PRINT AND INTERNET NEWS

Full Article Here >>

 Carol Kinsey Goman - Contributor

I write about leadership, body language, and professional success.

I see it all the time. When people find out that I’ve been hired to speak about body language, everyone does the same thing: they change their posture. They hold their head higher, pull their shoulders back and tighten their abdominal muscles.

In doing so, people are transformed, instantly looking more powerful, confident, and energized. And they remain that way . . . for about 60 seconds. That’s how long it takes most people to relax back into their usual way of sitting or standing. And “usual” for too many of us is the result of old injuries or current bad habits from activities like sitting hunched over at the computer with shoulders rounded and head pushed forward — which over time makes it feel normal to hold our bodies improperly.

While there are numerous studies that relate good posture to health, I know that posture is also crucial to performance and career success. Without a state of balance in the body (which is my definition of perfect posture) people aren’t able to reach their full potential in any business activity – and certainly not in leadership. How many slumping CEOs have you seen?

Posture affects how people perceive you. Just as someone with good posture sends nonverbal signals of energy, confidence, and health, a person with poor body posture appears uninterested, uncertain, or lethargic — which is not the impression that any of us want to project to our bosses, customers, and colleagues.

Posture affects confidence in our own opinions and abilities.

An Ohio State University study found that people who sat up straight were more likely to believe what they wrote down concerning their qualifications for a job. On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept their own written-down statements as valid.

Good posture makes us tougher.

A joint study by the USC Marshall School of Business, and J.L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, found that by simply adopting more dominant poses (open and expansive posture), people felt in control and were able to tolerate more physical pain and emotional distress.

Posture matters more than hierarchical power.

Research from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, discovered that “posture expansiveness,” positioning oneself in a way that opens up the body and takes up space, activated a sense of power that produced behavioral changes in a person independent of their actual rank or role in an organization. In fact, it was consistently found across three studies that posture mattered more than hierarchy in making a person think and act in a more powerful way.

Impressive as they are, the studies quoted above (as well as the Harvard and Columbia’s “Power Pose” research, in which participants increased testosterone and reduced cortisol levels by placing their bodies in expansive poses for two minutes) are focused on the results of posture that is held for relatively short period of time. But what if people could maintain proper alignment throughout the workday? The only research I found on that concerns the AlignMed PostureShirt®, a spandex top with built-in elastic bands that gently adjust your posture by rolling your shoulders back and down.

When I went to their website, I found validating medical research, but I was most interested in a month-long study (by two physical therapists and a professor at USC Department of Orthopedics) with 95 computer users who wore this shirt while on the job in a call center at Colorado Springs Utilities. It had been noted that people with poor posture at work report low energy levels leading to lethargy and reduced productivity, and that the greatest potential challenge to posture during this age of technology is sitting and working at a computer. The goal of the Colorado study was to determine the effects of wearing the PostureShirt® on musculoskeletal health during prolonged computer use.

As you might have anticipated, the garment had a favorable effect on the posture of occupational computer users. The shirts, which were worn under normal business attire, urged shoulders to move back to decompress nerves, improve grip strength, and increase lung function. A beneficial bi-product of these improvements, and the result that caught my attention, was a reduction of fatigue and a psychological boost in energy that resulted in greater endurance and productivity, which was sustained throughout the entire four weeks.

We know instinctively which nonverbal signal is the most crucial for business success. (Our mothers were right!) When we improve our posture — through attention, reformed habits, exercises, or by wearing a posture-aligning shirt — we display more energy, resilience, and confidence. Basically, we look and feel successful!

Posted by Forbes 

Full Article Here >>

Full Article Here >>

Who would've figured Dwight Howard to be the crusader for substance over style?

And who would ever use the deflating 2012-13 Lakers as a demonstration of how much more powerful a team is than any individual?

Yet those are two central points to appreciate here: Everyone needs the help of others to be better, whether that's just being able to play basketball with a torn labrum in your shoulder or being able to play basketball well enough to win games and maybe still shock the world.

After spending much of the season wearing flashy arm sleeves to no effect and a headband for even less reason, Howard has worn a black shirt under his Lakers uniform every game for the past two months.

