Three Things I Would Never Use As a Physical Therapist

The media try to sell gimmicky things all the time that promise to “fix your pain.” Here are 3 things I would never use as a physical therapist.

1. The nemesis of a physical therapist: Posture Trainers

These devices hold you up in a position of good posture and promise to reduce your back pain. The problem is that they hold you in a position so your muscles don’t have to do any work. Over time your muscles will get weaker and you will be unable to maintain good posture without this device. A better way to address postural issues is to see a physical therapist for prescribed stretching and strengthening.

2. Fit Twist Board: Makes me cringe

These boards are devices you step on and twist side to side. They are advertised as something to strengthen your abdominals. These are more likely to give you back pain than anything else. Definitely not a “ab workout” I would ever perform or recommend to others. Nothing more than a gimmick.

3. Waist Trainer: Makes me cringe even more

Waist trainers are advertised as “training” your waist to be thinner. Not only is this impossible, but this is another device that will only make your abdominals weaker. The device stabilizes your torso so that your abdominals don’t have to do any work. If anything you will end up with the opposite of the desired effect and may end up with back issues due to developed abdominal weakness. As a physical therapist, I cringe when I see people wearing these.

These items prey on people looking for quick fixes – as a physical therapist I want you to know you can do better than this!

The reason why I dislike each of these devices is because they do not address root causes of pain and dysfunction. The posture and waist trainers do the work for your muscles, resulting in making them weaker and making the issues they are used for worse. The fit twist board doesn’t use the stabilizing muscles of the core and will not improve abdominal strength. Changing your body takes both time and consistency. If you’re not sure where to start, I would check out the exercise database. It’s free to all blog subscribers (Pssst – the subscription is free too!). It contains exercises for various body regions, as well as form tips!