Abdominal Binders 101

What are Abdominal Binders?

Abdominal Binders, also known as belly binders, are medical compression garments worn around the abdomen. They are used to apply light pressure to the abdominal region to speed up the recovery process after a major abdominal surgery. Abdominal binders are becoming more widely used, and many women will use them after surgery’s such as a hysterectomy or a cesarean section.

Do Abdominal Binders Work?

The short answer is, yes, abdominal binders do work. Abdominal binders are an effective pain reliever since they help take the pressure off of the abdomen region. There are multiple studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of abdominal binders on relieving pain. Studies such as one published in Cureus found that “The use of abdominal binder postoperatively significantly reduced pain and improved mobility in both obstetric and surgery patients.”

Still another study published in Physiotherapy, found that the use of binders helped patients walk further than other patients without them. This means that after any abdominal surgery, patients experienced less pain and greater movement when using an abdominal binder.

In addition, many doctors, including Jay Goldberg, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Beverly Hills stated “We’ve been prescribing abdominal binders for a long time… with obstetrics, these wraps help women recovering from a vaginal delivery or a c-section with their posture, abdominal support, and self-confidence.”

How do Abdominal Binders Work?

So what exactly does an abdominal binder do? Abdominal binders are wrapped snugly around the waist and hip area. The light compression they provide relieves the weight and pressure off of your surgery incisions which then reduces your pain. Not only that, but the compression is also thought to shrink your uterus faster. This gets rid of your unwanted belly fat and that still-pregnant look after giving birth.

In addition, they force your abdomen to remain in a certain position, this reduces the risk that you may move in an abnormal way and cause pain. The fabric protects your surgery incision from snagging on anything and causing problems. Essentially abdominal binders are a great resource that doctors, scientists, and patients have found to help in the postpartum recovery process.

Benefits

Get rid of unwanted belly fat/Shrink uterus

There are many benefits to using an abdominal binder, one of which is that it helps to get rid of belly fat. Now, the binder itself won’t get rid of belly fat, but with the decrease in pain you will be able to exercise your muscles. This goes for mothers who have just given birth, mothers who went through a cesarean section, and women who had a hysterectomy.

New mothers can also experience a faster recovery when it comes to their uterus shrinking. This also starts to help them feel more confident in their changing postpartum body. As Donnica Moore, MD, states “You may feel more comfortable and may feel like moving more and the more you move and exercise, the quicker you get your figure back.”

Prevent Diastasis Recti

Another problem many women face is preventing diastasis recti after giving birth. Diastasis recti is pretty common and according to an article on Parents it can be described as “a gap in between your right and left abdominal wall muscles that can result in a rounded, protruding belly ‘pooch.’”

Diastasis recti makes it incredibly difficult to lose the belly fat that stubbornly clings to your body after pregnancy. So, having help preventing it from happening in the first place is a great benefit to using an abdominal binder. If you think you may have diastasis recti, please look at our case guide, to determine a good course of action.

Less Pain

Many women who use an abdominal binder after surgery claim to experience less pain. This can probably be caused by the light compression, the support, and the relief that abdominal binders provide.

Heal Faster

Closely related to having less pain, abdominal binders also help the body heal faster. Essentially what happens is your body is experiencing less pain. So now you feel comfortable enough to move around and exercise your abdominal muscles. Through this exercise the ab muscles strengthen more and heal from any trauma. Meaning that the use of an abdominal binder allowed your body to heal faster than if you hadn’t used one.

How to Use

In most cases your healthcare provider will show you how to use your abdominal binder for the first time. They may also give you directions on when to clean it, and when to loosen the pressure. But if you are looking for a little guide here is what you should know.

1. Abdominal Binders go over bandages and under clothing. Many times you may have an incision which you need to have bandaged and you don’t want the blood to get on your binder.
2. Fasten your binder as directed. Some binders have two fasteners. Make sure you read the directions for each binder to ensure you are properly fastening it.
3. Make sure you feel comfortable. The abdominal binder should be snug and provide some support, but you should not feel uncomfortable or like you are being squeezed into a sausage casing.

Make sure you are wearing the right size binder. You don’t want the binder to be too loose, and you don’t want it to be so tight you can’t breathe. You also might want to consider your body type when purchasing an abdominal binder. Luckily we have a great guide to choosing the right postpartum garment for you. If you are looking for more detailed directions on how to use a binder check out this website.

Risks

For the most part, the majority of people can use abdominal binders without experiencing any problems. In some cases abdominal binders may not be a good option for you. The following are some risks that could potentially occur if you decide to use an abdominal binder.

1. Some people experience pain. For some people the pressure on their surgical area is not tolerated well. If you experience pain with the pressure that comes from an abdominal binder, stop using them immediately. You may want to contact your doctor.
2. Some people may get skin irritations. For some, the contact of the material with their skin can cause irritations such as allergic reactions, itchiness, redness, or a rash. To decrease the odds that this occurs, find a fabric that is non-irritating or hypoallergenic. You can also make sure to create a layer between your skin and the binder.
3. Some people may be at an increased risk of DVT (deep-vein thrombosis), to find out more about this, please visit the healthline website.

Best Abdominal Binders

There are a lot of abdominal binders on the market, but we at Bellefit truly believe in quality. We know that there are a ton of options available to you but we think ours are the best. Our abdominal binders are:

• medical grade
• FDA-Registered
• recommended since 2008
• available in 8 styles and in plus sizes
• made from non-irritating, breathable, flexible fabric
• compression adjustable

We want to make sure you have the best postpartum recovery available, that’s why we create what we do.

We hope this has given you some more insight into how abdominal binders work, and why they are a good investment.

Sources:

1. https://www.cureus.com/articles/22849-use-of-abdominal-binders-after-a-major-abdominal-surgery-a-randomized-controlled-trial
2. https://misuse.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/error/abuse.shtml
3. https://www.lucieslist.com/c-section-postpartum-bindersgirdles/
4. https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/belly-wraps-post-pregnancy-hit-or-hype#1
5. https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/postpartum/diastasis-recti-the-postpartum-body-problem-no-one-talks-about/
6. https://www.drugs.com/cg/abdominal-binder.html
7. https://www.healthline.com/health/abdominal-binder#risks-and-warnings