Without the shirt popping up above Lakers trainer Gary Vitti's head in an inspired thought bubble via his medical connections, there would be no answer to a desperate Howard's plea for something, anything, to protect him and limit the painful aggravations to his shoulder from on-court contact.

Without it, it's entirely possible that Howard wouldn't be playing at all or would've been in and out of the lineup, and almost certainly the faint possibility of the Lakers saving this tumultuous season wouldn't exist. Since losing the first game in which Howard wore the shirt, he has not missed a single one ... and the Lakers have gone 19-10.

The shirt does things that the standard compression shirt can't dream of suggesting, much to the chagrin of Howard's primary endorsement partner and official NBA uniform supplier Adidas. It's called the "Posture Shirt" and it uses strategically placed bands to keep the body aligned — even if a joint is unstable like Howard's — and under control for muscles to operate and fire proficiently.

It is made by a Santa Ana-based company AlignMed, created out of founder Bill Schultz's simple desire to alleviate his own lower back pain without surgery. But a new study by USC pitching coach Tom House showed the shirt improved velocity by 3.2 mph and accuracy by 28 percent — and the shirt was quietly on San Francisco Giants pitchers en route to winning the World Series, unbeknownst to even those closest to that team — though to Schultz's great pride.

"We have a lot of pros who wear the garment," Schultz said. "But in basketball you can see it."

You'd be hard-pressed to get on-the-record confirmation because of their sponsorship deals that Tom Brady and Drew Brees wear it to improve their throwing; we do know that Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler has started wearing it since Vitti got the NBA's basketball operations department to approve the use of it as a medical device for Howard.

It's meant to improve health in regular people, and Vitti is sold to the point that he wears one when he does his own workouts now. I've worn it, and as someone whose shoulder has never been right since Little League pitching overload and whose mom has always nagged him to stop slouching, there is a clear effect.

If you're looking for truly meaningful proof, ask those at autism schools who've seen the shirts lead to breakthroughs with children in two days that used to take two years. And for Howard, it has been nothing short of a real Superman outfit under his No. 12 Clark Kent jersey.

Howard also is coming off spinal surgery and is a sloucher by nature despite an upper body so magnificently chiseled he can't help himself from modeling it around the pregame locker room 90 percent of the time with no shirt on at all.

He returned to action with the shirt in Boston on Feb. 7 and came to trust it in the first game back from the Lakers' shoddy Grammy trip on Feb. 12: Howard discarded the headband, ditched the arm sleeves, kept the shirt ... and crushed Phoenix with 19 points, 18 rebounds, two blocks in a game the Lakers won despite Kobe Bryant scoring four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Howard's arm has been pulled in Oklahoma City, in Indiana, and many times since, but instead of collapsing in cringe and exiting, he has kept going.

"The shirt was doing its job," Howard said. "It keeps everything in line."

After Howard's breakthrough Phoenix game, Bryant said: "It's not about us as individuals. It's about what we can do to help the team."

So true, even when it comes to Vitti and his staff for this team riddled by injuries this season, still with Steve Nash (hamstring) questionable and Jordan Hill (hip) out at least another month.

In Howard's case, besides the shirt, the help has included a no-sugar diet introduced by Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco to improve Howard's conditioning dramatically, Lakers head physical therapist Judy Seto placing her left hand on Howard's upper right back for a series of exercises by the bench literally seconds before he plays every half of basketball and Lakers massage therapist Marko Yrjovuori pulling a jabbering, messing-around Howard away before every game to get his treatment. (At least Howard's shirt is already off for the massage.)

It takes a village. And even amid the buzz of Bryant's recent individual efforts, the reality is that Bryant doing it all has no chance of sustaining the Lakers in the playoffs.

It takes a village. Always does.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Full Article Here >>

We all know that Dwight Howard has had struggles with his recovery process from his back surgery from last year. Things didn’t get any better when he tore his labrum in his shoulder, causing more limitation.

However, Dwight has pushed through the pain and has played almost the entire season thus far, when it was assumed he would most likely miss the beginning of the season. To aid Dwight in limiting pain from his back and shoulder, he has been wearing the Posture Shirt, manufactured by Santa Ana, California-based company, Alignmed, for the past eleven games.

