25/01/2026
I’ve been asked by new & existing patients far too many times about braces (lower back or middle back, even neck braces😅) and whether it works..
So how does it actually works, if it even does any good?
The mechanism of how it works is, by restricting movement on the strapped region, it allows lesser movement on that region, and have the other region to share the movement (lesser range of movement on one area = more range of movement on other area to cover the lesser movement region).
Does this help with pain and discomfort? Of course, for a period of time, say a week time, it does feels good and it feels secure. As time pass by, it does more damage than good. Why? Imagine no longer activating the lower back muscles for a prolonged period of time, our lower muscles gets weaker and weaker, and it share the loading onto our spine, hence leading to an increase in loading, and this inevitably causes more degenerative changes to our lower back vertebra, if we continue to wear such braces.
Not to mention the middle back and the neck spine, the extra movement and extra loading due onto them, causes equally the same amount of damages.
So what’s the solution? Take the braces off as soon as you are not experiencing any sharp pain, and starts to build muscle strength and core strength to get back on track.
Share this to those who constantly wear braces! Perhaps understanding the underlying mechanism give them a better clarity as to what is going on.
Better Spine, Better Life.