Effectiveness of Lumbar Support in Management of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Background: The lumbar support belt has been used routinely in the management of low back pain. However, conflicting evidence arose as to whether or not lumbar support belt usage was more effective than usual care. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the lumbar support belt in reducing discomfort and improving quality of life in patients with low back pain. Methods: This study searched relevant studies by using the keywords “lumbar support, lumbar belt, back support, back belt” and “back pain, lumbar pain and backache” from PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus from January 1995 to December 2017, in order to identify the effectiveness of the lumbar support belt for reducing discomfort and improving quality of life in patients with low back pain. Inclusion studies comprised only those on the lumbar support belt and non-specific low back pain in English language publications. The outcome focused on pain intensity, quality of life and the specific functional status of back pain. Furthermore, duplicated studies were excluded. Methodologic quality assessment was performed by two independent reviewers using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scales. If agreements were inconsistent, a third independent reviewer formed the consensus. The conclusion was based on high quality studies (PEDro scores ≥ 6/10) in order to report effectiveness and suggestions for clinical application. Results: Two hundred and ninety seven studies were searched from the electronic database, and 162 were screened for titles and abstracts. Eight studies were identified finally for systematic review; six for randomized controlled trials and two for quasi-experimental studies. Five of the six randomized controlled trials were of good quality, with all of them showing the use of lumbar support usually reducing discomfort and improving quality of life in individuals with low back pain. The prescription for wearing lumbar support for 6-8 hours per day for at least one month showed positive results. Conclusions: The lumbar support belt appeared to be as effective as additional intervention together with usual care in the management of non-specific low back pain