A vast majority of research indicates that lumbar belts do not prevent back pain in the workplace. A large study conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicating that back belts do not prevent back pain or back pain disability according to James T. Wassell, PhD and colleagues. This study was published in 2000. In this study Dr. Wassell and colleagues studied workers at more than 160 Wal Mart Stores in 30 states. Eighty-nine of the stores reported the use of lumbar belts for 79 head of voluntary policy. All the employees used the same kind of belt, which was an adjustable lumbar garment, which goes around the waist but no shoulder straps. It was constructed of stretchable nylon material with Velcro ends and mesh in the back. The study, which had adjusted for multiple individual risk factors concluded that neither frequent belt use nor a store policy that required belt use was associated with reduced incidents of back injury claims or low back pain. Those study results were essentially consistent with 5 previous studies, which looked at the efficacy of lumbar belts in the primary prevention of low back pain. These studies included Walsh N. et al in 1990 with Redell CR et al in 1992, Alexandra et al in 1995, Van Poppel M. et al in 1998 and Gabber W. et al in 1999. These studies conflict with the conclusions of a previous retrospective covert study of back belt use in Home Depot stores in California conducted by Jesse Crouse, MD and colleagues who had found a higher rate of reported back injuries in the months before Home Depot instituted a mandatory belt use policy than in the months afterwards. Many experts however have pointed flaws in the study’s design. The Home Depot study has been criticized for its failure to include other factors for the reduction of back pain.

In the past, OSHA has classified lumbar garments are personal protective equipment in the ergonomics regulation and suggested they could prevent back injuries among workers. OSHA has focused on a few small studies that hinted that belts might confer some biomechanical advantage in some work situations. OSHA has not focused on the much larger body of evidence that would suggest that back belts do not work.

Proponents of back belts often promote them to employers on a premise that they are an inexpensive ways to enhance job satisfaction and stem Worker's Compensation cost. They indicated that there is little evidence that they pose a threat to workers who wear them. Critics to the use of back belts argue in the fact that they give false impression to workers that they are being protected from harm by this intervention. Some authors have speculated that prolonged use of lumbar belts may lead to fatigue of the lumbar musculature and may actually put the low back at risk when those muscles are needed in a strenuous situation. This claim however has not been proven in the literature.

It is my opinion that workers should not rely on these back belts to protect their lumbar spines from injury, but focus on proper lifting mechanics. If you feel that you are at risk for spinal injury, a trip to your doctor may be warranted to ensure that your spine has normal flexibility, mobility, alignment and muscle strength.