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Standing Taller With Good Posture

I’ve always had good posture growing up, but somewhere in my 20’s I started to slouch. I’m not sure if it was the long hours standing as a pharmacist, the constant bending of my neck down to look at a computer and counter, holding a phone between my cheek and shoulder to multitask, or simply fatigue from all I took on. It was probably a combination of everything, and over the years it took its toll. I began to slouch my shoulders, round my back, and in general developed an unattractive stance and bad posture. I also developed a pretty sore back and neck pain.

 

 

There are products to help correct and improve posture, both for adults who suffer from bad posture, and for growing children who these days tend to be more sedentary and obese. I wasn’t really familiar with these products though, so was happy to be introduced to Evidence Based Apparel. EBA is a company that makes Posture Shirts for men, women and children to help improve posture, reduce back, shoulder and neck pain, and improve range of motion. They can be worn while exercising, working, just going about your day, even sleeping. I had to opportunity to review the Women’s Symmetry V-neck Posture Shirt in black with angel blue Neuro-bands (I was sent a sample), shown here from behind:

 

Features of Posture Shirts from Evidence Based Apparel:
* Neuro-bands that cue your body to respond by correcting posture
* 4 way stretch with initial tight fit that stretches to accommodate different body types
* Bac-Shield™ Anti-Microbial Protection to prevent growth of bacteria, prohibiting odor and fabric discoloration (so you can wear it often)
* Vaportex™ Moisture Barrier to wick moisture away from body (great if you plan to wear it to exercise)
* 100% Made in USA

 

I have spent the last week wearing my Posture Shirt for part of each day, going about my day as usual. The Posture Shirt improves posture with strategically placed Neuro-Bands with varied tensions built into the form fitting shirt. These Neuro-Bands trigger the shoulder and neck to properly align themselves, relieving straining on the spine, shoulders and upper extremity muscle groups, and at the same time (through a positive response system on your musculoskeletal system) giving your body the cue and support to correct posture.

 

 

My main interest in improving my posture is vanity, because slouching and rounded shoulders are very unattractive, project a lack of confidence, and can lead to progressively worse slouching and back pain as we age and our muscles weaken. After wearing the Posture Shirt for a week, I find that the shirt does encourage better posture in the shoulder area (it seemed to very gently, almost imperceptibly, encourage me to hold my shoulders back). The Posture Shirt also comes in all white or all black, which I love because I’m getting used to standing with proper posture again. My Posture Shirt looks like I’m heading out to exercise, so I would love to have a variety of shirts suitable for daily wear.

I would love a design that also reminded me to pull my stomach in. My upper back pain was reduced and I was holding my shoulders back, and I’d love to continue on this road and really correct my posture further. I’m not aware of any products that offer this, and after a bit of research I found that there are posture braces to correct posture, but reviews indicate they can be uncomfortable and irritating for wearers. The Posture Shirt seems to be a more comfortable way to encourage the body to improve posture, and these shirts also look pretty good.

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By John Cloud @JohnAshleyCloud

Clothes can be fashionable or embarrassing, ill-fitting or flattering. But can they be medicinal? A California-based company called Alignmed has developed a line of garments being used by professional athletes, MS patients, back-pain sufferers and others to treat and prevent injuries and aches. Are you ready for therapeutic couture?

Alignmed markets its form-fitting clothes as “Evidence Based Apparel.” Until recently, the company mainly sold products in the specialty orthopedic marketplace; its S3 brace ($345) is popular among athletes. But now Alignmed is launching a $95 T-shirt — it’s called the Posture Shirt — designed not only for athletes but also for office workers uncomfortable from hunching over keyboards.

The shirt has some enthusiastic backers, including Dr. Craig Morgan, an orthopedic surgeon and consultant to the Kansas City Royals. Morgan, who was an early investor in Alignmed, says virtually all the Royals have been wearing the shirts during spring training. Morgan says the Posture Shirt helps prevent injuries and boosts performance. The shirt has also been used by Vail, Colo., ski instructors in an effort to minimize movement injuries.

How the shirt works isn’t obvious at first glance. It seems like any other sports top — sheer and tight; spandex and chemical-smelling. But sewn into the Posture Shirt are elastic bands that start at the shoulders and stretch toward the center of the back. The bands have the effect of rolling your shoulders down and rearward, helping give you that sit-up-straight posture.

Such posture is important in preventing back pain and sports injuries. Although she may not have known about the biomechanics, your mom was right: you shouldn’t slouch. Routine misalignment of the spine and shoulder blades can pinch nerves and lead to serious injury, especially if you try to lift weights with your shoulders hunched. The Posture Shirt works by helping you pull your shoulder blades and chest muscles into a proud position — think of the Superman pose. That position keeps you from arching and overstretching the muscles at the back of your spine.

Just to stipulate: you don’t really need a $95 shirt to keep good posture. If you focus hard enough, you can direct your shoulder blades to sit down and back. But the advantage of the Posture Shirt is that it acts like a constant reminder. When I went running with the shirt, its tension along my shoulders was just strong enough to reinforce my body’s own sense that my shoulders shouldn’t hunch. Often when I run, my right shoulder tacks forward, so that by the end of the run I feel pain along my right collarbone. That pain didn’t occur when I ran with the Posture Shirt.

