As a chiropractic physician my recommendations are made based on a variety of factors including spinal biomechanics, research evidence and practical considerations such as ease of advice implementation and cost particular products. I would like to disclose that, although I may get a referral fee from some of the items advertised or reviewed, this will never impact the integrity of my reviews or recommendations. I hope you find my recommendations useful; however, if you have a specific spinal problem or condition, and have not yet done so, it is recommended that you contact your qualified health care provider for recommendations that may apply to your particular case.
Peter C. Spathis, DC
Posture Corrector Review & Recommendations
Most of us know the importance of good posture. So why is it that so few of us maintain good posture? The answer is simple - bad posture requires less effort! The reason for this is that, by slouching, we are resting on our spine and decreasing the amount of work our postural muscles have to do. This fact begs the obvious question "what's wrong with that?".
The problem with slouching is that, even though it requires less effort to rest on our spine than to use our postural muscles to keep our spine in a more "neutral position" that maintains our natural spinal curves, by resting on our spine we increase the pressure on our spinal discs and vertebral bodies, predisposing ourselves to disc herniation, degeneration and spinal compression fractures with age.
Posture correctors are helpful in retraining our postural muscles to maintain a neutral spinal position - a position that a healthy spine is in when we are standing up straight looking forward. As helpful as posture correctors are in this regard, it is my opinion that they should be used only on an intermittent basis - more at the beginning to retrain posture habits, and less over time to maintain these habits. The reason I would not personally recommended ongoing, constant use of these products would potentially decrease spinal joint movement in some areas and predispose an individual to osteoarthritc changes. However, everyone is diffeent and your specfic requirements should be discussed with your qualified health care provider. When used properly, I believe these products can be very helpful to many people and, if you are considering a posture corrector, I hope you find my following review and recommendations helpful.
A lightweight posture corrector that does the job it was designed to do at a low price pretty much sums up this product. It is adjustable to fit a variety of frames and has the right amount of strap width to reduce pressure points on areas like the front of the shoulder. This is important in maximizing comfort and helping to prevent potential impingement syndromes and associated symptoms such as arm pain, numbness, tingling and weakness. I believe most people seeking a posture brace to minimize slouching and improve spinal biomechanics will be happy with this product.
This posture corrector is significantly bulkier than the above product and is designed for those looking for full spine support. By providing a bracing effect to the lumbar spine as well as keeping the thoracic spine in a more upright position it is useful for situations where full spine posture correction is required. Even though it does not extend up to the cervical spine, this too will often benefit by allowing it to remain in a better position when the rest of the spine is properly aligned. This may then potentially help not only upper and lower back pain but neck pain also. However, I would recommend discussing your particular spinal brace and/or posture corrector requirements with your qualified health care provider to ensure that this is the type of product you actually need. My concern would be that overuse of this product, especially by those not requiring full spine support, may result in too much restriction of spinal joint motion. Over time, not only can this affect spinal joint integrity but it can have a deconditioning effect on spinal musculature. This product can certainly be very helpful when used appropriately and can help potentially relieve certain types of back and neck pain. However, for the reasons outlined, please discuss its use - including DURATION of use - with your qualified health care provider for best results.
This is a low profile posture corrector that most people will find easy to wear under their clothes. By helping to keep the shoulders back, this product can improve posture and help eliminate slouching habits. However, by nature of its design, I do not believe it can provide as much support as posture braces that extend a litte further down the spine. For people looking for a posture retrainer this may be a good choice; however, it may not provide the support required in the vertical plane for those with thoracic hyperkyphosis or more pronounced structural problems.
