Along with my CP came a crooked spine -- I have scoliosis, an S-curve, that ends right below my shoulder blades. But the funny thing is, I never hurt *between my shoulder blades*, which would make the most sense. Because of the constant pull on my spine from rigid muscles (and therefore weak, tired muscles) the pain travels down the rest of my spine and on into my tailbone. My muscles hurt. My vertebrae hurt. And a backache seems to have the malevolent ability to make the rest of me hurt, too. (Fellow back pain sufferers will know exactly what I mean.) I hope it isn't surprising, then, to note that I've dedicated a major portion of my energy to easing that ache.
There are several things you can do if you have a backache that don't involve medication. (I tend to use the Baclofen I have been prescribed as little as possible, because it makes me nauseous and induces a state of torpor a hibernating bear would have to struggle to compete with.) Here are a few of those non-medicine things:
1. Stretching. Get down on all fours and arch your back up. Hold. Dip down. Hold. (This is commonly called the "cat stretch," and it pulls the kinks out of your spine and stetches your back muscles.)
2. Heat. I have a heating pad (review to follow soon) that is my inanimate best friend. I loooooooove to lie with it under my back. Maybe I love it a little too much, because I've been warned that excess heat can actually make an ache worse. Good thing there's a timer on My Friend Heating Pad, huh?
3. Acupressure. Really. It works. I have an acupressure mat, and the thousands of tiny little spikes actually help. Don't ask me how; I just got really desperate one day and decided to try it because I couldn't possibly hurt any worse. Here's a link to my review of the mat: Acupressure Mat Review
4. Bracing. This is where today's review comes in. Now, I've had some bracing adventures in my lifetime (AFOs, SMOs, knee braces; rigid, soft, somewhere in between; corrective, supportive. I know about orthoses, baby.) So when I say I've found a good one, I've found a good one. And the Mueller Adjustable Lumbar Back Brace (Click the link to see it on Amazon.com) is a good one.
I bought it when I was planning on road-tripping with some friends and was in the car for several straight hours, which tends to leave me lying stretched out across the back seat moaning in agony. Only there wasn't room for stretching/moaning on this trip, because I was sandwiched with all the luggage. So I tucked a few Bac in my pocket just in case, and trusted the brace to help me get through the 16 hour trip with my sanity intact. And it did. My back ached some at the end of the day, but I could still move, stand, walk -- all those important locomotion things. This was a vast improvement on the usual, and on previous braces.
I tried a full, corset style brace first. It went on like a vest and closed down across belly with Velcro; padded metal stays were sewn into the sides like ... well, like boning on a corset. I guess that's why it's called corset-style. The shoulder straps were adjustable a la bra straps ... except the fastening was sewn onto the wrong side of one of the straps, so it always had a twist in it. Annoying thing number one.
Annoying thing number two: it was white. That's my fault; I have no idea what I was thinking. Never, ever, ever buy a soft or semi-soft brace to be worn over your entire torso under your clothing that is anything approximating white. You will sweat. It will turn yellow. THAT WILL BE DISGUSTING. So what if no one else will see it?! You'll see it, and if you're like me, wearing something sweat-yellow that was once white will make you feel like you haven't bathed in decades. And trust me, bleach will NOT help.
Annoying thing number 3: the fastening sucked. The Velcro pieces weren't large enough, or strong enough, to fit comfortably. Maybe this is because I'm a plus-sized lady, but this was a plus-sized brace ... it should have stayed on. The fact that it did not stay on after the second week tells me it wasn't my size that was the problem -- it was the brace. It would roll up at the bottom and stab me in the belly. I'd unfasten it and straighten it out. It would stab me again. One morning in the wee sma's I ripped it off, marched to the kitchen, and chucked it into the garbage can. The cons had begun to outweigh the pros; the brace had to go.
And then there was Mueller. Aaaaahhhh.
I don't think anyone will ever make a brace of any kind that is the epitome of comfort, but this one is certainly better than the first one. It's belt style, not corset-style, so at first I was a little concerned it wouldn't provide enough support. (I always think it'll be nice having a brace up there coddling that spinal curve, but it wasn't particularly.) It passed the road trip test with flying colors though, so I need not have worried about that. The fastenings are very generous, with good, strong Velcro and double-wide elastic bands. It's actually a little too generous, which is its only drawback -- I bought it in my size, and I have to fold the closure nearly double around myself. That takes some muscle, with elastic that strong. Good thing I have it. (I guess what I'm saying is that Mueller braces run big. Size down.)
I always recommend wearing an undershirt with any kind of torso brace. Thin, because you don't want to feel too squeezed, but wear one. It'll stop chafing and ease pressure points. It's like socks and shoes. (Wait ... what am I saying? I hate socks.)
Anyhow, if you need a good brace at a reasonable cost, I'd say go with Mueller. It's only the second kind I've tried, and I'm sure with age it'll start to weaken in spots and maybe roll a bit at the bottom, but until then, hey -- why mess with a good thing? We all wear out eventually.
(Some of us sooner than others ...)
I tried a full, corset style brace first. It went on like a vest and closed down across belly with Velcro; padded metal stays were sewn into the sides like ... well, like boning on a corset. I guess that's why it's called corset-style. The shoulder straps were adjustable a la bra straps ... except the fastening was sewn onto the wrong side of one of the straps, so it always had a twist in it. Annoying thing number one.
Annoying thing number two: it was white. That's my fault; I have no idea what I was thinking. Never, ever, ever buy a soft or semi-soft brace to be worn over your entire torso under your clothing that is anything approximating white. You will sweat. It will turn yellow. THAT WILL BE DISGUSTING. So what if no one else will see it?! You'll see it, and if you're like me, wearing something sweat-yellow that was once white will make you feel like you haven't bathed in decades. And trust me, bleach will NOT help.
Annoying thing number 3: the fastening sucked. The Velcro pieces weren't large enough, or strong enough, to fit comfortably. Maybe this is because I'm a plus-sized lady, but this was a plus-sized brace ... it should have stayed on. The fact that it did not stay on after the second week tells me it wasn't my size that was the problem -- it was the brace. It would roll up at the bottom and stab me in the belly. I'd unfasten it and straighten it out. It would stab me again. One morning in the wee sma's I ripped it off, marched to the kitchen, and chucked it into the garbage can. The cons had begun to outweigh the pros; the brace had to go.
And then there was Mueller. Aaaaahhhh.
I don't think anyone will ever make a brace of any kind that is the epitome of comfort, but this one is certainly better than the first one. It's belt style, not corset-style, so at first I was a little concerned it wouldn't provide enough support. (I always think it'll be nice having a brace up there coddling that spinal curve, but it wasn't particularly.) It passed the road trip test with flying colors though, so I need not have worried about that. The fastenings are very generous, with good, strong Velcro and double-wide elastic bands. It's actually a little too generous, which is its only drawback -- I bought it in my size, and I have to fold the closure nearly double around myself. That takes some muscle, with elastic that strong. Good thing I have it. (I guess what I'm saying is that Mueller braces run big. Size down.)
I always recommend wearing an undershirt with any kind of torso brace. Thin, because you don't want to feel too squeezed, but wear one. It'll stop chafing and ease pressure points. It's like socks and shoes. (Wait ... what am I saying? I hate socks.)
Anyhow, if you need a good brace at a reasonable cost, I'd say go with Mueller. It's only the second kind I've tried, and I'm sure with age it'll start to weaken in spots and maybe roll a bit at the bottom, but until then, hey -- why mess with a good thing? We all wear out eventually.
(Some of us sooner than others ...)
Great review. I hope someone can learn from this.
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