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Inventions are often the result of personal experience. So is the case of the one that I am about to introduce to you, as well as its creator who happens to be the perfect example. Meet, Bill Schultz, known as the "mad scientist," who became passionate about finding the alternative that would allow him to avoid spinal fusion surgery.

Though he found that solution 11 years ago, Bill continues working many 14+ hour days inventing in his laboratory, creating product iterations to play out the designs in his head, and working with his incredible medical advisors to ensure his products are doing what they claim to do.

“Rather than operating, forward thinking team docs are putting our products on their players” says Bill. “There are doctors all around the country who are replacing common shoulder and back surgeries with our products.”

Like many, I suffer from back pain, so when I became acquainted with AlignMed, the first apparel born of medical science and clinical validation, I was immediately intrigued.

I recently tried The Posture Shirt® 2.0 Pullover for women and I have to say that I have noticed a big difference when I’m wearing it, versus when I’m not.

The Original Posture Shirt® is anatomically constructed with tension panels also referred to as NeuroBands® that activate and stimulate specific muscle groups and joints to keep the body upright. Perfect for correcting, maintaining and preserving Proper Posture for increased mobility, range of motion, pain reduction and enhanced performance.

Clinical research and medical validity are generally required for approval from the FDA to establish a product as a medical device. AlignMed made the decision, in order to be the leader in garments with beneficial health effects, they would submit to the products rigors of clinical testing and FDA for registration.

Of course, I had many questions for the inventor, Bill Schultz…

Chronic back pain has become the condition of the century. How did you come to develop Alignmed?

As AlignMed’s President, Founder and personal victor over my own chronic back pain, it was so severe on myself that 11 years ago my doctor was proposing spinal fusion surgery. I went on a mission to find a non-surgical alternative. As an executive then in orthopedic surgical equipment I knew many top physicians and enough about the fledgeling sciences to set out to find it, and find it I did. I was also able to get off the addictive pain meds. I have an obligation and calling to help people with pain and loss of their physical independence with a logical alternative.

What makes Alignmed different from the other products on the market?

AlignMed develops body-worn devices that unlock the body’s peak performance potential through proper postural alignment. The human body has remarkable and often miraculous self-healing capabilities. Our products tap into that. AlignMed’s sole purpose is to integrate scientific understanding of human biology with our revolutionary garment technology to pioneer new personal wellness standards and create a paradigm shift in healthcare. AlignMed is far from being the first technology to target an individual's postural health.  It stands out from most of the others because its advice and knowledge are scientifically based, well documented, well studied, and addresses patient comfort and compliance. Our products are "evidence based" and steeped in clinical research.

Tell me about the Neuroband™ technology and how it works within the fabric.

Our garment technology uses built-in, customizable, variable elastic NeuroBands™ to kinetically join specific muscle groups creating YOUR ideal posture and to fight pain. “To be precise, the strategic placement of NeuroBands™ are a patented means to enhance the functions of a body in motion, not while it is static.  The product does not compress your skin or restrict natural movement like compression clothing or bracing. The user benefits from the choice of where, when and how long the therapy takes place.” NeuroBands™ stimulate the body's nerves and muscles and get the blood flowing. These actions cause the body to react. The bands pull the shoulders back to help correct posture. The body breathes easier taking in oxygen, allowing systems and organs to work better. The advantages of living with good posture are well documented, as are the damaging results of living in poor posture.

Two very prominent and very eminent physicians have provided these quotes:

“This is an important tool to take control of your own musculoskeletal health and reduce inflammation and pain,” says Stephen Hochschuler, MD, Spine Surgeon and Medical Director of the Texas Back Institute. Unlike braces that restrict natural movement or compression garments that use tight fitting fabrics to compress skin, AlignMed’s multi-functional innovation is a construction matrix of strategic elastic fabric panels (NeuroBands™) shown to fire muscles and align joints. AlignMed Posture Systems and the NeuroBand™ activators were the brainchild of an esteemed group of medical clinicians motivated to find an alternative to injury prevention and recovery as well as for those people interested in the everyday wellness that good posture, poise and confidence brings. 

“The garments not only work but look good as well,” says C. Thomas Vangsness, Orthopedic Surgeon, Professor and Director of Sports Medicine at USC, “AlignMed technology activates muscles to support the way muscles relay sensory information to the spinal cord, and brain for processing. In this manner NeuroBands™ help keep our muscles active and balanced.”

Did you work with spinal specialists and chiropractors to develop the line?

AlignMed has created and maintained a world-class medical advisory panel made up of eminent orthopedic surgeons, doctors of physical therapy, spine surgeons, professional sport team physicians and other professionals. Our products are invented, tested and proven with their help often in clinical and real-world settings. Members of our AMAP are found here: http://www.alignmed.com/technology/ourexperts

What came first in the line, the vest or the posture shirt?

The first product was a version of the Posture Shirt that has seen many hundreds of iterations since those early days. That first product was invented to help me to successfully avoid spinal fusion surgery and to get me off addictive pain meds. As the science of NeuroBands™ developed we were able to very successfully incorporate them into prescription level products that have proven to simply be miraculous in many situations.

You have a medical advisory panel for Alignmed products. Who is this comprised of and what do they do?

