Frequently Asked Questions About Back Braces

A variety of problems can cause your back to experience pain and stiffness, from congenital conditions such as scoliosis to acute back injuries and chronic degenerative ailments. When your back makes everyday life painful, dangerous, or even impossible, you may benefit from a back brace.

Before you impulsively buy a back brace that might not suit your purposes, learn about how different types of back braces offer different solutions, as well as how to choose and wear the right brace for your specific challenge. Start by examining the following frequently asked back brace questions and their answers.

Who Can Benefit From a Back Brace?

Back braces can help people suffering from a variety of health issues and postural problems. For instance, your doctor might recommend that you wear a back brace to cope with acute muscular strain, recent back surgery, compression fractures, or a herniated disc. Once your back feels better, you can stop using the brace.

Chronic back problems can sometimes benefit from long-term back brace use. Examples include spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis of the spinal joints, spondylolysis, and isthmic spondylolisthesis. Custom-fitted back braces can help to correct scoliosis in children or prevent the abnormal spinal curvature from worsening in adults.

In addition to easing the pain of an injured or ailing back, some back braces can also help prevent such pain from occurring in the first place. For instance, many manual laborers opt to wear back braces that lend extra support to the lower back muscles and prevent injury as they perform heavy lifting and other demanding tasks.

What Types of Back Braces Suit Specific Conditions?

Back braces come in several different forms, each of which offers its own set of benefits for specific kinds of back trouble. Some come with adjustable straps that let you personalize the fit to some degree, while others require custom fitting by medical experts. The main categories include soft braces, semi-rigid braces, and rigid braces.

Soft braces mainly convey compression force to protect your muscles against injury and add support to make everyday activities more comfortable. Semi-rigid braces resemble soft braces, but they include plastic or metal supports called stays that prevent excess motion that might aggravate your back or delay healing.

Rigid braces most commonly see use in the treatment of scoliosis, severe back injuries, or extreme chronic back pain. They tend to feature hard plastic panels enveloping a layer of soft inner padding. Boston and Milwaukee braces provide all-day spinal support, while Charleston braces correct spinal alignment during sleep.

How Should You Wear Your Back Brace?

Before you buy or wear any kind of back brace, discuss your condition with your primary care doctor, physical therapist, or spinal specialist. These practitioners can guide you toward the right kind of brace, including referring you for custom fitting if necessary, and instruct you on proper brace wear practices.

Make sure you can apply and remove your back brace by yourself if you don’t have someone who can help you with this daily task. You may find it easier to place the brace across the back of a chair, sit in the chair, wrap the wings around you, and then secure or adjust the brace before standing up.

Keep in mind that your back brace may make certain tasks both more difficult and riskier. For example, if you can’t bend or step forward, you may have trouble seeing your feet and watching your step. Mount and dismount curbs or stairs with special caution while wearing a back brace.

If your back could benefit from some much-needed support to combat an injury or abnormality, turn to Corner Home Medical. We offer a wide range of braces and immobilization devices for the back, wrists, knees, shoulders, and other jointed body parts. Check out our online selection and place your order today.