belt hurts back?

[therook]

Ive been on patrol around 6 months or so, and my duty belt just hurts my back. mostly when sitting but just in general, leaving work each day with a sore back. im about 6 ft 2, 190 lbs. the belt is nothing crazy around normal.
i have tried keeping it nice and tight on me and also a little loose, but hurt. any suggestions?

[JLee]

Have you gone to a good chiropractor? I'm guessing something is out of whack.

[10-8 Po-po]

Not sure what kind of setup you have on your belt. New guys have a tendency to put stuff all over their belt, including the back. This is what I call the "batman" effect..lol. If you have it like that, just move everything outward so you have nothing on your back to press against it while in the cruiser and it should help.

[TXDSX]

I have also found that if you wear the Safariland duty belts they can hurt your back if you have them to tight. We wear Safariland and they can play havoc with your back.
I figure its due to the fact that the Safariland duty belt isnt really leather its laminate. I guess thats why one of my belts I have had for about 10 years and its still as rigid as the first day I got it.

[leesrt]

The only thing you want on your back is a soft glove pouch for disposable gloves. This helps cusion the spine area.
I would highly suggest looking into the Hindi Duty Belt system.

[1SuperTrooper]

+1 on removing everything from your back side. It makes the day go by much better....There are a few companies that make an attatchment to your duty belt that better support your back and they are relatively cheap. I know Gall's makes one. There were a bunch of guys at my academy that wore something from a company based out of Washington, but I can't find it right now. If I can I'll send you the link. I to have the bat belt bug (only been LE for a short time) but keeping everything off my back has been a huge help.

[kckpd756]

Look at the Back Defender. There is a thread on here about it. Its a harness system worn with the duty belt. I've been in LE for 11 yrs, am 6'4 280. I lift weights regularly and let me tell you as ive gotten older my back has really started to act up. I heard about this product from a guy at another agency. I looked inot it and once I started wearing it the results have been life changing, literally.
I suggest you check out the thread and see what other officers that are wearing it have to say. If you are new I would try to get ahead of back problems. I wish this product had been around when I was a rookie.

[SRT936]

Get yourself a pair of duty suspenders. I wear the Orca's and will never wear a duty belt again without them. It makes an amazing difference.

[ChgoPaintball]

try not to having anything on your back. If need room, see if your department allows you to have vest covers. Here I was able to put my handcuffs, a flashlight and my OC spray on my vest. Thus relieving some tension off my back.

[ArkansasFan24]

I put NOTHING across the back of mine except for the two belt keepers and sometimes those feel they're being driven into my body. That said, I don't get to wear all that much on my belt since I wear a 32" pant, lol.

In the winter of 2004, I hurt my back, coughing believe it or not, and now still get chronic SI inflammation. On those days, I strip the belt and wear a pistol. Fortunately, I'm in a position now where I don't always need to wear that stuff.

[CPD7297]

I always find this subject interesting; the duty belt. Why in the world do officers today wear all that stuff? Geez, all you need is a gun, extra mags, mace, a radio and handcuffs. That's all I wore for 14 years in Patrol and my back today is still hurting. Thank God for qualified chiropractors. Unless the rules and regs of your department require you to carry those fancy useless items, dump 'em fast. Jump on a scale with all your gear. That's what you carry for eight hours a day, seven days a week...for years. It's a no brainer man, unless you lighten the load, later in life your back issues will increase. It's not fun. Take it from someone who's been there, done that.

[therook]

i looked at the back defender. im afraid to wear it and be "that guy" though

[Stop Resisting]

I had some minor back pain and foot pain. I purchased some heel and arch supports (not expensive ones, just Dr. Scholls) and havn't had a problem since.

Also, the only thing not covered in gear on my back is my spine. A 31in waist is a blessing and a curse

[ArkansasFan24]

i looked at the back defender. im afraid to wear it and be "that guy" though

I was watching that show "Jail" a few weeks ago and finally saw someone wearing one of those. I never thought I'd see it used in that application, but it was there on his little belt.

[RoadKingTrooper]

Keep your back pockets empty. The seats in our PCs used to collapse after 60,000 miles, some were broken down so bad I couldn't work a full shift without my back going out