High level of muscle activity, less pain

An initial study already found evidence that wearing the LumboTrain increases muscle activity. Now, during a second study, pathophysiologist PD Dr. med. Christoph Anders from Jena University Hospital has been able to confirm this and observed a reduction in pain among patients with acute non-specific back pain.

Around 30 to 40 percent of the population suffer from acute “non-specific” back pain. This term is widely used because there is rarely an obvious cause for this type of pain. “Tense muscles or fasciae are the chief possible culprits of this non-specific, acute, largely lumbar back pain,” says PD Dr. Anders from the Clinic for Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery at Jena University Hospital. “But overstretched ligaments and shortened tendons shouldn’t be ruled out.” Since the symptoms have no clear causes, a multidisciplinary approach is the best course of treatment. Lumbar supports play an important role in this.

Second pain reduction study

An initial LumboTrain study on healthy patients countered the criticism that wearing lumbar supports weakens the trunk muscles by finding that this orthosis actually increases both the activity and coordination of certain muscle groups.1 A second study examined the effect of lumbar supports on the trunk muscles when walking and under static loading in patients with non-specific, acute lumbar back pain.2

Control group felt more pain than support group

During the study, the perception of pain was investigated using the visual analog scale (VAS) at different points in time and under the effects of static and dynamic loading. Two results stood out in particular. Firstly, in comparison with the control group (patients not wearing a support), the deviation in the amount of pain perceived by the support group (patients wearing a support) on the various assessment dates was lower. Secondly, after walking on the treadmill , the control group felt more pain than the support group. Lead investigator PD Dr. Anders sums this up as follows: “Besides providing passive stabilization, the support has a stimulating effect on the back muscles. This combination of effects promotes and thereby shortens the natural healing process.”

1 See Bauerfeind life 2/2014; Anders, C. et al.: Prospective study of the trunk musculature under the influence of compressive lumbar supports.
2 Anders, C. et al.: Prospective study of the trunk musculature under the influence of compressive lumbar supports in patients with acute lumbar back pain.

Images: Frank Steinhorst, Dr. Christoph Anders