My Thoughts on Posture Braces
A few patients have approached me now, asking my thoughts on the posture braces they have seen online. Adds for various posture braces pop up while scrolling through Facebook. I have seen them myself.
So, I decided to read up onto the various products and then share with you my personal opinion on them.
The main point I disagree with is how these products state that they will help “pull your muscles back to their natural position.” While this may be the case, in that the strap is going to literally pull your shoulders back, I do not understand how this will benefit a person in the long term.
Let me explain. Since the strap is dong all the work, a person using it is no longer going to have to engage their muscles themselves to correct their posture. Instead, they are going to become reliant on the strap to hold them there. Overtime, I think, the muscles that support our posture will actually become weaker (because people don’t have to use them), which ultimately will make the problem worse. Does this make sense?
Alternatively, I highly recommend that people work to strengthen their muscles, instead of relying on these devices. There are many strengthening, mobility and stretching exercises that work to activate and lengthen these various postural muscles. (Stay tuned for some exercises in another post!)
One claim I partially agree with is that “using it for 15-30 minutes could be beneficial.” While “beneficial” may not be the correct word, I do not think there is harm in using these devices for short spurts.
Therefore, I think people are better off saving their money (or spending it on weights instead), and working on our muscles instead of relying on devices to do the work for us.
