Lumbar Support Belt for Low-Back Pain in Office Workers

Effects of Wearing a Lumbar Support Belt on Low-Back Pain, Physical Fatigue During Computer Use, and Work Performance: A Pilot Parallel-Group Randomised Controlled Trial

Background:

Low-back pain (LBP) is common among office workers and can reduce productivity and quality of life. Lumbar support belts are commonly used to manage LBP, but their effectiveness specifically for office workers remains uncertain.

Aim:

This study investigates whether wearing a commercially available lumbar support belt (Guardner Belt) can reduce low-back pain, decrease physical fatigue during computer work, and improve perceived work performance among office workers with chronic low-back pain.

Methods:

Thirty office workers with chronic nonspecific low-back pain were randomly assigned to either wear the lumbar support belt during work hours for four weeks or continue usual activities without the belt. Participants' pain, fatigue, and work performance were assessed before and after the intervention period.

Study Design:

A single-centre, open-label, parallel-group randomised controlled trial conducted at a logistics company in Okinawa, Japan.

Participants:

Inclusion criteria: full-time office workers aged 20 to 65 years, chronic nonspecific low-back pain intensity ≥ 30 mm (100-mm visual analogue scale; VAS).

Exclusion criteria: prior lumbar surgery, ongoing pharmacologic treatment for low-back pain, anticipated changes in job duties during the trial period.

Interventions:

• Belt Group: Participants wore a commercially available elastic lumbar support belt (Guardner Belt) sized according to waist circumference. Participants were instructed to wear the belt for at least 8 hours daily during their working hours over a 4-week period.
• Control Group: Participants continued normal daily routines without any lumbar support belt.

Primary Outcome Measures:

Assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention:

• Low-back pain intensity: Measured using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
• Physical fatigue during computer work: Measured using a 100-mm VAS.
• Work performance: Measured using the Single-Item Presenteeism Question (SPQ), scored from 0% (no productivity) to 100% (full productivity).

Ethics:

Ethical approval was retrospectively granted by the Ryusei Hospital Institutional Review Board (Approval Number 202502). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Inclusion Criteria:

• • Full-time desk workers

  • Chronic nonspecific low-back pain (≥30 mm on a 100-mm visual analogue scale at baseline)
  • Age between 20 and 65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Previous lumbar surgery

  • Currently receiving pharmacologic treatment for low-back pain
  • Planned job-duty changes during the study period