Ottobock The S.P.I.N.E. Adjustable Lower Back Brace with Pulley System - Lumbar Back Support Belt for Men and Women - Compression to Relieve Lower Back Pain & Spine Pressure, X-Small

I had osteomyelitis of my L5S1 and the nearby disc last year. If you know anything about this condition, it is horribly painful; it is excrutiating. Unfortunately, my insurance company denied the first request for an MRI. By the way, if you have BCN like I do, I will say it right here, that's who denied it. The reason I am still angry about it is when my pain and physical health continued to decline incredibly and I ended up in the ER heading straight there from physical therapy. The physical therapy I had done that day completely excarbated the pain. I was in such excruciating pain despite the physical therapist working on me for 1-1/2 hours that I couldn't walk. The physical therapist had to put me into a wheel chair and take me to my car, where he had to pick me up out of the chair and put me into my car seat. AS I was driving away in horrific pain, all I could think of is how was I going to be able to get out of my car once I was home. The ER quickly treated me with pain medication, refused to do an MRI even though my family doctor said if the pain becomes unbearable, go to the ER and tell them to do an MRI. The next day I called the specialist I was seeing and told him what happened. He was able to get an MRI approved. Needless to say, I lost about a month or more time when I finally had the MRI. By the way, when I had the MRI, and at this point I couldn't even sleep on my back any longer and could barely turn over in bed so I was sleeping in my recliner. When I completed the MRI and sat up, I screamed out in agonizing pain. I couldn't walk and had to be wheelchaired to the changing room. It took hours before I could barely get myself back in my car to return to work. 2 hours after I left the facility where I got the MRI done, I got a call from the specialist saying I needed to be hospitalized. The thing is Osteomyelitits is an infection in the bone and my infection was in my lower spine and disc. This is a rare condition and 20% of people die from it. Needless to say, had the MRI been approved when it should have been, I would have been prevented further horrific pain and irreversible destruction to my spine and disc. I know much of this has nothing to do with my review but my hope is someone will read this who may be struggling or have had insurance issues similar and maybe I will save someone the horrific pain, etc. What I truly need and want to do is send a scathing letter to the CEO of BCN. Anyway, I was hospitalized for 6 days. Every time I had an MRI while in the hospital and they had me sit up coming out of the machine, I would scream and cry from agonizing pain. My spine would lock up and I can't even begin to describe the horrific pain I experienced. This was despite being prescribed Norco. Finally, the hospital (which if they knew what the heck they were doing, they would have figured it out sooner) gave me a very short acting but powerful painkiller and anxiety medication to me just before the last MRI which helped significantly. How they didn't fiture out how to to do this in the 6 mri's I had while there is beyond me. However, once I was discharged I had to get a follow up mri and went through the same mess. Anyway, I was on IV antibiotics for 10 weeks, out of work for 4 months and after IV antibiotics were finished, I took oral antibiotics for 6 months. About a month after discharge from the hospital, I followed up with the neurosurgeon I saw in the hospital. He wrote a script for the brace and there was an office next to his that sold this type of equipment. I was fitted for one and it has helped so tremendously. There has been lots of instability in my spine where the infection occurred. This brace supports me there wonderfully. There was talk of operating on my spine and putting in hardware but I got a second opinion thru U of M. I am so very glad I did. Plus, and I won't name names, the neurosurgeon who I had seen in the hospital wasn't board certified. There was no way I would even entertain the idea of spine surgery by someone who wasn't board certified. In fact, and what I find horrifying, there was only one board certified neurosurgeon for this hospital and it's a large hospital. Unfortunately, he was booked way out or I would have followed up with him. Like I mentioned, I eventually got the second opinion thru U of M. The neursurgeon there, who I researched heavily, was very conservative. Standard care for the infection is 6 weeks of iv antibiotics. He recommended against surgery and that my infectious disease doctor thru the other hospital system I was going thru extend the IV anti-biotics for 4 more weeks. In addition, with the brace, I was able to slowly start walking again, eventually longer distances. There was a time after discharge that I could barely walk around in my house. Eventually, I could make it 1/2 block. My family doctor urged me to walk as much as I could stand the pain. He explained that because the infection was in the lowest part of my spine, it's more difficult to get blood circulation there which helps the healing. I was so desperate to reduce the pain and heal the infection, that I got to the point where I was walking twice/day. This brace allowed me to do that. I speak highly of it to others. I have gone through several months of physical therapy and have several months more to do. The therapist said I need to work toward not using it as if you wear it too much, your abdominal muscles, etc end up weakening. I have had the brace since last year but my cat got ahold of it and chewed thru one of the strings. That led to me replacing it on Amazon. BCN paid the facility that I got it from the first time close to 150$ if memory serves me correctly. That's a huge difference from paying 60$ for it on Amazon. People have stopped me in the stores and asked me if the brace helps. I give them a resounding absolutely yes. This one is great quality. Again, I hope anyone reading this might find some of the additional personal story I added it in helpful to you. Doctors have said I will have permanent stiffness and pain that will never go away. However, I am a long way from where I was last year. By the way, when I switched my care to U of M and when I told the neurosurgeon there about my experiences with the MRI and he wanted a follow up one done, I was set up with light sedation to do it. That made a big difference. Why the heck the other hospital system didn't figure this out much more quickly is beyond me. Anyway, I give a big thumbs up on this brace.