The science behind the shirt lies in the idea of proprioception, which is the body’s sense of its position within space. That sounds vague, but here’s a way to get it: Sit up straight and close your eyes. Move one of your limbs to what you think is a 45-degree angle. Then look: is the limb at a 45-degree angle? If so, your proprioceptive sense is working.

I got that description of proprioception from Dr. Thomas Gill IV, chief of sports medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. I asked him to look at the Alignmed website and comment on the Posture Shirt. His short answer was that the shirt might not help, but it can’t hurt. Gill said physical trainers often spend hours with clients challenging their muscles in unusual ways to develop proprioception. One common proprioceptive exercise is to do a lunge while standing on an uneven surface like a balance board or a BOSU, which is a rubber half-dome.

But Gill was less certain about whether the Posture Shirt could assist a professional athlete. “These sorts of garments are really not going to have an effect on an athlete,” he told me. “With the amount of muscle training and strength they develop, to think a garment would change the resting position of the scapula … It’s just too far beneath the skin of these athletes to make a difference.”

Having tried the Posture Shirt for several days, I would add that I don’t think it’s a practical device for those who crouch over computers all day. The reason is that you don’t want to wear a binding spandex shirt (even as an undershirt) while at your desk. It’s too tight, and even after washing, spandex always has a slightly odd odor. It feels like you forgot to change at the gym.

Bottom line: If you have a spare hundred bucks, buy the Posture Shirt for your next workout. It will give you a little more support through your torso. Otherwise, just remember to sit up straight.

***

Follow my health columns on Twitter @JohnAshleyCloud

http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/08/the-lab-rat-can-the-right-shirt-improve-your-posture/

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"I simply can't believe that the world needs a $50 T-shirt," said my editor, forever banning reviews of "high-tech" clothing in this column. Well, in the eight years since that conversation, high-tech's gone higher and attitudes have mellowed. "Performance" clothes for sports and fitness are everywhere, and a few of them actually work. A few examples are below — including a $99.95 T-shirt.

Stand up straight

AlignMed Posture Shirt: Polyester-spandex compression shirt designed to improve your posture and reduce muscle fatigue by pulling and tilting kyphotic (rounded-forward) shoulders back into a natural upright position. The design uses fabric panels along the spine and from the upper pectorals to the bottom of the scapula (the shoulder blade) to effect the change. Use over time theoretically retrains muscles to hold that position.

Likes: The shirt puts a noticeable rearward tug on the shoulders that seems to flatten down your shoulder blades, forcing you to stand taller. But though I definitely felt the pressure, it's very comfortable, probably because my torso was now in a more natural position. Since good posture is a key to good health, this shirt, a lower-end version of the company's Velcro-strapped S3 Brace ($350), is a good idea. It can be worn alone during workouts or underneath street clothing, and paired with paneled "posture" tights ($190), is designed to relieve weight on the injury-prone medial side of the knee.

Dislikes: My shirt was a bit tight under my armpits.

Price: $99.95. (800) 916-2544; http://www.alignmed.com

Commuter suiter

Outlier 4Season OG pants and Blazed Cotton Pivot Sleeve Shirt: Commuter bike clothing designed to allow a wide range of motion that looks good enough to wear all day. The pants use stretchable, breathable, dirt- and water-resistant Schoeller Dryskin Extreme fabric, a mix of natural fibers. The shirt's 100% cotton fibers have a "NanoSphere" treatment designed to reduce wrinkles and keep moisture away.

Likes: The pants work great, are quite comfortable and look good enough for informal work environments. The expensive Schoeller material has a flexibility that does not impede pedaling motion and positioning, a breathability that minimizes sweating and superb durability. The shirt is stylish and comfy, with a hooded pocket that prevents small objects from spilling out and extra volume in the shoulder blades to allow unencumbered riding in the standard lean-forward cycling position. As advertised, it does not wrinkle easily and seems to soak up less sweat than cotton would.

Dislikes: At these prices, you don't want to spill coffee on them.

Price: $180 (pants), $165 (shirt). (347) 688-5435; http://www.outlier.cc

Quicker zipper-offer

REI Sahara Convertible Pants with No-Sit Zips: The only hiking pant you can change from long-leg to short-leg without having to remove your shoes first.

Likes: Due to an amazing, never-before-used technology — a vertical zipper — the zip-off lower legs zip off much faster. No need to sit down on a rock and take your shoes off. It saves a lot of time, especially if you have high-top boots and are carrying a pack.

Dislikes: None.

Price: $59.50. (800) 426-4840; http://www.rei.com

Light supertight

CW-X Revolution Tight: Full-leg athletic tight with variable-stretch muscle support panels that use a secret new process to cut 14% off the weight of the normal support tight by CW-X, which pioneered this type of product.

Likes: The lighter weight makes it more comfortable than the standard CW-X, which is made of a three-layer sandwich of Coolmax and polyurethane. The proprietary process uses a laser to burn off portions of the top layer where it is not needed.

Dislikes: You may have to be a sponsored Olympic-caliber athlete to justify spending an extra $100 over the regular CW-X tight to reduce its weight by 14%.

Price: $195. (212) 743-9673; http://www.cw-x.com

Wallack is the co-author of "Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100."

roywallack@aol.com