Our AMAP medical advisory board includes the likes of the team doctors for the L.A. Dodgers and Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and White Sox, the esteemed head of the famed Texas Back Institute, the head of orthopedics at New York's HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery), the President of the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, and others around the country of similar stature. Professional sports team doctors work out in front of the industry. We're very fortunate to work so closely with so many of them as they must work with a sense of urgency to get star players back to playing. We often invent products for these needs which then benefit the masses. Pro team trainers are consumed with creating good posture for their players as that's a key aspect of elite performances. The general public benefits.

Who do you recommend Alignmed for? (Arthritis, chronic pain, your site even says headeaches.)

This tech is for everyone. Everyone would benefit from their body being in proper alignment. We have multiple products that are specifically for those who want to relieve their pain, and improve their performance, but we also want to improve how people look and feel which we can all relate to. And who doesn't look and feel better with better posture and alignment.  In past generations the elderly have been the stereotypical poor posture group, but that's always been a misnomer. The truth is very young people today are falling victim to the damage being done by the use of smart phones and devices. Many documented and troubling cases of "text neck" are realized in pre-teens, teens, and the use of computers and smart devices has created a near epidemic of poor posture-related issues for everyone from age 9 all the way through the elderly. The easy fact is that all anyone has to remember about Alignmed is to simply wear it! Nothing else. But it must be worn and worn with some intensity at the outset to get the body into the proper alignment where muscle memory with intermittent wear later can work well. All the research we've conducted proves remarkable bio-feedback results that motivate people to want to take better care of themselves and makes them more aware of the needs to take charge of their own good health. Continuous wear is the best use. We live in posture 24 hours of each and every day. Our products are on duty every minute they're worn.

Who are the people who wear it?

We currently have over 170,000 people using our products from the everday person who works at a computer, to the professional athletes, to the overworked sedentary office worker, to the large population bubble of boomers and seniors, and everything in between. We are gaining more awareness and users each day. With the revelation of the "text neck" phenomena, a wider audience is becoming aware of the need to stop shunning their elder's orders to sit and stand up straight, and take posture and their general health seriously.  Wearing Alignmed products is a mindless activity, thus it's perfect for every type of person. We would love nothing more than to make sure people are aware of Alignmed.

How can people find out about you and where are you sold?    

All our products are available for sale on our website, at: www.alignmed.com We'll also soon be available in 16 countries. We already have a strong presence in Canada, Australia and parts of Europe.

How long do you recommend wearing it, and how long before you see results? 

That depends on the condition of the individual. To improve body alignment a daily wearing of 21 days is usually a point where the body has been trained and the mind is newly conditioned to understand the behavioral change that will have maximum impact. Those who get the most out of Alignmed wear our products continuously and have adopted us as part of their behavioral change. There are numerous users who wear it every day. Many find pain relief in sleeping in it as well. People with chronic conditions, neurological disorders such as Parkinson's, MS and Cerebral Palsy have seen dramatic improvement in quality of life with consistent use.

Would you say that Alignmed is also effective in stress relief?

Yes! Greatly in fact. If we think about it poor posture is really a depressed state of our body, but we all seem to focus on the mind being depressed and not the body. I know if we can improve the body's posture to be more in line with thriving we can influence the mind to do the same. We all take for granted that having poor posture can influence how you feel, and even how you perceive yourself. We are all under tremendous amounts of stress every day and some of us handle it better than others, but I know for a fact if you have better posture which is conducive to good health, then we know that our ability to manage stress will be much better. And with less stress we end up sleeping better and feeling better as a result. It really is a domino effect and we can interrupt that depressed cycle through improving our body's posture. Research that is to soon be published in the journal JOSE proves that simply wearing Alignmed at work can increase productivity 13% and lessen fatigue by up to 29%. That's a remarkable difference that results in more fulfillment at work and life in general.

What is in the future for Alignmed?

AlignMed’s vision is to bring the industries of healthcare in line with the consumer revolution witnessed in other sectors.  I believe disruptive innovation and value based propositions are the two most important requirements for change in the delivery of healthcare. If you look at the top 50 academic medical centers in the U.S., not one of them has reimagined or re-evaluated their vision statements. My vision is to reimagine healthcare and the way in which it is delivered.  Our alternatives to surgery, to being given a routine diet of addictive pain pills and to living a life in a poor state of posture is unique, without peer and here at the right time.

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Again, if you suffer from any kind of back pain. I highly recommend that you give AlignMed a try.

http://www.alignmed.com/

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We all know there are perks to good posture, but keeping your spine straight all day every day can be a challenge. One LA based company is using new technology in clothing to work out those kinks. Our 

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By Kevin Ding, NBA Senior Writer

Rocky Widner/Getty Images

There's nothing wrong with having opinions. It's just they are faulty if formed on the basis of lack of information. The truth is only out there if someone can inform us of it, and that remains unchanged even in this era of NBA League Pass putting every game out there.

Anthony Davis' torn labrum in his left shoulder, and the revelation that he had been playing with it for the past three seasons, changes what we know, and what we think we knew, about a player who finished among the top five in MVP voting last season.

On the plus side: Davis played through some degree of discomfort for nearly his entire career without anyone knowing—and was not just impressive, but historically exceptional last season. So everyone should be geeked about what rare-bird heights he might now reach.

He just turned 23, and after discovering Thursday the shoulder injury is minor enough that surgery isn't necessary, imagine what Davis might do next season when he lets it fly freely after he did get his left kneecap fixed.

On the down side: This longstanding shoulder problem unfortunately means Davis is more injury-prone than we thought. And we already thought a lot about that, because he has missed at least 14 games every season.