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Let me first say that after a work related back injury and multiple reinjuries, I have been dealing with lower lumbar pain for over 10 years. After this latest flare up, I decided to look for another belt. After alot review reading and video watching, I decided to go with this one. Simply put, It really is worth every penny. It did take me a few attempts putting it on before I found my sweet spot for comfort. I think I'm wearing it just a little bit lower in the front than the woman in the picture, because that is where I felt it should sit to provide the most support in the back. Plus when I had it sitting higher up in the front, the top part of the back of the belt (those two plastic pieces) were digging uncomfortably into my back. What I love about this brace is the customized support of the pulley system. I mean this brace hugs you so very well and it doesn't bunch up or overyly constrict in areas of my waist, like the spandex typed braces do. I feel like this molds to my back and stomach and my sides so very well. The mesh is breathable and its stiff and I absolutely love that because I'm a big gal, I have bulges and creases and because the belt portion is a stiffer mesh it holds all that stuff in, instead of stretching around it and digging in. Oh my golly, this brace is wonderful!! I admit, at first when I put it on, I didn't feel like I was getting that much support, but it was because the front was sitting too high. Once I angled the front velcro down a little, it allowed for the back plastic part to sit where I need it to and when I sinch it tightly, oh my word the supporting feels so good!! I mean I bought this brace for work but I haven't taken it off since I first tried it on 3 hours or so ago after it arrived today in the mail. I wish I felt like this all the time! Unfortunately though, it's my understanding that you shouldn't wear these all the time because it causes your core muscles to get weak and I already have weak core muscles so I don't want them getting any weaker. I did find that this brace is also helping my posture. It isn't so much as forcing me to sit up straighter, but it makes me want to. I can still slouch, but with this brace on, it feels so much better to sit up nice and straight. I love it!! My only concern is with the draw strings. They are so thin, and I pull my brace so tightly and the warranty, which is already limited, is only good for 90 days. I hope this brace lasts atleast a few years. So far everything feels nice and tight and stiff. I hope it stays that way. I will update my review if I have issues but so far I can not recommend this brace enough.

I bought a back belt sold by Simms in 1998 to relieve pain in my back when I went fly fishing. As time progressed and the arthritis in my back advanced, I wore this belt more often until I started wearing it at work whenever I had to stand for more than a couple of hours at a time. Last year, I called Simms to order a backup belt and found they no longer sold this belt, and didn't know what had happened to the original company! A month ago, the tightening cord slipped out of the tighteners on my old belt, and I couldn't get it back in without destroying the belt! I didn't know what to do, as my back began to hurt daily as I worked on the aviation floor! Over the next couple of weeks, I tried three other belts, and while the three belts each had advantages and disadvantages, the common theme was that all three were narrower on the sides and the back, allowing the belt to ride above my waist, catching me under the ribcage! They were also not made like my old belt and felt flimsy in comparison! I desperately started looking for the original company and finally found this belt, which looked identical to my old one. While the new belt is a newer version, it is essentially the same as the old belt but with an almost frictionless tightening system due to the ultra-slick Spectra cord. From the moment I put this belt on, I could tell this was the back belt I'd been looking for! After ten days on the floor, I'm working 10-hour days without back pain! This belt makes my old belt pale in comparison! While my old belt took some serious pulling power using both hands to tighten, this newer belt can be tightened with two fingers! If you need a back belt that does not ride upward as you walk or work, and is so comfortable you sometimes forget you have it on, then this is the belt for you! From the moment you pull it from the package, you can tell this is a high-quality item that is made to withstand the test of time!