The study, across 17 medical centers in France, followed 168 adults ages 18–75 with unexplained low back pain lasting 1–6 months. Adding a soft lower-back belt to standard care made a difference in their recovery.
On a standard disability scale, patients who wore the belt improved by 10 points, compared with 5.3 points for those who received usual care alone. Some 60.5% of patients in the belt group reached a level of improvement considered clinically meaningful, compared with 40.5% in the usual-care group.