back brace

Rob Buirgy reached out having sustained a multiple fragment compression fracture of his T12 vertebra (in the middle of the back). Despite being in a body brace afterwards, having already followed the Gokhale Method for a couple of years, Rob’s instinct told him that our method would be able to help him regain an active life. More recently, he has also fully recovered from a whole knee replacement. In this blog post he explains how healthy posture set him up for success… 
—Esther Gokhale

Meet Rob, whose passions include hiking and rafting.

Healing my back

In December 2023, during a vacation excursion to a Mexican cenote (deep water well) in the Riviera Maya region, I’d had a bad jump from a 12m high platform; thankfully, we were required to wear life jackets for this activity! I had serious pain and muscle spasms immediately when I sustained the fracture. With the life jacket, I was able to float for about 30 minutes while I figured out what to do. Later I went to a local clinic. With no x-ray, and because my function was good, the doctor had me bend to touch my toes (so dangerous!), and determined that I had only strained my back. I later realized this was far from the correct diagnosis. Once I was back home, I was diagnosed with a serious “burst” fracture at T12, and prescribed a TLSO brace for three months. I could easily have had a bone fragment cut into my spinal cord—I got lucky!

If there are any insights here for anyone who might have sustained a spinal fracture but not know for sure, I would say, get checked out immediately. I only even suspected it might be a compression fracture due to previous experience with this type of injury at L1 from a rock climbing accident back in 1977. 

I am so grateful that I was already familiar with the Gokhale Method®. I had followed the method for about two years and decided to get in touch with Esther for a personal consultation to find out what adaptations I could do during my rehab. I discovered there was a lot I could do to preserve and improve my posture and movement, even though I wouldn’t be moving my spine for a few months.

I had already read 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, and after my consultation I was able to come back to it with much more confidence that I could make a full recovery.

Physical therapy was not an option while I was wearing the brace. However, I could take the online Gokhale Elements course, and so I was able to start and self-direct my recovery, at my pace, much earlier than expected, with approval from my medical professionals. I worked with a new level of detail on rolling my shoulders, keeping my neck tall, and preserving my foot strength while being less active than usual. As time went on, my health professionals said it was safe to engage my inner corset and bend by gently hip-hinging.

Not much movement was possible for three months while the shattered vertebra healed. The brace had to immobilize my spine.

Just eight months after my fracture I had a prearranged wilderness raft trip with a big group of friends and family. We were running Gates of Lodore on the Green River through Colorado and Utah. This trip had been a motivating goal since my recovery started—rowing our 16-foot raft with two passengers would be a real test of my recovery! Given my compromised fitness, we planned for back-up rowers, but the frequently strong winds were overwhelming for them. I didn’t know this beforehand, but it turned out I was ready for the challenge.

Me preparing for rowing on the raft—with “Sister,” my extra crew member!

I managed well by focusing on hip-hinging to set up my forward stroke, knowing how to position my shoulders, neck, and head, plus keep my spine long and straight. I didn’t have the same trunk strength I had before, but I could maintain a healthy alignment to both keep my spine safe and generate the power needed. I rowed up to six hours a day for four days. Yes, I was tired and a bit achy at night, but nothing that threatened my recovery. I will continue to row this way—the biomechanics of it are much better than how I used to row; I used to allow my back and shoulders to round, and then sway as I pulled back.

Knee rehabilitation

I’m currently recovering from a total left knee replacement after many decades of soccer and coaching took their toll. I finally undertook the knee surgery I had been resisting because I thought that my healthier biomechanics would allow me to gain full advantage from my new knee. Before the operation, I prepared by focusing on movement patterns and conditioning joint-supporting muscles. During that time, even though my knee was compromised, I focused on glidewalking to best coordinate my gait, learning how to use my glutes properly, how to use my feet well, and also what to look for in a hiking shoe.

My new knee joint posing for the x-ray!

Post-operatively, my experience with the Gokhale Method shines through. At this point I have met or exceeded all my recovery milestones. Getting the quadriceps muscle to work correctly, and extending the leg fully behind, are often problematic with this type of joint replacement. Three weeks in, my physical therapist determined that I did not need specific therapy to recover my gait. By applying the Gokhale Method principles, my healthy gait came back incredibly fast, and I moved on to compatible strength and balance exercises sooner than expected. As an added benefit, my upright, relaxed, and well-balanced overall posture also improves my proprioception (sense of where I am in space). This has enabled me to better adapt to my new joint and leg alignment as I tackle varying terrain and other situations. 

When I was first learning glidewalking, I would keep my hands resting on the top of my glutes to check if they were working—that was the only way I could feel them activating! My daughter is a dance instructor, and although I’m not into dance as such, experimenting with the modified Samba step that Esther teaches helped me to find that little bit of lateral hip action that I had been missing with each stride.

If I had focused only on the linear movement, I never would have found that natural glute and hip action. I have been a long-distance hiker all my adult life, and I was shocked to realize that I had been throwing my legs out to move forward, but I wasn’t taking advantage of the glute propulsion from behind and all its benefits.