Even if we cross "he's soft" from the list of options for why the New Orleans Pelicans have been achingly cautious about giving Davis games off in cases he has been questionable, there is now greater wonder among some NBA insiders if he rightfully needs to be coddled or is even genetically predisposed to injury.

Indeed, new information brings new perspective.

 

Layne Murdoch/Getty Images

 

The most important part of this is that Davis' labrum injury was just not that severe. The decision by doctor Neal ElAttrache to forgo operation wasn't a shock in that regard, even though Davis expected surgery would be needed.

It's his nondominant arm, and even after it worsened lately, he called it "actually pretty fine" Monday. Davis played at an elite level with it and could have continued on this season if not for his newer knee injury being more bothersome, and he indeed did undergo knee surgery Thursday.

Athletes often have played through torn labrums, and many times the tear in that cartilage or the cartilage pulling slightly away from the bone is more annoying than debilitating. ElAttrache said this type of posterior tear in the labrum doesn't always cause instability, and if it does as more time goes by then surgery can be done later.

That Davis wore a black AlignMed Posture Shirt underneath his jersey all of this season and part of last season (and using kinesiology tape on the shoulder before that) was one hint that he might be injured, though the shirt can work to keep healthy bodies functioning better, too.

When Dwight Howard played through his torn shoulder labrum in 2013, it was only after Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti got him in a resistance shirt from AlignMed, a company based in nearby Santa Ana, California, and also got it cleared by the NBA as a medical device.

Many NBA players have worn it since, including Pelicans teammate Eric Gordon. It's also worth noting that Howard's injury was mild enough that he never needed surgery to repair the labrum, an indication that rest could similarly help Davis now.

 

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

 

It's jarring, but not stunning, that Davis' injury didn't come to light earlier. To think no one noticed, discovered or dug out the truth for so long on what is going on with a prominent NBA player? Undeniably weird.

But the New Orleans Pelicans, under the leadership of Saints owner Tom Benson, lean toward an NFL-style approach with injuries: Why reveal anything you don't need to?

Maybe it made some sense that Davis and the Pelicans didn't want anyone to know, so that opponents didn't pull his arm back or pound him in the post any more than necessary. But certainly all those who saw New Orleans as a Western Conference playoff team and Davis as a leading NBA MVP candidate would've shifted gears if they knew that Davis' body wasn't right heading into the season.

But now we are left still wondering what lies at the heart of Anthony Davis.

Should we applaud Davis now for showing restraint and not putting his knee and shoulder through more games this season in pursuit of the potentially $23 million escalator clause in his contract if he makes the All-NBA first, second or third team?

Or should we view him stepping aside—he said the knee has been bothering him for a while, but still scored 19 points before sitting at halftime of his final game, and he put up 27 two days before that—as still another indication that Davis doesn't believe in himself and possess the mental willpower that other superstars do?

No one can quibble with his ability to deal with pain now, but loving to play the game isn't the same as being able to will yourself and motivate teammates to a higher level.

 

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

 

Still, Davis figures to make the All-NBA third team at forward behindKevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green anyway. And some will give Davis extra points by voting for him at center, too, a position he played roughly half the time last season under Monty Williams.

History is also on his side. Davis made the first team at forward last year playing 68 games, and DeMarcus Cousins made second team in only 59 games last season.

Nevertheless, an All-NBA honor and a massive financial reward won't change what a disappointment this season was for Davis. Shoulder or not, the limited growth Davis showed as a leader for an injury-riddled but uninspired Pelicans team was the story of their season.

Perhaps this multimonth break from basketball to recover is just what Davis needs to gain a new perspective of his own. He's young enough to make this a footnote in a Hall of Fame career.

Here's hoping a clean slate, a greater appreciation for his opportunities and a healthier body mean Davis' best is yet to come. If so, it could be legendary.

 

Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.

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Steamboat Springs — A host of physical health problems — primarily neck and spine related — had plagued Steamboat Springs resident Michael Gilbert for 20 years when he began searching for a neurosurgeon to set him straight.

After a series of surgeries and multiple recovery periods, Gilbert is finally feeling like himself again. In part, thanks to posture-correcting clothing, and he is hoping his story will inspire others to keep fighting their battles against physical pain, even if they seem hopeless.

“Within the next two years, I will finally be back to where I was, only in tip-top condition,” Gilbert said.

A former semi-professional golfer, Gilbert said he had experienced “mind-numbing pain” for more than a decade when in 2006 he launched his Subaru off a snow bank in Hayden, breaking vertebrae in his neck and causing ongoing complications.

“It’s a miracle that I didn’t become paralyzed,” he said.

Eventually, an orthopedic surgeon built a makeshift cage inside Gilbert’s neck to stabilize his bones, allowing him to return to work as a car salesman — holding jobs at Cook Chevrolet, Steamboat Motors and Victory Motors over the years — but unbearable neck and back pain never subsided.

“The pain just kept on continuing,” said Gilbert, who hit a low point on New Year’s Eve 2013.

Out of work because of the pain, Gilbert picked up a gun and considered taking his own life.

“It was a very, very grim time in my life,” he said.

Then, last July, Gilbert finally found a neurosurgeon who promised to help him say goodbye to 20 years of chronic pain.

Dr. Ben Guiot from South Denver Neurosurgery was able to start fresh, rebuilding Gilbert’s spine entirely.

But a serious staph infection set Gilbert back just 10 days into recovery.

“My son found me lying on the ground,” said Gilbert, who was airlifted to Denver for another pair of surgeries to prevent paralysis and keep him alive.

