Are posture correctors safe?

BY DR. VIKAS PURI

You might have seen these devices on a television ad or on Amazon.ca. These are straps that claim to help correct posture if worn throughout the day. Let’s talk about how they works and why or in what conditions you need them?

Do you suffer from neck pain, stiffness, or self-consciousness because of bad posture? Are you thinking of buying posture correctors?

Bad posture can stem from an injury, bad habit, or genetic predisposition, but with time, effort, and the right tools, it can be corrected. Everything from your sitting position, your ability to live an active lifestyle, and your emotional state can be negatively impacted by poor posture. Incorrect posture and alignment create muscular imbalances, which can lead to further imbalances below the upper body.

Do you know that we are born with natural posture correctors? Now the question is which are they? Muscles such as: the rhomboids, paraspinal and trapezius.

These muscles tend to weaken throughout the day due to a lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle. This can cause a forward shift of the head in relation to the body.

This phenomenon is called the upper cross syndrome.

A posture corrector uses external straps to help position the spine in the correct position. However, over time these devices can cause weakening of our posture correcting muscles, which can lead to worsening posture. This phenomenon is like wearing a brace/cast on an ankle for an extended period. The disuse of the ankle causes the surrounding muscles to weaken. So, that means postural correctors are not safe to use? We usually recommend incorporation of exercises with postural correctors to help strengthen the muscles and joint back to their normal state. Using a posture corrector alone every day can cause weakening of postural muscles, which can cause symptoms such as neck pain, upper back pain, and tension headaches.

Many of us ask ourselves: “Why do we even need postural correctors if we have to exercise?” The answer to this is that postural corrector braces counteract our tendencies to round shoulders and hunch. When we sit with our shoulders forward for extended periods of time, the soft muscle tissues gets tight across our chest. If your posture is chronically in a bad position it feels strained to hold your shoulders back or to stand up straight. Your back gets rounded and shoulders go forward. When wearing a posture brace your muscles gets pulled back to what used to be your natural position. We only recommend wearing it for 15-30 minutes a day. This allows the muscle to relax and become ready for postural strengthening exercises without you getting strained.

A posture corrector should be lightweight and comfortable to wear when your spine is in its neutral position. If you start to slouch or round your shoulders, the device should provide gentle correction.