Encouraging a more active life

Kinesiotherapy is considered as one of the most effective methods for treating non-specific back pain. Lumbar supports help with this process. They provide relief by exerting circular compression and, thanks to local massage effects, accelerate pain reduction. The core element is a viscoelastic pad. In the LumboTrain, it no longer has the classic heart shape but wings with flexible nubs featuring elastic recovery properties. André Beck, Head of Orthopedics Development at the Bauerfeind Innovation Center (BIC), shares why the new pad promises therapeutic benefits to patients in pain and what challenges had to be overcome.

A. Beck: The effectiveness of the new pad is also based on viscoelasticity. Located underneath the compression knit, the pad has close contact with the lumbar area and changes shape during movement. Its material is compressed, moves out of the way, and returns to its original shape. Gentle intermittent compression massages the tissue, stimulates local circulation, and activates the body’s own processes to aid pain reduction and stabilization. In the previous pad, the high nubs were completely made of viscoelastic gel. They were very flexible and chaotically sometimes went one way, sometimes the other to provide stimulation. According to the Gate Control Theory found in pain research, the mechanoreceptors’ stimuli can overlay nocireceptors’ pain signals, thus causing alleviation. We’re still using this positive effect in the new pad. But we wanted to go one step further and provide targeted stimulation. To do this, we developed flexible nubs with elastic recovery properties where components with different densities are integrated in the gel material. The shape of the pad has also changed. It now features mobile wings.

A. Beck: The entire pad joins in with the movement. When walking, we rotate our upper body slightly and lean forwards and backwards a little. These alternating movements are transferred to the pad’s wings. They follow these movements, allowing the pad to remain in contact with the skin and the myofascial structures it lies on. This means that the flexible frictional nubs with elastic recovery properties exert more effective stimulation on trigger points. In addition to tense muscles, this hardening is the main cause of non-specific back pain.

A. Beck: It predominantly targets the major back fascia, the thoracolumbar fascia with its numerous nocireceptors, and the superficial back muscles. Among the back extensors, the longissimus muscle to the right and left of the spine is stimulated, and some sections of the hip muscles are targeted because the wings that flare out toward the bottom are positioned across the piriformis muscle. The special feature is the defined stimulation exerted by the multi-component injection molding technology. The flexible nubs on the upper edge of the pad exert targeted friction during movement. The nubs running parallel to the lumbar spine have elastic recovery properties and spread outward. This stretches the skin slightly, which causes the mechanoreceptors to respond. In turn, this results in neuromuscular processes that can help loosen fascial structures so that adhesions and trigger points can be removed more quickly and muscles can move smoothly.

A. Beck: The objective is to coax the body out of its protective mechanisms and back into activity. Patients experiencing pain usually adopt a posture to help relieve pain, which results in the muscles and fasciae becoming even more tense. Over time, their pain intensifies and becomes chronic in the worst case scenario, with mobility reducing overall. The circular compression exerted by the support initially helps them straighten up. This relieves the lumbar vertebrae, resulting in an initial loosening of the myofascial structures, which makes them more receptive to pain-reducing counterpressure and stretching. The pad’s function then encourages patients to be more active so the relieving effects are reinforced, alleviation of symptoms is accelerated, and stability is increased.

A. Beck: The spine is often compared to the mast of a ship and the torso muscles to the ropes that keep the mast straight. The major inspiration was therefore physiotherapy and its focus on improving muscle function. Techniques taken from manual therapy that loosen tension, such as friction and trigger point massage, gave the impulse for the “geometry” of the pad and its nubs. Certain taping methods with and without tension were also an influence. We work closely with a group of medical consultants who assess ideas like this one and discuss insights from anatomy, pain physiology, and fascia research. We also included ideas from traditional Chinese medicine, such as the study of meridian points. And not least, our own experience with the development of medical products featuring sensorimotor effects. The two-component pad used in our GenuTrain knee support showed us that stimulation can be more targeted if different materials are combined and their densities leveraged.

“The pad’s special feature is its defined stimulation of myofascial structures.”

André Beck

A. Beck: Challenges related to the technical feasibility of the desired effects during movement and to control them precisely for series production. Several years of development have gone into this project, one of our most challenging team achievements. We experimented with synthetic materials and explored procedures to make sure that the nubs move in a specific direction when subjected to counterpressure, and that they would open up the tissue a little. To manufacture the pad, our experts in material technology actually designed a special machine to guarantee that the interaction of the components would consistently work in injection-molded material. The fine-tuning was also a challenge, i.e. the question of demand and compliance. What can patients experiencing pain tolerate that isn’t excessive stimulation?

A. Beck: Not all kinds of back pain are the same. The severity of the symptoms varies, and the location of the most serious pain is different in each patient. We performed several comparative tests with the previous pad and the new pad, from the developmental stages to the end product ready for series production. We first enlisted healthy test subjects, then we tested patients who had been diagnosed with non-specific back pain. To get a cross-section of this disparate group, we included patients of different ages, sex, and the duration of their suffering. Even the first wearing test with the new pad gave us confirmation: patients suffer from significantly less pain, they’re more mobile – and in direct comparison, they notice an improvement. We then adjusted the nubs again based on feedback so stimulation will be experienced as pleasant by everyone, even those who are more sensitive to pain.

“We want to provide more targeted support to patients suffering from back pain, allowing them to get moving themselves. So they can enjoy being active.”

André Beck

A. Beck: Because they offer improvement to our patients and to us as a manufacturer. Medical research, new materials, and innovative technologies give us the opportunity to further develop a tried-and-tested product, such as the LumboTrain. With the new pad, we want to provide more targeted support to patients suffering from back pain, allowing them to get moving themselves and to be active. This will counteract both their pain and the probable causes of their pain, so they can regain their natural balance and enjoy being active.

LumboTrain for the relief of the lumbar spine
The LumboTrain with its new back pad has been on the market since May 2024. To match the patient’s shape, the compression support is available as a straight version and a waisted version. Find out more.

Pictures: Andreas Wetzel, Bauerfeind AG