Gilbert’s latest year of recovery has been the most monumental, and he now envisions a life he never thought possible, thanks in part to rehabilitation guidance from staff at SportsMed at Yampa Valley Medical Center and the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association.

It was at SportsMed that physical therapist Christy Kopischke first outfitted Gilbert with a posture-correcting shirt and brace from AlignMed.

The products have recently gained nationwide media attention, including a spot in USA Today, for the dramatic posture-correcting effects that the company and users claim, including the ability to activate and retrain muscles, reduce pain and increase mobility.

“It feels like you’re sliding into heaven,” Gilbert said,

The company makes everyday, customizable and prescription clothing that corrects a person’s posture using elastic tension bands.

Kopischke said that even prior to outfitting Gilbert with the AlignMed SpinalQ product, it was clear he was making strides in his recovery.

“He started therapy at a very low functional level and has made significant gains in his balance, strength, endurance, pain and function,” she said.

Between the Alignmed clothing and last summer’s successful surgery, Gilbert said he's finally feeling like himself again after 20 years of pain.

Last week Gilbert swung his first golf club in over a year, and he recently took his daughter fly fishing, things just months ago he thought he would never do again.

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Your posture will thank you.

Companies are rolling out products aiming to banish bad posture — and the pain that comes with it. From trackers that vibrate when you slouch to clothes that hold you in alignment, spinal-health aids are having a moment.

We tested the Posture Shirt 2.0, vetted by docs and plenty of research. Bands keep shoulders back and get noticeably tight when you slump, training muscles to hold proper form. Most testers found it comfortable and a great tool for posture awareness (though some found the high neckline limited what they could wear over it). Several said it even eased back pain.

By The Good Housekeeping Institute. JAN 23, 2015 

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/a26849/posture-supportive-shirt/

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NBA star Dwight Howard has worn one, so has Peyton Manning. Major league pitchers have worn them. NBA player Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans was wearing one last Monday when he returned from a 21-game layoff with a torn labrum.

It's a "Posture Shirt," made by a company called Alignmed, and its job is to help keep the wearer's shoulders properly positioned, a key to reducing fatigue.

HOW IT WORKS

Posture shirts do basically the same work as kinesio tape — the black strips seen pulling Olympians' shoulders and backs into place on the volleyball court. Unlike the tape, there's no precise spots or application — just put the shirt on. Variable stretch sections in the back of the shirt — the company calls them "neurobands" — work on the postural muscles in the upper body, including stimulating the muscles to hold your shoulder blades pressed against your rib cage.

When the shoulder blade begins to pull away from the rib cage due to fatigue, the socket in which the shoulder rotates isn't set up right — the arm angle changes, which reduces the accuracy and power of throws while also increasing risk for injury. With the shirt on, the stretch bands encourage the shoulders to return to the correct position.

While use of the shirts by professional athletes is on the rise, people who sit at a desk all day and use a computer are actually the ideal customer, says Craig Morgan, an orthopedic surgeon in Wilmington, Del., and a doctor for the Kansas City Royals. "That's probably 30% of America."

The garment "takes the place of Mom yelling at you about your posture," says Tom House, a former major league pitcher and a coach at USC who works with NFL quarterbacks and professional baseball players.

Morgan says Royals pitcher Greg Holland "wears it every game." Holland saved 46 games in 2014, posting a 1.44 ERA. One year at spring training, Morgan dropped off Alignmed® garments for Royals players to try. "It's my understanding that he put one on, and he's never taken it off."

Morgan says he uses the shirt to rehab pitchers in the Royals organization who have strength issues associated with control of their shoulder blade – an issue that, when fatigued, can cause changes in a pitcher's arm angle that lead to a drop in velocity and accuracy. He said he partially credits its use with the team's low injury numbers among pitchers. In 2014, only one Royals pitcher, Tim Collins, spent time on the disabled list with an elbow- or shoulder-related injury. And he's been able to use the shirt to maintain velocity and control where, in the past, surgery might have been needed.

"Noel Arguelles was a Cuban defector who was signed three years ago by the Royals for $7 million," Morgan says. "He shows up at (Wilmington, N.C., the Royals' high-A affiliate), and his first two starts were spectacular. His third start … in the third inning, all of a sudden, this guy can't throw a strike, and he's lost 10 mph on his fastball."

In previous experiences, Arguelles' problem – weakness of muscles around the shoulder blade – would take Morgan about three months to rehab. By using the posture shirt, Arguelles recovered faster and pitched a complete game shutout just two weeks later.

A PRESCRIPTION SHIRT?

Professional athletes tend to talk up any product they feel helps them play better, even if it invites skepticism — energy necklaces, pressure point bracelets, copper-infused elbow sleeves.

And it's not as if Alignmed garments aren't readily available — they sell for $80 and up from the company's website. So why aren't the shirts better known among the general public?

Morgan says athletes, noting that the shirts' stretchy bands have a level of compression, may be reluctant to be too public about using them, lest they run afoul of Under Armour, Nike or other major sponsors who also manufacture compression garments.

The makers of Alignmed say they don't want to compete with the likes of Under Armour. Though both types of garments feature compression, CEO Bill Schultz says the Alignmed shirts are medical devices and have been classified as such by theAmerican Medical Association. The highest-level and most sophisticated shirt in the Alignmed line can be obtained with a prescription, and as such, the shirts have been subjected to medical studies by sports scientists as well as physical therapists and medical schools.

