Lifting Belt Controversy: Should You Use One?

This is the fourth article in a series examining low back pain in the performing arts. Previous articles examined the causes of low back pain, rules for safe lifting, and proper lifting techniques in the performing arts. This article discusses a commonly-used piece of safety equipment: the lifting belt.

There are many types of lifting belts, also occasionally referred to as “back belts.” The lifting belts most commonly encountered in the performing arts and athletic worlds are specifically designed for athletic use. These belts are designed to support the lower back while minimizing the extent to which they interfere with body movement. Conversely, some back belts are intended for people with specific back injuries or for manual laborers to wear at work. These belts may have suspender-like supports or may be made of inflexible materials, like hard plastic, which make it harder to perform athletic movements while wearing these belts.

Industrial Lifting Belt

Research on the use of lifting belts has returned mixed results. These inconclusive findings are why there aren’t any broad recommendations on using a lifting belt in general. It appears that lifting belts may help some people, may not have any benefit for others, and may actually put some people at an elevated risk for back injury.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, studies have found that people wearing lifting belts tend to attempt to lift more weight than they do when they are not wearing a lifting belt. This indicates that the belt provides a sense of security while lifting. Unfortunately, this may lead lifters to injury while attempting to lift more weight than they can handle. Interestingly, some people may actually be able to lift more while wearing a lifting belt, although this is difficult to demonstrate scientifically (it’s possible that these people could lift the heavier amount without the belt, too, but they simply don’t attempt to lift that amount without a lifting belt).

While back belts may decrease pain following an injury, for people who have never had a back injury, lifting belts appear to provide no additional protective benefit while lifting. Moreover, research has found that if an injury occurs while someone is wearing a lifting belt, this injury will tend to be more severe than an injury suffered by someone not wearing a belt at the time of injury. This trend may be because people tend to attempt to lift more when they are wearing a lifting belt, or it may be related to the physiological adaptations described in the next section.

Athletic Lifting Belt, designed for weightlifting

Some research indicates that people who wear a lifting belt for a short period are then at an elevated risk of injury after they stop using the belt. There are a couple of possible explanations for this phenomenon:

1. When the lifter is wearing the belt, he relies fully on the external bracing of the belt for spinal support and stability (incorrect), instead of adding this bracing to the dynamic support already provided by his abdominal, back, and pelvic muscles (correct). Over time, this effectively causes these muscles to “switch off” while lifting, since they are not being used anymore. When the lifting belt is no longer used, the spine is left with no supporting structures during lifting, exposing the low back to significant injury. Continued activation of core-supporting muscles while lifting with a back belt can help avoid this problem.
2. By design, back belts limit full motion of the spine. However, sometimes this motion-restriction interferes with correct lifting mechanics, especially when the belt is incorrectly sized or worn improperly. If the belt interferes with correct lifting mechanics and positioning, the lifter’s body will naturally compensate to meet the demands being placed on it (lifting). These compensations can lead to improper lifting mechanics that will, over time, be adopted as the lifter’s “normal” mechanics. When the belt is no longer used, these improper mechanics persist and can put the lifter at an elevated risk for injury. Using a properly-sized belt that is worn correctly and continuing to use correct lifting mechanics while wearing the belt can prevent this problem.

Aside from musculoskeletal injuries, back belts can tax the lifter’s overall health through an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. In combination with the elevation in heart rate and blood pressure that naturally occurs during exercise, these increases may place unnecessary stress on the cardiovascular system and are of great concern for lifters with pre-existing heart conditions.

Lastly, the debate about whether to use a lifting belt in the performing arts (and athletics, too) hinges on a philosophical question: If you will not be wearing a lifting belt while performing, does wearing one during your training adequately prepare you for performing or does it train you to rely on something you won’t have during the performance? This is especially relevant to performers who wear costumes (and, to a lesser extent, uniforms), since they frequently are not allowed to wear a lifting belt (or ACL brace or wrist splint) during a performance. Like all philosophical questions, there does not appear to be a “right” answer. So, for now, we’ll leave it at this: if, after considering all of the points discussed above, you decide to wear a lifting belt, be certain you’re still following the rules of lifting to ensure proper mechanics. Remember, the belt is far from a guarantee against injury; you still have to be smart about how you use your body!



Check back soon for the final article in this series, which will delve into how performers should address the unique challenges presented by carrying another performer or a heavy object.