Time has a big impact on the development of persistent pain and inability to work in people with back pain. A team of researchers measured the effect of wearing a lumbar support belt on workers with and without back pain. They found that wearing a belt not only decreased pain while standing but also reduced fear and dramatization of pain during various tasks considered to be risky for the lumbar region. The effects were all equally positive at the functional level.

The study of the psychological variables related to pain confirms the hypothesis that wearing a lumbar support belt would reassure people with low back pain, which could favour retention at work during recurrences and speed up their return to work. The biomechanical variables indicate that the mechanical effects make it safe to wear a belt.

This research led to an article originally published in Prévention au travail magazine.