In one study of college and high school pitchers, Morgan found that pitchers' accuracy can be maintained for 20 percent longer when wearing an Alignmed shirt. In another study at USC, House found an increase in accuracy among pitchers who wore the posture shirt. Morgan and House are both medical advisers to the company.

Eric Cressey, the owner of Cressey Performance in Jupiter, Florida, is a baseball training specialist who works with Major League pitchers including reigning AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. "(With pitchers,) you have to be careful about anything that's 'one-size-fits-all,' " Cressey says.

He acknowledges a posture shirt could be good for certain pitchers with certain shoulder problems, but he thinks it's more useful for the regular office worker.

"If you were going to generalize and say, 'You need this,' I'd say it'd be for them … they have a lot of utility in the general population who spend too much time sitting at a computer."

Studies back up Cressey's opinion. In a four-week study of office workers conducted at the Utilities Center for the city of Colorado Springs, those wearing the Alignmed shirt decreased their overall fatigue by 21 to 29 percent, and increased productivity by as much as 20 percent.

"If you're sitting at a desk, working at a computer, that's going to create a compensation that creates postural dysfunction," says Gary Vitti, athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers. "If you're an airline pilot, if you drive a truck, if you sit in a car a lot, whatever it is … a garment like this can help you."

It also can be tiring. Posture shirts not only squeeze the wearer, the stretch bands encourage use of muscles that a person may "cheat around" if poor posture is a habit.

HELPS FORM

The reason may be as simple as time. Posture exercises or workouts attempt to overcome eight hours of poor, desk-bound posture with 10 minutes of correction – a balance that, without fixing the posture problem, is virtually impossible to overcome.

The shirt evens out the clock by stimulating the muscles to practice proper position throughout the day, as House says, "reminding" your body of the neutral position "to start any movement," an optimal position that will increase power and reduce injury risk.

That means, Vitti says, that when worn while training – whether for the NBA or for a half-marathon or just to look better – the shirt can improve most of the exercises you do, because you're training them in the position that's ideal for those exercises.

Vitti wears a posture shirt garment while running and lifting weights, when trainers and other coaches aren't there to correct his position.

So while it's great for training the Lakers and other pros, Vitti says, if athletes can get such benefits "as easily as wearing the correct garment, why wouldn't everyone want to do that?"

Carol Kinsey Goman

Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative is credited with coining the phrase, “sitting is the new smoking” to draw attention to the health problems created by our sedentary lifestyles.

Unfortunately these health concerns rise if you are one of the increasing number of people whose work is done on computers. (Census Bureau data notes that 49% of working adults used a computer at work in 1997; by 2003, this number had grown to 56%, and is even higher today.)

Evidence is growing that computer users are at increased risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (especially those involving the upper extremity), resulting in health problems for the workforce and financial/productivity losses for employers. Blame it on bad posture.

It is not likely that people at work will be mindful of their posture during their activities — especially with the increase in prolonged sitting from computer use, gaming, TV, texting, driving, air travel, etc.  which can create excessive stress on various parts of the body.

But what if there was a simple solution for computer workers and the organizations that employ them? What if there was even a way to increase productivity by 13% while reducing worker fatigue by 29%?

No, there’s not an app for that – but there is a shirt.

Alignmed’s Posture Shirt is the easiest answer I’ve found. Just put it on. It does all the rest with it’s sewn in neuro-bands that provide controlled resistance and create a form of passive therapy to fix poor posture. The products have been FDA registered, granted prescription approval and vetted with research and over 80,000 users to date.

In one study, done in conjunction with USC’s Keck School of Medicine, 96 municipal workers were monitor to gauge the effects of wearing a Posture Shirt on musculoskeletal wellness and health in the computer workplace.

After 4-weeks of wearing the garment, there was a significant difference in forward shoulder posture, forward head posture, thoracic kyphosis, and grip strength. In addition, general fatigue and muscular fatigue decreased by 21% and 29%, respectively, and energy level and productivity increased by 20% and 13%, respectively.

A recent Fox TV segment talks about how adjusting your posture by wearing the shirt helps prevent injury and even treat some existing injuries. Dr. Joanne Halbrecht of the Boulder Institute for Sports Medicine says, “It brings your neck into a better position … and changes your center of gravity to a more normal center of gravity so it relieves neck back and shoulder pain.”

I’m a posture shirt convert. As an author and blogger, I work at my computer for hours each day, and as an international speaker, I take airplane rides that are longer than I care to think about. To combat fatigue and to improve my own well-being, I try to remember to take breaks during the day where I stretch or do a light workout. I remind myself to get up and walk the aisle of whatever plane I’m on. And I always – always! – use my posture shirt when I know I’ll be sitting for extended periods of time. I’m not sure if I’m 13% more productive when wearing the garment, but I do know that I have less jet lag when traveling and more energy during a long day in my home office.

Carol Kinsey Goman is a keynote speaker and author of The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help - or Hurt How You Lead.

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Holiday Gift Guide - Alignmed Posure Shirt

Ask the most respected golf fitness experts to tell you the most important physical attribute you need to play the game well, and most will answer “POSTURE!” Most golfers know good posture is the key to consistent play, but everyone is challenged with the need to program their brains for it while also thinking about the course conditions, the wind, the selected club, the pin placement and a myriad of other factors. Sure, we all stand tall and straight when we’re consciously thinking about it, but boy is it nearly impossible to keep it top of mind while we’re traversing the course. Now, having good posture throughout the entire game is as simple as putting on a shirt, a very special shirt!

