Date Added:

August 21, 2026

Journal/Publication:

JAMA Network Open

Publisher:

The American Medical Association

Publication Date:

August 19, 2026

Issue:

8

Volume:

9

Pages:

1-13

URL:

Lumbar Belt for Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Type:

Clinical Research Results

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29793

Keywords

Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Randomized Clinical Trial

Adults

MeSH

low back pain

Adult

Surveys and Questionaires

RPR Commentary: Non-rigid lumbar support belts appear to reduce pain and disability in people with non-specific low back pain for at least 6 months. Not sure about the strength of the control. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Importance Nonspecific low back pain is highly prevalent and disabling. Most current guidelines state that evidence is insufficient to recommend lumbar belts for this condition.

Objective To determine whether a soft and extensible lumbar belt reduces functional disability and pain in patients with nonspecific low back pain.

Design, Setting, and Participants This multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted at 17 medical centers across France from February 26, 2021, to March 28, 2024. Participants were adults with nonspecific low back pain lasting 1 to 6 months. Data were analyzed from August 7, 2024, to June 18, 2025.

Interventions Patients were randomized using an interactive web response system to wear a nonrigid lumbar belt for 12 weeks in addition to usual care or to receive usual care without a device.

Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the between-group difference in mean change in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score from baseline to week 12. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, week 4, and week 12; pain was also reported weekly using online questionnaires.

Results At total of 168 patients were randomized (mean [SD] age, 49.0 [13.7] years; 101 women [60.1%]), with 86 participants in the belt group and 82 participants in the usual care group. The primary analysis included 155 patients with at least 1 postrandomization assessment (81 patients in the belt group; 74 patients in the control group). ODI improvement from baseline to week 12 was greater in the belt group (change, −10.0 [95% CI, −13.0 to −7.0] points) than in the control group (change, −5.3 [95% CI, −8.6 to −2.1] points), with a between-group difference of −4.7 (95% CI, −8.4 to −0.9) points (P = .01). Reductions in pain at rest and during activity were also greater in the belt group, with between-group differences of −8.7 (95% CI, −16.1 to −1.3) points (P = .02) and −10.0 (95% CI, −18.3 to −1.6) points (P = .02), respectively. Over 12 weeks, medication use was lower in the belt group than in the control group (41 patients [50.6%] vs 50 patients [67.6%]; P = .03). No serious device-related adverse events occurred.

Conclusions and Relevance In this randomized clinical trial, adding a nonrigid lumbar belt to usual care resulted in improved pain and functional disability in patients with nonspecific low back pain lasting 1 to 6 months. These findings suggest that lumbar belts may be considered as a nonpharmacological option for symptom management.

Author/s:

Laurent Grange, Paul Calmels, Yves-Marie Pers, Guillaume Laustriat, Valerie Wieczorek, Nassima Saih, Mathieu De-Seze, Christelle Nguyen, Camille Daste, Isabelle Fayolle-Minon, Emmanuel Coudeyre, Francois Rannou