The Posture Shirt had to be cleared by the NBA before Dwight used it during a game, but he has had positive results from it so far. The Posture shirt is designed to improve mobility, while maintaining balance in the back so he can absorb contact more naturally.

According to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News, Dwight had the following to say about the Posture Shirt’s results:

“The Posture Shirt helps my back and keeps everything aligned,” he said. “It helps my shoulders with that, too.”

“I wore the shirt a couple of times when I had some stingers,” Howard said. “But I was able to play through it. The shirt was doing its job. It keeps everything in line. There’s nothing I can do about my back right now except to let it heal. That’s the only thing I can do.”

There has been a definite improvement with Howard, especially since the All-Star break. He is more active for an extended period of time and has more explosiveness in the paint. In the 11 games he has worn the Posture Shirt, Dwight has averaged 15.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Dwight’s defense was crucial on Wednesday night in the Lakers’ 25-point comeback win against the Hornets. Dwight will look to continue his progress tonight against Toronto with the help of the Posture Shirt.

www.lakersnation.com

Full Article here >> 

Wonder why Dwight Howard is wearing that skin-tight black shirt under his jersey for Lakers games?

It’s no ordinary shirt.

It’s a new technologically advanced posture improvement device called the “Posture Shirt.”  Created by a company called AlignMed, the Posture Shirt molds itself to an athlete’s torso and hips to construct neuromuscular stimulation which will ultimately create muscle memory. With the combination of compression, specific angles, and torque, the Posture Shirt trains muscles to remain in the proper position over time.

The Executive Vice President of AlignMed, James Daily, explains exactly how the Posture Shirt works:

“The Posture Shirt is a posture improvement device that is specifically adapted to provide neuromuscular stimulation using a combination of pressure, torque and angle, simultaneously applied to the user in order to train body muscles for proper posture through muscle memory.” Through eight years of research, the company calls this combination of pressure, torque and neuromuscular stimulation, “Touch Tension Technology.”

The device is a garment designed to be worn by a user, which is adapted to envelop at least a portion of the wearer’s torso, crest of the hips, and at a portion of their  upper arms. Posture Shirt is meant to fit and feel like a short-sleeved undershirt or T-shirt. The ‘Touch’ provides a neurological biofeedback mechanism using anatomically placed elastomeric fabric panels mounted within each garment.
These patented modular panels are adjustable and trademarked by AlignMed as NeuroBands.  Biofeedback is created by the varying tensions of the panel used to produce conscious and unconscious stimulation to support desired physiologic muscle and joint changes over time.

The ‘Tension’ refers to the specificity of the elastic properties of NeuroBands, and directional pull placed upon them.  The tension of the neurobands applies a consistent, tactile touch to skin, and its effect on the underlying fascia, muscle tissue and sensory pathways mirrors that of muscle contractions and the unconscious reflex action.  Neuro-Band elasticity provides actionable support to bolster the neuromechanics of movement.

Dwight wearing the Posture Shirt during a game

AlignMed is not a compression garment that simply squeezes anatomy–the  anatomic placement of NeuroBands within Posture Shirt recognizes and adapts to the constant physical changes that occur within external and internal environments.”

The Posture Shirt was recently approved by the NBA as a medical device. This allowed Los Angeles Lakers’ Center, Dwight Howard to wear the posture-improving garment during games. Howard wears the Posture Shirt because last off-season he had back surgery to repair a herniated disk and during this season he tore the labrum in his right shoulder.

“It’s doing a pretty good job of keeping everything straight as far as my back and my shoulder – making sure everything is aligned,” Howard told reporters at a recent Lakers’ practice in El Segundo, California.

According to Howard, “A lot of people think that it’s just a regular polo tee, but it’s not. It’s a shirt that was made strictly for posture to make sure the scapula and everything stays like that.”

It is important to note that Howard wears the Posture Shirt because he feels it works and adds stability while he plays.  As James Daily points out, “we have not paid Dwight Howard or any of the number of other professional sports athletes including the pitchers of the SF Giants, Royals, Astros to wear our product.  Rather, athletic trainers demand the product for the athletes that they try to keep healthy, owners demand the product to protect their investment in their players and players demand the product to keep them healthy and in the game another season.”

The Posture Shirt has to be exciting for athletes like Howard, who are coming off a major surgery, to give them a better chance to stay healthy and keep their body in proper alignment. With Howard set to test the free agent market this off-season, it is safe to assume he wouldn’t be using a product that he didn’t feel was maximizing his ability to stay healthy and potentially help to make him some big bucks in the offseason.

Now all Dwight needs is some sort of miracle shirt that will teach him the proper muscle memory in order to increase his free-throw percentage higher than that of a coin flip.

Full Article Here >>

It looks like nothing more than an accessory Lakers center Dwight Howard wears underneath his jersey.

But Howard has sported a black protective undershirt for the past 11 games and likely will do so tonight when the Lakers (31-31) host the Toronto Raptors (24-38) at Staples Center for more practical reasons.

Howard said Posture Shirt, manufactured by Santa Ana-based company Alignmed, has played a large part in ensuring his surgically repaired back and aggravated labrum in his right shoulder heal properly.

"The Posture Shirt helps my back and keeps everything aligned," he said. "It helps my shoulders with that, too."

Bill Schultz, who invented the shirt as the CEO of Alignmed, said in a phone interview with this newspaper the elastic bands running underneath the shirt keep Howard's scapula and spine lined up over his hips. That helps Howard maintain muscle balance and improve his range of motion. Schultz said the shirt also balances Howard's muscle and shoulder joints together, making it easier for him to absorb contact.

"When Howard moves, those elastic bands move with him," Schultz said. "That ends up stretching and massaging the muscle."

Howard took up Alignmed's offer to try on the shirt in hopes the device would prevent shoulder injuries. The Lakers then received NBA approval for Howard to wear the shirt because it's considered a medical device and not a commercial product.

"I wore the shirt a couple of times when I had some stingers," Howard said. "But I was able to play through it. The shirt was doing its job. It keeps everything in line.

"There's nothing I can do about my back right now except to let it heal. That's the only thing I can do."

Injury update

For the first time since tearing the plantar fascia of his right foot four weeks ago, forward Pau Gasol received medical clearance Thursday to participate in running drills.

"Discomfort was minimal," Gasol said on Twitcam. ""Very encouraging."

He traveled with the Lakers' on their two-game trip to Oklahoma City (Tuesday) and New Orleans (Wednesday) and used that time performing exercises with strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco that test his gluteal and neuro muscles.

Gasol missed the past 13 games and is expected to remain sidelined for another two to four weeks.

Calling foul

Howard has picked up at least four fouls in 11 of the past 13 games. That's often prompted coach Mike D'Antoni to take Howard out for significant stretches early in games.

"I just got to continue to play through it," Howard said. "I try to stay aggressive and also be smart."

In the Lakers' 108-102 win Thursday over the New Orleans Hornets, Howard sat out the final 10:40 of the second quarter after picking up his fourth foul.

But he returned in the second half and played a large part in holding New Orleans to nine fourth-quarter points, including a key block on Robin Lopez's layup attempt with 27 seconds remaining. Howard also avoided collecting any more fouls.

"I want to block all the shots and make sure I erase everything in the paint," Howard said. "To do it with fouls is not easy."

World Business Review, Health Journalism. With General Alexander Haig: Discover the latest breakthroughs in healthcare. AlignMed's Spine and Scapula Stabilizing garment is designed to help correct posture, and is highly effective in the most severe cases. 

Watch Here >>

News segment on how an MS sufferer's quality of life is greatly helped with the Alignmed® SpinalQ®. "Being able to stand in perfect posture is priceless".

Watch Here >>

Bill Schultz visits the show to talk about the importance of good posture.

Watch Here >>

Full Article Here >>

By JAN NORMAN / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

For 10 years Bill Schultz had episodes of lower back pain that at times was so severe he couldn't move for a week.

His quest for a solution led him to start AlignMed, a Santa Ana company, to make and sell "evidence-based apparel."

A physically active person, Schultz had played college soccer on a scholarship and worked out regularly. Finally, at age 45, doctors recommended surgery to fuse a disk in his spine. But he had worked in the surgical equipment industry for 20 years, had watched 10,000 surgeries and knew that back surgery would restrict his movement and possibly lead to more back problems later.

Schultz's search for an alternative to surgery led him in 2004 to a Newport Beach chiropractor who had developed a garment originally intended for rehabilitation following shoulder surgery.

"The problem in my back was mechanical that could be corrected," Schultz said. "I was skeptical (about the chiropractor's device) but a friend who was an orthopedist recommended him. He had a jacket that was like under armor with a zipper that he sewed himself. Velcro on the front and back caused my shoulders to go back. The aching went away instantly."

The shirt, designed to improve posture and reduce muscle fatigue, pulls and tilts rounded shoulders back into an upright position. Correct fit is vital, he said, because the shirt has "neuro-bands" with precise tensions at specific spots to stimulate the nerves that control muscle movement.

"The result is a positive anatomic change that can train the body to realign itself," he said.

The chiropractor told Schultz to wear it for four to six weeks, adjusting it by "listening to what my body was telling me."

Schultz took the garment to spine specialists around the country who said its concept looked promising but there was no research proof that it worked or why. Schultz returned to Orange County, canceled his surgery, bought the patent from the chiropractor and started research to prove the device's effectiveness.

Researchers at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colo., put the shirt on test subjects and observed their bodies' alignment adjusted itself. The Lexington Clinic in Kentucky found improved reaction time in test subjects wearing the garment. TheKerlan Jobe Sports Medicine Clinic in Los Angeles found measurable increase in shoulder strength in test subjects.

"I wanted this to be the first performance garment backed by clinical evidence," he says.

"Good posture is the key to good health. Headaches and neurological disorders can be caused or enhanced as a direct response to postural strain," Schultz said. "The garments are not just an alternative answer to those who have pain and muscle imbalances around the spine and joints. By keeping the body in alignment it will perform more efficiently."

To the original garment, the Posture Shirt (men's and women's versions, $99.95) Alignmed has added the S3 System, which optimizes scapular motion and improves rotator cuff strength ($345 for end user, and as low as $190 for clinicians who buy in bulk) and Knee Support System ($190).

Schultz added that the garments prevent injuries, increase flexibility and improve sports performance.

Athletes who have tried Alignmed products agree. Tommy Shirley, a pitcher for the Houston Astros, wears an S3 system to strengthen and align his shoulders. He said, "It gave me instant pain relief... It gave my shoulder more strength. It improved my fastball from 88 miles per hour up to 94."

Anita Ortiz, elite ultra runner, said, "The tights give extra knee support...my knees feel as though they have a knee brace on them but without the excess binding or weight. I am able to run longer and faster. The shirt encourages more upright posture and efficient arm swing. In the final hours of an ultra race, a lot of time can be gained by running with better posture."

And Chris del Bosco, a member of the Canadian National Ski Team, said, "wearing the posture shirt helps me to get out of the starting gate inches ahead of my competition. Increased strength and correct alignment are huge advantages in performance."

Alignmed sells its products from its website with company sales consultants working with customers because the right fit is vital to product performance, Schultz says. The company has 10 employees plus 10 consultants.

"Easily 50 percent of our business is people coming to the website looking for solutions for aching body parts," he says. "People do a lot of self-diagnosis."

Schultz has invested $4 million in the company, half his own and half from private investors. He had sold two surgical- and rehabilitation-related companies. Sales have been doubling every two months for the Posture Shirt, even though Schultz says he's been growing the company slowly.

He used sewing shops in Santa Ana and Huntington Beach to make prototype after prototype.

"I had been involved in making surgical tools, and I wanted garments that would fit people and were easy to use," he says. "I'm pleased with the products we have now. In January, we will have fire retardant materials for the military, and a diet shirt that will help with obesity."

Read more small-business stories at ocregister.com/jan.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7927 or [email protected]

Full Article Here >>

How a retired salesman with a bad back funded a "corrective apparel" company during the downturn.

By ANGUS LOTEN, Wall Street Journal

"Take Two" is an ongoing series about first-time business owners over 50 by Angus Loten, a small-business reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

Bill Schultz was a successful orthopedic surgery equipment salesman when his lower back starting giving out -- the result of years of poor posture, he says. Looking to avoid surgery, the 50-year-old Californian searched for alternatives and stumbled upon a posture-correcting shirt that immediately relieved his pain. Shultz bought the idea and launched Alignmed, a Santa Ana-based "corrective apparel" maker. That was five years ago. Since then, Schultz has poured more than $2 million of his own money to fund the company's R&D and clinical trials -- and another $400,000 for patent protections. Now, Schultz says it's time to bring his high-tech clothing to the market. "Every year was a loss and the entire investment could have been lost. That's the chance you take," says Schultz.

For small ventures like Alignmed that are based on an innovative new product, the costly and lengthy process of product development can be a major hurdle. A recent report by the National Science Foundation found that revenue-producing firms with no more than five to two dozen employees collectively spent $3 billion on R&D in 2008, a proportionately higher share of revenue than large, resource-rich corporations. Research and development staff account for more than 10% of all small business employees, twice the number at medium and large businesses, the report found. How do they pay for all this, especially at a time when bank credit is tight and investing is down? After tapping personal savings, a study by Intuit, the Mountain View, Calif.-based financial management firm, found that many small-business owners turn to government agencies, universities and research firms as key sources of R&D funding for smaller firms, while many private business incubators offer shared, low-cost support.

Yet the economic downturn has taken a toll on many of these sources, too. Amid wrangling over budget cuts, federal lawmakers earlier this year failed to reauthorize the government's main support program for small innovative ventures, instead pushing back a deadline to September. The Small Business Innovation Research program provides more than $2 billion a year in grants to help entrepreneurs through the R&D stage. But a long-standing issue of including venture-backed companies in the program has lawmakers divided, with many saying entrepreneurs with private-sector funding shouldn't need additional support at taxpayers' expense. According to Vivek Wadhwa, the director of research at Duke University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, less than 5% of venture capital goes into early-stage companies developing innovative products. In today's uncertain market, he says, most investors won't back a company until it already has working products and a proven business model.

That leaves many innovative-product entrepreneurs like Schultz to fend for themselves. Despite the obstacles, Schultz says he was convinced the posture-correcting shirt was a sure bet from the first time he tried it on. Having witnessed nearly 10,000 back surgeries in his career, Schultz says he sought an alternative. On the advice of a friend, he went to a chiropractor in Newport Beach, Calif., who had developed a makeshift support shirt for patients recovering from shoulder surgery. He says his back pain eased within minutes of wearing the shirt, which had Velcro bands sewn into the front that pulled his shoulders back. "It was life changing," says Schultz, who immediately bought the patent.

Later, Schultz sold his equipment sales firm for start-up capital. But rather than putting these funds into mass production, Schultz instead invested them into a series of lengthy test and trials to provide "actual proof that the garment worked," he says. According to the Journal of Clinical Research Best Practices, even a modest device study costs upwards of $1 million. Schultz brought his garment to researchers at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colo., as well as the Lexington Clinic in Kentucky and the Kerlan Jobe Sports Medicine Clinic in Los Angeles. Each round of tests provided more and more clinical evidence -- much of it double-checked by a third-party review board -- that the shirt measurably corrected posture and strengthened muscles.

Apart from large R&D costs, Bob Ashfield, a SCORE counselor based in Houston, says entrepreneurs looking to launch an innovative product often spend too long perfecting it and miss their chance in the market. "Depending on the product you can always make minor adjustments once it's out," Ashfield says. Marketing efforts can be launched before a product is finalized, helping to build a customer base ahead of its release, he adds. Schultz says the lengthy trials are worth every penny. He's now compiling the data for marketing ammunition against rival therapeutic garment makers whose claims, he says, aren't backed up by research. "We're the first that can say it works, and saying it doesn't is like saying eyeglasses don't work. We have the studies to prove it," Schultz says.

Word of mouth is spreading fast among physical therapists and pro sports trainers. Last year, the company sold $2 million worth of tops and bottoms. The Kansas City Royals have been using the garments since spring training, as well as players on the L.A. Dodgers, the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That kind of traction has helped Schultz bypass the so-called valley of death -- a period between costly test trials and full-scale production when a start-up is tapped of its initial funding yet hasn't achieved a commercial track record to impress new investors. The company plans to start selling the garments online using a proprietary 3-D fitting application by November.

Schultz admits the five-year process wasn't easy: "You have to be passionate about this kind of work and have complete confidence. The clinical studies gave me that confidence."

Write to Angus Loten at [email protected]