2009 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 108-116
Lumbar support is one of the most common treatments for low back pain patients in Japan and around the world. However, there is no established consensus in terms of indication and mechanism of the effect. We conducted a questionnaire survey among orthopedic surgeons concerning the use of lumbar supports and reviewed related studies. In addition, we examined ROM, extra-abdominal pressure, physiological cost index(PCI)with a lumbar corset and two types of lumbar supports to investigate their effectiveness. The results were as follows; 1)80% of orthopedic surgeons responded that lumbar supports were effective for pain management and it was clear that they considered that ROM and external-abdominal pressure could relieve pain. 2)We obtained limited evidence that lumbar supports are an effective treatment and also useful for prevention. It was also shown that the definition of lumbar support has not yet been established. 3) It was shown that lumbar support causes more than 30% ROM limitation and more than 4.0kPa external-abdominal pressure increase. With a lumbar corset the PCI result of walking was not very good.