The Alignmed Posture Shirt has posture enhancing bands sewn in to the material so it not only gives you that good posture, but it forces your muscles to focus, as well as their nerves, firing to give them optimal performance and reduce fatigue. Just ask pros Anna Nordqvist and Brett Massingham who suffers with Multiple Sclerosis.

And don’t worry that wearing the Alignmed Posture Shirt is cheating. It’s approved by the US Golf Association (USGA). The Association’s technical director issued a letter stating AlignMed’s Posture System “…has ben evaluated and it has been determined that it conforms to the Rules of Golf.”

Without getting too technical, the Alignmed Posture Shirt works like a very comfortable orthopedic shirt which covers the entire upper torso down to the lower hips to offer neurologic biofeedback that constantly reminds the skeleton and muscles to self-correct. Alignmed’s founder and inventor, Bill Schultz says “The shirts are not compression shirts which merely squeeze the body and are primarily worn for aesthetics, but they are hard working, effective devices used to balance and align your body, reduce inflammation, relax muscles and make your body perform passively so your brain can have fun while playing the game.”

Alignmed Posture Shirts have been recognized and written about in AARP Magazine, TIME Magazine, Forbes Magazine, The Wall St. Journal and a number of newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times. The company’s Advisory Panel is a “Who’s Who” of the Orthopedic surgery and international research world. World-class universities, teaching surgeons, and top professional team trainers are included.

The Challenge of Obtaining Good Posture, Especially for a Mature Person

Posture has become a very hot topic in the news of late, and there have been many new revelations on the importance of having good posture, as it’s at the very epicenter of a large list of important health issues. People should have listened to their parent’s orders to stand up straight but at the time it didn’t seem important. Now, modern medicine has recognized the vital role good posture plays in some of the most important aspects of our lives. Getting out, exercising, shunning a sedentary existence and moving are secrets to living a more healthy life with greater well-being. The good news is that a lifelong bad habit of poor posture can be helped. 

The Alignmed Posture Shirt is a great gift for everyone, including seniors.

Posture Shirt Could Cure Your Back Pain Without Breaking the Bank

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Posture Shirt Helps Cerebral Palsy Patient

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Welcome to the world of functional apparel.

What is functional apparel?

The Chief Executive Officer of AlignMed, Bill Schultz, defined it in an interview with SportTechie as “being able to validate a clinical effect on the user, which is much different than performance apparel like Nike or Under Armor, where they use sophisticated fabrics for athletes to play and workout in. We use the same fabrics, but we don’t compress them; the bands that are built in are called Neurobands.”

AlignMed is the company that is responsible for the production of the posture shirt. The posture shirt, along with the posture jacket and several other products, has helped revolutionize the world of posture alignment, along with back, neck, and shoulder pain. This shirt, along with AlignMed’s other products all help to “activate and stimulate muscles naturally to improve and correct alignment.”

With more than ten years of experiments, research, and trials, AlignMed has helped create a product with huge potential that can help change the lives of both athletes and the average working man, when it comes to correcting spinal alignment, simply by doing nothing more than wearing a shirt.

We are reminded to have good posture all the time by our parents, teachers, employers, etc, but it’s not something we pay attention to very much. Most people ignore it because it requires extra effort for us to maintain good posture, while taking on all of life’s other daily obstacles. The posture shirt prevents that because it is “a product that is usable, a product that is comfortable, and a product that you really don’t have to do anything but wear, and you don’t have to wear it all the time,” commented Schultz over the phone. This shirt is unique in that it can help correct anyone’s posture without them having to do any extra effort.

The posture shirt works by stimulating certain muscles with NeuroBands in order to cause them to contract and release properly to correct the wearer’s alignment. NeuroBands, Shultz says, are “elastic panels that are placed onto anatomy to create a physiologic effect that can be measured, and the best measurement that we can do for this is an improvement in joint alignment, or posture. Not only are these placed on specific anatomy; we do a thing called muscle mapping, so that the directional tension of these straps is in line with kinesthiology.”

These Neurobands are the reason that people have to do nothing more than wear the shirt to correct their back, neck, and shoulder pain issues; they do the work for them. The muscle-mapping done by AlignMed allows for them to match where the Neurobands needs to be placed on the person’s body, customizing each posture shirt for its owner.

During the one-on-one interview with AlignMed’s CEO, Schultz, when asked to describe the process of how he got involved with AlignMed and the posture shirt, gave a very surprising answer. This was not the typical answer one hears for why a CEO starts a company.

“I have a background in orthopedic research and distribution with a lot of startup companies that involve sports medicine, arthroscopy, and non-invasive surgery, developing instrumentation implants and procedures to be able to get the patient back to their activity as fast as possible. I have been a part of a number of successful ventures; then in my mid-40s, I experienced my own chronic pain in my lower back and neck, and I went seeking solutions of the non-surgical variety.”

He added: “There was physical, drug, and surgical therapy; some of those weren’t reactive and some weren’t working. I was referred to, by some orthopedic friends, to a local chiropractor in Southern California, who was doing some skin taping, and wanted to replicate that skin taping in a garment. He wanted to put the stretches inside a garment rather than do it on the skin. He had these form-fitting shirts that he sowed elastic bands onto. He did that to me to take relief off of my pain, and low and behold, I could feel it working immediately. I was impressed; I used it as a matter of therapy for about a month, and my back pain went away. I was impressed enough to raise money, patent the process, and start clinical studies. That was about nine or ten years ago, and, of that, was formed AlignMed.”

What’s interesting about the way AlignMed was founded is that the science behind the posture shirt was already being practiced, in skin taping. What Bill created was functional apparel integrating NeuroBand technology to mimic what skin taping is designed to do; use controlled resistance to activate muscles. It was his own back pain that fueled his drive to find an alternative to surgery and a lasting therapy to relieve his pain. This discovery of NeuroBand technology was something Schultz wanted to incorporate into his inventions as a way to help others see that they were not limited to the inconveniences and to the expense of taping. Back then, that was the accepted alternative to surgery for some injuries.

The science behind the posture shirt is even more interesting than the shirt itself. Since most of our muscle activity is 100 percent involuntary, AlignMed designed the shirt to be a resistance to that unconscious activity. Usually, we don’t have a constant resistance to our muscle activity unless we are working out, playing a sport, and doing some strenuous physical task. Over time, if we don’t have enough resistance to unconscious activity, we could lose the ability to control our muscles like that. That could lead to several diseases such as MS or Parkinson’s.

The posture shirt changes that, and that change creates a drastic effect on our muscles. We need muscle response all the time in our daily lives, and we don’t even realize it. 

Dr. Craig Morgan, a Doctor for the Kansas City Royals organization, has delved quite deeply into the science of this product, with regards to throwing a baseball. 

When a pitcher throws a lot of pitches, his muscles become weak because he is getting fatigued, and he doesn’t get the same resistance from his shoulders as he did early on in the game. This effect makes the pitcher more hittable, and hurts the team.

The posture shirt is helpful with this because: “there’s variable stretch fabrics in the back that stretch at different modules of elasticity that basically stimulates the neurons in your muscles that turns on the weak muscles; it wakes them up. It produces scapular retraction, and if you’re a pitcher, if you have maximum scapular retraction when you throw, it puts your rotator cuff muscles at their maximum mechanical advantage to do what God made them to do. If you’re a pitcher, this turns into increased velocity and a reproducible release point. If you have a reproducible release point, that means you have command of your pitchers, which means that you are going to throw your pitches where you want them to go,” Morgan shared with SportTechie.

The effects of the posture shirt in the professional sports world have been widespread. The NeuroBands’ effect has been tested at many different universities and sports medicine facilities, such as USC, Kentucky, Duke, and UNC.

These studies were done to discover just how much the posture shirt could affect joint alignment strength and increases in muscle activity. In a study conducted at USC, professional pitchers were tested in velocity and accuracy over a three-inning session to see if it would improve when wearing the shirt.

According to Schultz and PHD Tom House, there was “an increase of about 1.4 M.P.H. in speed and an increase in accuracy as well.”

AlignMed garments were measured against skin and wearing a popular compression garment. The AlignMed shirt performed better than both. It was the first study ever to validate an increase in vascularity in the arms. It was a validation of over a 5 percent increase in blood flow to the arms.

What this study aimed to prove is that the posture shirt not only helps keep muscles active and engaged, but also improves their working, conscious activity, which enhances athletic ability during game or game-like situations. 

Many famous professional athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Dwight Howard, and several members of the Royals, are already using these posture shirts. 

These athletes use these shirts for multiple reasons.

First, they help improve in-game performance because it increases blood flow to the muscles, decreasing the onset of fatigue for a while. Second, these shirts are key to injury prevention and more efficient injury rehabilitation. This shirt helps realign joints and posture without the patient doing a single thing except wearing it.

Schultz believes, and as all sports fans know: “The faster that you can get the athlete back to his natural form, not only is he going to heal faster, but he is going to perform better. Writers often talk about the athlete getting back to their form as referring to his good statistics, but he’s not going to have any statistics or a professional career for that matter if he doesn’t get back to his physical form.”

Dr. Felix “Buddy” Savoie has been another major contributor to the AlignMed success story. Dr. Savoie is an MD at the Tulane Institute for Sports Medicine. He works directly with the players and trainers of the Tulane Athletics programs, helping with rehabilitation, recommendations, procedures, etc, when they get hurt.

This posture shirt is being used on all of Tulane’s baseball players currently.

According to Dr. Savoie, “They practice and play in it; they love it because it cuts down on the injury rate. We just started doing the posture shirts, because when we rehabbed athletes after surgery, they were very helpful. So then, the kids wanted to use them because they wanted to stay out of surgery. So now, the idea is that we don’t want to have any more surgeries. We’ve had zero surgeries in the last few years with anyone we’ve been in contact with directly through our program.”

This kind of success at the college level could revolutionize collegiate athletics. So many athletes see their careers crash before them because of an injury before the draft or during their senior year that might have been preventable if they had corrected their posture. Any college campus all over the country can use this product and have a much lower injury and surgery rate, increasing the competitiveness and excitement of NCAA sports.

Additionally, Dr. Savoie further proved this theory through a study he did in Mississippi a while back, where he instituted the posture shirt on one program, and not on the other, to test the effect on injury rate and performance.

Pitchers that used the shirt had a drop in surgery by 90 percent and an increase of three to five miles per hour in velocity, while the non-shirt wearing group lost five miles on their pitches and had a 20 percent injury rate.

A pitcher gaining velocity on his pitches throughout the season means he will be at his peak come playoff time, instead of fatigued from the long regular season. This change would drastically impact the playoffs for any sport, especially baseball, since pitchers would be competing at a much higher level when the games matter most.

