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Evidence summaries

Lumbar Supports for the Prevention and Treatment of Low Back Pain

Lumbar supports are probably not effective for prevention or treatment of low back pain. Level of evidence: "C"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included seven preventive studies (14 437 subjects) and eight treatment studies (1 361 subjects). There is moderate evidence that for primary prevention lumbar supports are no more effective than no intervention or training. There is conflicting evidence whether lumbar supports are effective supplements to other preventive interventions. The results from eight therapeutic trials showed that there is limited evidence that lumbar supports are not more effective than no intervention for short-term pain reduction and improved functional status for patients with chronic LBP. No trial specifically evaluated lumbar supports for acute LBP.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (several issues).

    References

    • van Duijvenbode IC, Jellema P, van Poppel MN, van Tulder MW. Lumbar supports for prevention and treatment of low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008 Apr 16;(2):CD001823. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords