 25 years ago); hospitals were buying them in quantity and providing them for employees as an intervention to prevent back injuries. Then, as I recall, a bunch of good studies were done that found that the braces were not only not protecting people from back injuries, they were making back injuries more likely. All the employer-provided back braces disappeared pretty quickly after that.

noelly10 · Jul 23, 2015

Back braces were all the rage in healthcare settings a while back (like, 25 years ago); hospitals were buying them in quantity and providing them for employees as an intervention to prevent back injuries. Then, as I recall, a bunch of good studies were done that found that the braces were not only not protecting people from back injuries, they were making back injuries more likely. All the employer-provided back braces disappeared pretty quickly after that.

Glad you told me! Definitely won't go down that route then lol

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 23, 2015

See your PCP and get a referral to PT. PT did wonders for my back pain!

ixchel · Jul 23, 2015

I'm going to make this short and sweet since some of my posts are long and boring.
Situation: I've recently started to get bad lower back pain lately and I believe it is partially do to poor posture in general (not only from lifting/turning/catching patients falls and so on)
Question: do you wear any type of back brace to work or if you experience low back pain?
I have heard that some use a back brace at work and sometimes in their daily life to remind them to keep good posture and to help lower back pain.
Question 2: if you don't use a back brace for your lower back pain, what do you use that helps you?
Thank you! :)

I have spondylolisthesis of L5/S1. If you aren't familiar with it, basically L5 isn't attached to my sacrum as it should be, and my spine is pushed anteriorly on my pelvis. I've had intermittent pain all my life, quite literally. I remember the first time, as a young child, feeling terrible pain after horse back riding. I thought my posture just sucked or something. Anyway, I learned of it after a fall during which I'd landed square on my sacrum with every once of my weight. It caused so much pain I blacked out for a second, then had to focus my breathing just to stop from throwing up. I'd call that a legit 10/10. :)

After that fall, I dealt with nerve pain and muscle spasm almost non stop for months. I did PT, chiropractic adjustments, and frequently wore a brace. Durin that time, the brace prevented the pain from getting worse, but also gave me peace of mind. At the time, the thought hadn't occurred to me that I'd been walking around with this broken old spine for all this time. I was terrified of it being unstable. Yes, the fall probably did make things worse (things have not been the same since, and I've been getting routine imaging since, which shows progression of the slippage and disc narrowing above it). But, it's stable in the sense that I know my nerves still have plenty of space, and pain comes and goes but is bearable.

Ahhhhh speaking of long and boring posts. lol

Anyway, all that to say I've become a bit of an unofficial expert on all this in the last few years. First, I recommend checking in with your doctor about this. It might be worth investigating further.

Second, about the back brace. I've stopped wearing mine. I have it in my locker at work for days if I ever feel concerned that I'm "off" somehow (I've had manual adjustments for exactly this plenty of times), or if I feel like pain might be breaching the line of intolerability. It's actually been a very long time since either of those things has come up. The reason I don't use it routinely is because I was counseled by PT and my chiro to use it sparingly. When you use the brace, it is supporting your muscles, but also allowing your muscles to not work as hard. My goal has been to increase core strength, and regularly wearing the brace will undermine that goal.

I use core strength, PRN ibuprofen and muscle relaxers. My biggest initial pain breakthrough after my fall came nearly a year (yes, that long ) later through the help of acupuncture. At that point I was really able to focus on strength and stability. I am 5'2", skinny skinny, and I've got the best body mechanics you'll ever see, and I never refuse to help with patient turns, no matter the patient size.

As for the spondylolisthesis.... Well, I'm presently a surgical candidate. My ortho says I can call him anytime I decide I just don't want to wait anymore. It's in my future eventually, and my condition is actively progressing in that direction, albeit slowly. Knowing all e risks involved with spinal fusion, I'd rather live it up and use this old back to its fullest. Some days suck, but most are good.

And now THAT was a lengthy ramble. :)

ixchel · Jul 23, 2015

One of my friends said his doctor suggested stretching. Do a lot of toe-touches and other exercises that stretch your hamstrings. He said it made a WORLD of difference after just a week of 10 minute stretches every day.
I don't wear a back brace, but I wear steel-boned corsets every day so this has greatly improved my posture. It definitely isn't for everyone though. I suggest lots of research before going that route.

^^^^^ I forgot to mention stretching. PT And my chiro suggested some stretches. I've learned that everything is irritatingly connected. My pain will actually start with my legs being stiff/in spasm. If I don't get them under control, it'll go into my glutes and low back, and if I really don't control it, it'll go all he way up as high as my neck. I've been proactive, so it hasn't gotten that bad in a very, very long time. Every night I do my leg stretches and I stretch my traps and neck just in case.

Farawyn · Jul 24, 2015

One of my friends said his doctor suggested stretching. Do a lot of toe-touches and other exercises that stretch your hamstrings. He said it made a WORLD of difference after just a week of 10 minute stretches every day.
I don't wear a back brace, but I wear steel-boned corsets every day so this has greatly improved my posture. It definitely isn't for everyone though. I suggest lots of research before going that route.

Well, fiddle dee dee Scarlett O'Hara!