The Effectiveness Of Flexible and Rigid Supports in Patients with Lumbar Backache

Background: Supports are frequently prescribed to patients with backache. We have assessed the effectiveness of a rigid lumbar corset and a semi-flexible thoraco-lumbar vest in 27 men and 52 women for whom surgery was inappropriate. In the women, the two corsets were also compared with a lingerie ‘all-in-one’ from a high street store.Findings: None of the corsets improved either the patients’ pain (Dallas rating), or disability (Roland and Morris score). Investigators’ ratings of physical impairment were also similar before and after corset use. The majority of patients with spinal stenosis felt worse when wearing a corset of any type and minimal benefit was seen in elderly patients with osteoporosis. The sequence of issue was irrelevant to the results. Forty-four per cent of women said they preferred the high street store’s lingerie garment to the more rigid supports available on prescription.Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that in chronic back pain nothing is gained by wearing a support.