Weight Belts - Necessity or Menace
It seems where ever you go these days, workers are wearing a weight belt to protect their spine from injury while they are lifting. You find them in the gym, in stores; possibly your neighbor is wearing one. Some companies have gone so far as to make it a mandatory safety policy that all their employees wear a back support. This is an American idea and concept. The Europeans who win almost all of the medals at the Olympics in weight lifting seldom, if ever, wear or even train in back supports.
Do we need a weight belt, or did we come standard from the factory with one? Our low back, the lumbar spine, has two supporting systems or stabilizers, an inner unit and an outer unit.
The outer unit consists of many muscles, such as the majority of the abdominal wall, the muscles of the back that run along the lumbar spine, the latissimus dorsi, the gluteus maximus (buttocks), the adductors (inner thigh muscles), and the hamstrings. All of these muscles must work in coordination with the inner unit muscles and the related fascial systems.
The inner unit is composed in front by the two parts of the abdominal wall. The first is the transversus abdominis that runs horizontally across the front of our abdomen. The second parts of the abdominal wall are fibers of the internal portion of the oblique or obliquus portion. These fibers run at an oblique angle on the sides of our abdomen. The next section of this internal unit is the floor of the pelvis. The muscles of the back, the multifidus and a structure known as the thoraco-lumbar fascia, make up the back of this unit. The top of this unit is the diaphragm. Although there is a definite working relationship among the inner unit muscles, the transverse abdominal appears to be the key muscle of the inner unit system.
When this inner unit is contracted, it causes an increase stiffness of the spinal and sacroiliac (pelvic) joints. Activation of the inner unit provides the stabilization to give the arms and legs a working foundation from which to operate. For this stabilization to occur, the transverse abdominal must be activated 30-110 milliseconds prior to activation of arm or leg movements. Failure of this activation is correlated with back pain and/or musculoskeletal dysfunction.
Think of this inner unit as a barrel. The top of the barrel is the diaphragm. The bottom of the barrel is the pelvic floor. The front of the barrel is the transverse abdominal muscle and the back of the barrel is the multifidus and fascia of the spine.
As was stated above, the transverse abdominal must contract first and activate this “barrel.” As the transverse abdominal is activated, it draws the abdominal wall inward and the organs are pushed upward against the diaphragm and downward against the pelvic floor. This increases the intra-abdominal pressure. When you are lifting a heavy object or exerting yourself, as in throwing or pushing an object in work or sports, it is natural to hold your breath. Holding your breath while under load is associated with increased tension in the diaphragm. The tightened diaphragm produces a lifting force on the lumbar spine that increases the stability and lifting power of our lower spine.
As stated above, the function of the transverse is to pull the abdominal wall towards the spine. A simple test to determine if this muscle is functioning is to stand with your hands placed gently over your belly. Bend over to a 60-degree angle and feel if your stomach is pulled in or falls into your hands. If it falls, your transverse abdominal muscle is not working properly.
The symptoms of a poor operating inner system can run the gamut. Everything from those related to poor diaphragm functioning, such as poor breath holding, running of out breath easily and gastric reflux, to those of a weak pelvic floor, such as poor urinary retention or
reoccurring low back pains.
Proper testing of the transverse abdominal muscle can disclose weakness patterns. There are a number of techniques which may be indicated to allow proper functioning of this muscle. After correction of underlying imbalances, exercise is usually needed to tone this muscle so that it can properly perform its job.
To properly correct and support the lower back, all factors of this barrel need to be examined and corrected. If you have a proper functioning “barrel” or belt, there is no need for an artificial belt. In fact, wearing a belt may lead to a weakening effect as the restriction and compression placed on the abdominal wall may lead to a failure of the muscle to contract. This prolonged failure of muscle contraction will, over time, cause the muscle to become flaccid and unable to properly respond to stress. Short-term use of a belt or brace can be an advantage in healing from an injury, but in the long run, you need to strengthen and maintain your own belt.
back to list