Finding appropriate activation and relaxation in the glutes and hips is part of developing a smoother  walk.

I’m so glad to be a Gokhale Method student, because all is going well and I’m on track resuming the active life that I love. Three years ago I was often focused on my knee hurting, my back hurting, and I had little optimism about future activities. Today, I’m planning my next outing!

Reflections on healing and recovery

My doctors and therapists have said I should expect to have chronic back pain—but so far, it’s getting more comfortable, not worse, as I get stronger and more active. I’ve had great success with combining healthy posture with physical exercises, and using pain medication only when necessary. When we’re recovering from injury or surgery, there is often medication in the mix, and I think we can end up going for the pain meds when it’s actually something other than physical pain we are trying to address, such as frustration or despondency. 

With healthier posture that’s more open, relaxed, and strong, my affect has changed, and my entire outlook on life has improved—overall it’s very uplifting. I think “uplifting” is a great word to describe my experience, both in body and mind. After everything I’ve gone through, if I am having a struggle on a particular day, I know that a body scan and simple adjustments will immediately improve my outlook. Now, I can’t help but notice people’s posture and how they move—there are so many people who would benefit from this method. Hopefully, sharing my story will encourage others to come on board.

Special Spring Into Action free online workshops for newcomers

We encourage newcomers to enjoy Esther’s special, free, Put a Spring in Your Step: Glidewalk your Way to Healthy, Pain-Free Movement Gokhale Method beginner workshop, on Saturday, April 26, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (PST). Esther will be teaching glidewalking techniques you can start practicing straight away. The workshop will launch a special, free 5-Day Glidewalking challenge to which all participants will automatically be enrolled, to help you develop your walking power! Find out more, and sign up here.

Best next action steps 

If you would like help to enjoy an active life by learning healthy posture, get started by booking a consultation, online or in person, with one of our teachers. 

You can sign up below to join any one of our upcoming FREE Online Workshops…

A back brace can be an invaluable support that staves away compression in the spine, and spares a vulnerable person significant damage and back pain. A back brace can also become a crutch that allows you to become weaker, less able to support your own structure, and heading into a downward spiral of dysfunction.

Ideally, your inner corset is strong enough and has enough endurance to protect your spine during all your activities. In this case, no external corset or brace is required. But there are situations in which an external device is useful or necessary.

There are many different kinds of back braces out there.

A back brace as a training device or coach

Back braces can be pretty snug, especially the ones with built-in pulley systems (see recommendations below). They can demonstrate to your body just how thin and tall it can be. It’s then easier to find the relevant muscles to replicate what the brace is doing. When you succeed in making the brace a little slack around your torso, you have engaged your inner corset and topped the brace’s cue. This is an excellent way to find and strengthen the all-important inner corset muscles.

If you’d like to read more about the inner corset, please check out Chapter 5 of my book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back. A free download of Chapter 5 can be found on this page.

A back brace as a safety net

When you first discover and engage your inner corset muscles, it’s an exhausting effort. Not only are these muscles weak from disuse, but you are likely also countering tightness and shortness in the erector spinae (long back muscles) and rectus abdominis (6-pack) muscles. These superficial muscles of the torso contract inappropriately when the deep stabilizer muscles of the torso don’t do their work. Years of this kind of inappropriate engagement result in a baseline of short, tense muscles which your inner corset now needs to overcome.

It’s not uncommon for our students to begin with the challenging combination of damage in the spine, a weak inner corset, and tense erector spinae muscles. Changing this up for strength in the inner corset and length in the erector spinae muscles to protect the spine doesn’t happen overnight. Our Gokhale Method Foundations Course charts a particularly effective and efficient pathway to do just this, but in the face of pain from herniated discs, impinged nerves, and closely packed vertebrae, some immediate pain relief is welcome and encouraging. An external brace can provide support and relief while your inner corset is in training. By switching back and forth between using your inner and outer support systems, you get the best of two therapies: strengthening your muscles and protecting your spinal tissues. It also makes your journey more bearable and pleasant.

Which brace is best?

In my experience, a belt with a single Velcro strip is difficult to get strong support from. It takes a belt with two auxiliary straps in addition to the main attachment strip (shown below) to get a good fit and strong support.

It takes a belt with two auxiliary straps in addition to the main attachment strip to get a good fit and strong support. Shutterstock.

The best support I have experienced, though, comes from the belts with a pulley system built into them. Cybertech has a patent on this technology and has manufactured a vast array of braces that incorporate the pulley system. The one that students have found most helpful has medium width to go around the waist. Here is a link to it: https://amzn.to/2JfWDBq.

So far I’ve found that braces with a pulley system provide the best support.

Consider the extent of damage in your spine (how many discs are compromised?) when choosing a particular belt.

To repeat, do not use the brace in place of using your muscles. Use it as a coach to train your muscles in what they need to do. And use it as a safety net for when your muscles do not have the strength or endurance to keep you from impinging nerves or discs and experiencing pain.

Do you have experience with back belts and braces? What has been your experience?