Are support belts good for minimizing injuries?
Support belts are good when weight lifting. Often times support belts are misused for daily use. Continual daily use causes muscle weakness. The belt becomes a cast to the weak muscles, increasing the chance of injury. For example, notice the muscle atrophy/shrinkage that exists after a cast is removed. A support belt has the same effect over an extended period of time. Like girdles in the 1950’s, an increase in prolapsed uteruses and incontinent bladders resulted. No proven research exists that support belts minimize injury; support belts are recommended most likely for liability reasons. For an ideal solution to minimize injury, we recommend chiropractic care, regular exercise and specific nutrition.
