The month of July is the first full month of summer, and this July’s newsletter will be focusing on an item that may not seem to be a typical ‘summer’ product--a back belt. Why feature a back belt instead of something like a wheelchair for the beach, some assistive swimming products, or maybe even an adult tricycle? Well, the first reason is that this is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill-back-belt. Secondly, it is precisely during the summer months when many people are working and playing harder, tending toward a higher occurrence of injuries, that a back support belt can come in very handy.

The Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support back belt is unique in that it is the only back support that includes a curved, firm lumbar pad to promote the conservative path to health for chronic or acute back pain. Without the use of prescription drugs or painful surgery to alleviate the back pain problem, the Back-A-Line back support helps to correct spinal mechanics subconsciously creating a dynamic known as “proprioceptive feedback”. By repeating these movements new muscle memory takes hold within the lumbar region, replacing the prior postural habits reducing (or “eliminating”) pain brought on from a mis-aligned spine. This biomechanical response is a process that assists the tissues of the lumbar region to reorient their positioning, helping to keep the spine safely within a normal range of motion for any expected or unexpected movement.

Usually, when people hurt their back, they wonder what caused it. They think they must have lifted something recently. Instead, constant stretching of spinal tissues with poor posture – whether lifting or not – has already weakened the spine, making it vulnerable. We all know someone who hurt their back while sneezing or tying their shoes.

That should help you rethink the cause. In fact when people are about to lift a heavy object they will consciously think of the correct way to lift it and therefore prepare their muscles for the lift dynamic and/or the accompanying follow-up movements. Yet, not every individual body movement is pre-examined, analyzed, and prepared for action.

Sudden jerky movements or casually lifting lighter objects can often lead to a miscalculated and unprepared musculoskeletal response that can then create muscle spasms, tightness, injury, spine misalignment and pain. The occurrence of back pain will often lead the suffering person to consciously change his or her daily postural movements, often leading to other back muscles being incorrectly or overly used, taking up the slack for the injured muscles.

This starts a domino effect of the back muscles being abused and overused, causing even more back pain. Eventually, this constant, negative cycle can result in a misaligned spine, pinched nerves, damaged/overused muscles, and chronic lower back pain.

Most back belts offer a girdle-like elastic approach to support the lower back. This style does not address the root cause of the back problem and may make the back problem worse. They do nothing to correct posture and the elastic variety, according to the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, actually replaces the need of the muscles to activate.

Hence there’s a real risk of muscle atrophy. Instead they praise Back-A-Line for causing the spinal muscles at activate. Think of an Ace bandage. After a week of use, you need to rebuild the muscles. Over-dependence on standard back braces can cause the affected and surrounding muscles to atrophy and weaken.

But the Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support with its non-elastic belt and its curved and firm pad will do the opposite by improving the spinal mechanics, and providing painless range of motion, postural assistance and dynamic muscle support.

Instead of the more natural way of using the individual lower back and trunk muscles to work as parts in a whole synergistic system, this more natural way is the Back-A-Line Back Support system way that uses a uniquely patented, orthopedically correct lumbar “curved and firm” pad combined with a snug-fitting, non-elastic belt, along with an additional Velcro strap. The Back-A-Line system ensures lumbar support while correcting spinal mechanics at the behavioral level, helping to eliminate the original cause of the back pain.

Another feature of the Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support, especially for chronic or severe pain, is its utilization of therapeutic magnets from Bioflex®.

Bioflex® magnetic therapy products have be repeatedly been proven by independent clinical studies to increase circulation and reduce pain. Bioflex® magnets are unique in that they provide concentric circle configuration of a constant and gradient field, and have been shown to be clinically effective for pain relief in the musculoskeletal system by assuring that sufficient magnetic field dose is applied to both the deeply affected tissue damage, as well as superficial tissue, and are specifically manufactured to be used exclusively for human and veterinary medical use.

When combined, the Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support back belt’s proprioceptive feedback and the BioFlex® magnets that help induce vasodilation of blood flow, oxygen and other nutrients to the affected region of the back, offers both synergistic support and a quicker healing of the damaged or painful area of the lumbar region.

In summary, the Back-A-Line back support corrects posture, strengthens the back, reducing fatigue and pain, and stimulates the abdominal muscles, to strengthen the core muscles of the trunk, decreasing the risk of future back injuries.

Choosing to wear either a standard back belt or a Back-A-Line back belt for back support and pain relief is similar to choosing the best and quickest way to get across town; taking a horse and buggy or driving a 1969 Pontiac GTO to your destination. They both do the job, but one just does it better and more efficiently.

On a personal note, I have used many different back belts throughout the years with various jobs and while rehabbing from minor back injuries. I can independently and truthfully say that the Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support is by far the best and most fulfilling back belt I have ever used for lumbar support.

In my past, I have used a number of girdle-like elastic belts and without exception, I stopped wearing them within days because they either didn’t work well, or were uncomfortable when bending and twisting.

They tended to ride up or twist around my body, or I would feel like my internal organs were being crushed due to the tightness needed for the ‘girdle-bunch’ support. Most important to mention was the false sense of security these standard back belts gave me. As soon as I took off the belt, my back muscles would sag, lacking tone and vitality, unlike what happens when I take off the Back-A-Line back belt.

When I use the Back-A-Line, I immediately feel sufficient lumbar support without the girdle squeeze. More importantly, I experience a quietude of pain combined with a flow of contentment in my lower back.

It feels that the curvature of my lower spine is able to rest and ‘breathe’ instead of being ‘suffocated’ by the bunched-up back muscles produced by a standard back belt. The curved and firm design of the lumbar pad fits snugly against the curved lumbar area, while the spine itself seems to float in the center ‘canal’ of the pad, allowing my back muscles to move naturally while being organically supported and freed up to allow blood and nutrients to bathe the tired and strained muscles.

This comfort was especially important to me because I have been rehabbing from a surgery on both of my legs, both of them in full casts for over four months. Learning how to walk again over the past year has done quite a number on my back. During my physical rehabilitation, I have misused my back and leg muscles, leading to a daily, painful back and limits to what I am trying to accomplish, extending my recovery period. Since using the Back-A-Line back belt, my lower back pain has mostly disappeared while my posture has returned to normal.

What I also find most exciting is that when I take the back belt support off, my back muscles feel STRONGER, unlike my experiences with standard elastic girdle-types of back belts where the crushed-together muscles are limp and depleted of oxygen and nutrients.

So remember that while you’re playing that weekend softball game, shooting 36 holes of golf, gardening or just doing grunt work around the house or on the job during the summer months, an ounce of prevention by using the Back-A-Line Dynamic Back Support will greatly outweigh the pounds of pain and discomfort incurred from a simple wrong movement or lifting a heavy weight incorrectly.

Don’t ruin a perfectly good summer of fun and accomplishment when you can prevent a back injury with this innovative new back belt.

Have fun in the sun and hey, be careful out there.

Bill Stock
Executive Editor,
Content & Social Media Services