Yes, absolutely this.Originally Posted by Magsz
Moving stuff onto a vest didn't help me at all simply because putting all that weight on the front of my chest just made my posture worse.
Switching to a thinner duty belt and using HSGI molle pouches for my equipment made a huge improvement in comfort. The stiff plastic lined 2 inch duty belts create strain and stiffness in your lower back in a multitude of ways.
Thanks for bringing him up. Looking at some of his talks about fitness philosophy now.
-All views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the author's employer-
Do you think balancing items between your belt and you vest would have helped? I see some guys have so much stuff on the vest, that it looks like it would be worse than a duty belt.
I’ve got about 17 years and counting in uniformed patrol positions. About 18 months ago I switched to a load bearing vest carrier after picking up a relatively minor acute back injury wrestling a guy off of a motorcycle. What’s worked for me is putting most of my stuff on the vest with pistol, taser, and secondary cuffs being the only thing left on the belt.
The vest in and of itself isn’t a magic fix by any stretch, but the ability to easily and quickly take the vest off has been a significant help. Due to IT reasons, I primarily do paperwork in a station so anytime I’m inside the secured facility and not interacting with the public, I take the vest off. The time without the weight, particularly in terms of posture while typing, has probably been the bigger difference versus weight distribution, although the weight distribution while wearing the vest plays a role as well.
Anything I post is my opinion alone as a private citizen.
I would think that departments would have a provision for medical waivers permitting officers to alter uniforms to protect backs. An example might be using external vests or suspenders. Back ailments cost employers money so maybe they would apply logic.
Not necessarily. Nylon, lightweight belt systems were popular in my old department for those reasons, and officers would get a doctors note so they could get a voucher for a Bianchi Accumold belt and pouches. Then the City HR system started demanding further documentation of those "back issues", and removing officers from duty until they could be evaluated. Prevention of future injuries was not only not a priority, it wasn't a.concern at all.
Prevention was, however, the primary argument for adopting outer vest carriers. The officers involved in pushing the project had loads of documentation, but it still took almost 5 years for a policy to be approved.
I have mixed feelings about the outer carriers as they're used by many cops. Like many things, I think fad/fashion affects this issue as much as utility. Most officers adopt a "Look how much more stuff I can carry now!" approach, which leads to.the 'Tactical Turtle' look. Placement of equipment on the vest is often less than optimal, and officers don't practice with the safety equipment that's now in a different place on the body than it used to be. I get the rationale, and I think they are highly useful especially in certain climates. For many, I think it's just more 'cool guy' schwag.
I've had a couple bouts of sciatic nerve pain. After immediate fixes from a chiropractor, going to a padded, anatomically cut middle belt (from the defunct Tactical Design Labs) fixed it. I still use it.
I did not have mid and upper back pain until after my Iraq trip ('04-'06), wearing an external vest with load-bearing equipment on top of that. I don't think that the external vest carriers, especially the way many overload them, will have much of a positive impact on back issues for uniformed cops.
And I've seen other problems arise from the external vest carriers, but I don't have to wear them.
The one benefit I do see is being to easily ditch that gear when you're stuck in the office at a keyboard.
I’m actually walking into a chiropractor in a few minutes. I recently moved across the country for a new department. My old agency was nylon belts and an outer carrier with some things on it; not the full tac vest look. I had my radio, flashlight, and OC on my vest. I didnt have a taser and I had a wood stick in my bag. Here I am now full basketweave leather. No external carrier, with a taser and no wood stick allowed. My lower back has not enjoyed it at all. The biggest difference in my old vest was honestly moving my radio off my belt and having more space along the back line to move stuff to the sides. Here I dont have a choice, while I have nothing on my center back the 4 and 8 of clock areas are encroaching more with my cuffs pushing closer to center than I enjoy. Maybe one day well go to carriers. I have yet to understand why departments are still using the old classic look with leather and no outer carriers. Its been shown the public at large does not care what we look like as long as were professional.
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My observations after a decade of working with a back injury:
A belt can both be too flimsy (Bianchi Accumold/Accumold Elite) or too stiff (Ares Gear). I have settled on a Snake Eater Tactical duty belt with their Hypalon inner belt. It strikes a nice balance. I am interested in the latest generation of Tegris based belts (Blue Force Gear, Axl Advanced etc). I would never consider a leather belt because of the weight. I also vastly prefer velcro between the outer and inner belt instead of a keeper based system because of the added security and the ease of donning and doffing.
I've been using an external carrier for about two years. I run my taser, radio and body worn camera on it. The benefits for me are ventilation, spreading the weight around and more flexibility in gear placement on my belt. Doffing/Donning both belt and vest in under 30 seconds when appropriate is also huge.
Other things:
I use the aluminum peerless cuffs instead of steel (this alone saves a lot of weight) in a double cuff pouch up front on the belt in front of my holster.
I run my mags on my support side hip (IPSC Production style). The weight balance and keeping the front of my belt fairly clear make a big difference with comfort in the car. Esstac's canted nylon pouches are really good.
I keep my back pants pockets empty and the back of my belt clear.
Besides all the gear stuff I have found that exercise, especially barbell back squats, is the most important thing keeping my back pain manageable.
I’ve thought for a while that squatting and deadlifting got me through a 32 year career of wearing a duty belt without back issues
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