Dr. Craig Morgan of the Royals ran an interesting study on the effect of this shirt, with regards to fatigue. He took pitchers from college and high school teams and had them throw a baseball as far as they could, measuring distance and accuracy. 

Most people believe that velocity is the first thing to leave a pitcher when he is tired, but it is actually his command. After throwing for a while, pitchers could still hit the same distance, but their throws were not as straight or accurate as beforehand. Dr. Morgan and his colleagues brought the players back a week later and did the same study, but this time, with each of the players fitted with the AlignMed shirt, they saw a 20 percent improvement in their command and distance, with regards to their fatigue levels.

The potential for this product is reaching new heights every day. The posture shirt can lead to a change in the world of sports, modern medicine, and everyday life. In sports, AlignMed can lead to quicker and more efficient recovery for athletes, as well as enhanced performance. The posture shirt has the possibility of being adapted in all locker rooms across the realm of sports, and should be picked up by athletic trainers as a standard use of care.

The one thing Schultz stressed when interviewing him about this shirt is the continuum of care. Continuum of care refers to the athlete, or any person for that matter, being able to treat themselves while they are not getting physical therapy. Most patients don’t continue their treatment when they go home; they return to sitting in front of a computer or texting, which will inhibit the work they have already done to correct their posture. Therefore, all that effort they just put in rehabbing their injury just went to waste, and they have that much longer of a recovery time.

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Another reason that the continuum of care aspect of the posture shirt is important is that people don’t need to worry about whether they have used their medicine on a given day or done their exercises; the only thing they need to do is put on the shirt and it does the work for them.

Dr. Christian Gonzalez, the President of the American Academy for Pain Management, tells his patients (and divulged to SportTechie in a phone interview): “Put the shirt on, and it will do the work for you. There is no continuous adjustment throughout the day of your shirt or posture in order to perform better; and you’ll feel the effects of it after two hours. The key is to continue wearing it for at least two weeks so we can see if the AlignMed changes and posture changes are going to make a difference in the pain perception of this patient.” In a best case scenario, Alignmed shirts help relieve pain, and in some cases, the avoidance of the prescription of addictive pain medications.

Gary Vitti, a member of the advisory board for AlignMed and a trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers, has had a wealth of experience dealing with AlignMed and the posture shirt. When Howard tore his labrum in 2012 and had to have back surgery, Vitti suggested he use the posture shirt for rehabilitation. The shirt was able to help him get back on the court faster and allowed him to remain in games, even when his shoulder got banged up again, while he was playing. Howard has credited the posture shirt for his ability to recover quicker and remain on the court during games, where he re-aggravated his shoulder.

Vitti sees the potential for this product as something that “can help people that have developed postural distortion patterns for doing the same movements over and over again whether it’s taking 500 jump shots or sitting in front of a computer all day.” Vitti is referring to the unconscious activity in our muscles discussed above.

This effect also helps patients with Parkinson’s and MS. When scientists have looked at Parkinson’s, they have seen that patients lean forward when they lose their posture; and that’s not good, because that will only further deteriorate their posture. The posture shirt uses those NeuroBands to help keep the shoulders and neck aligned, even when the patient is not active.

This aspect of the shirt can prevent or severely reduce the pain Parkinson’s and MS patients have to go through daily, because it will help keep their spine aligned. Additionally, if patients wear this at the early stages of neck and back pain, the shirt alone could prevent the deterioration of their posture enough that Parkinson’s and MS wouldn’t be an issue for some patients anymore. Their posture would be corrected and kept in check before it even got to that stage.

These facts are what lead Dr. Gonzalez to call the posture shirt not only a treatment, but also “preventative.” He refers to it as preventative because “the treatment is to keep the muscles relaxed so that the pain rarely occurs. It prevents you for continuously changing your posture and center of gravity, which would lead to you falling and having severe back pain complications.”

The potential of this for medical purposes alone is revolutionary for the world of modern medicine and our society as a whole.

Most people probably think that the posture shirt is mainly used on athletes. While there may be a lot of athletes that use this product, the majority of patients happen to be regular, everyday working people who are suffering from severe neck or back pain. Most of the workforce in our society is in front of a computer for 40 hours every week; and that’s just at work. The simple state of being hunched over at a computer screen for that long makes everyone prone to scapular dysfunction, spinal alignment issues, as well as back and neck pain.

Dr. Joanne Halbrecht, who works at the Boulder Institute for Sports Medicine, as someone who has worked with a lot of athletes and non-athletes and the AlignMed shirt, agrees wholeheartedly with that statement. She believes that the potential of this posture shirt is on a whole other level. She has seen all the success with athletes, recording a 20 percent increase in drive distance with golfers that she has worked with; but the real potential she sees for this product is with the non-athletes. Dr. Halbrecht sees the posture shirt as more than just a tool for sports performance, but as something that many people will wear on a daily basis, particularly people who are at a job, where they are hunched over all day at a computer or desk. This product is comfortable to wear and it really corrects you.

Schultz says that AlignMed’s goal “is to both prevent athletes from injury and to help an athlete come back from injury faster, by really perfecting his posture, which is relevant to his form and joint alignment throughout the body.” 

The posture shirt, and other products like it such as the jacket, is certainly accomplishing that goal for athletes and non-athletes alike. This product line of functional apparel has made huge waves in modern technology, the world of sports, and the world of medicine.

http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/11/21/how-the-alignmed-posture-shirt-helps-every-type-of-athlete-stay-in-the-game/