Posture Shirt & SpinalQ

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Posture Shirt could cure your back pain without breaking the bank

Posted: Thu 3:28 PM, Dec 04, 2014

By: Maureen McFadden - Email

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simple way to reduce the pain, and help you stand up a little straighter. 

Andy Shane can clean his garage for the first time in 12 years thanks to his Posture Shirt. It's designed to hold his muscles in place. 

"With the Posture Shirt, now I'm able to do these chores for as long as it takes pain free," he said.

Andy was born with cerebral palsy. He's always been an athlete, but over time he developed terrible lower back pain. 

Orthopedic surgeon Michael Hisey at the Texas Back Institute has also tried the Posture Shirt. He thinks it has a future for preventing injuries. 

"Not even knowing what it was called, I put it on," Hisey explained. "I said, 'You know what this does, it makes me sit up straight, makes me feel more comfortable when I'm having good posture.'"

Here's how it works: the fabric in the shirt acts like tape to hold the muscles in place while they move naturally. 

"This doesn't force them as much as it stimulates them into the proper position," said Texas Back Institute physical therapy director Jason Brewton.

For Andy, the Posture Shirt means more honey do's around the house. 

"So now I don't have any excuse," he said.

He also gets to enjoy long walks with his dog, Leo, and then relax, pain-free. 

Andy Shane bought his Posture Shirt online for about $100. 

There are a few different companies offering the shirt, which are being used by weekend warriors and even some pro athletes, with positive results. 

RESEARCH SUMMARY

TOPIC: Posture Shirt
REPORT: MB # 3866

BACKGROUND: Back pain is very common and most people will experience back pain at least once in their lifetime. It is known as one of the most common reasons people miss work. While back pain could develop without a specific cause, there are several common conditions associated with back pain. Muscle or ligament strains are caused by repeated heavy lifting or sudden awkward movements which will lead to painful muscle spasms. Bulging (or ruptured) disks, which normally act as cushions between the vertebrae, occur when the soft material inside of a disk bulge out of place or rupture, causing pressure on a nerve. These can be found on an X-ray; however it doesn't automatically mean that back pain will be present. Arthritis can affect the lower back in some cases where arthritis is in the spine; it can lead to a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord, called spinal stenosis. Scoliosis is a form of skeletal irregularity, where the spine curves in an abnormal way. If the scoliosis is quite severe, it could lead to back pain. Osteoporosis causes bones to become porous and brittle, leading to compression fractures in the spine's vertebrae. 
(Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain)

NEW TECHNOLOGY: The posture shirt is a garment designed to gently pull the shoulders back, enhancing the alignment of the spine, shoulders and arms, improving posture. Michael Hisey, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Texas Back Institute in Dallas, Texas told Ivanhoe that the shirt is, "like a physical therapist is here (at Texas Back Institute), coaching you and telling you about your posture and reminding you what to do." Dr. Hisey also explains that, "the shirt is several different types of fabric laid out in different patterns; some of them are stretchable in one direction, some are stretchable in all directions and some of them are not stretchable in particular in any direction." Over time the wearer can improve and maintain good posture by wearing the garments intermittently with the goal of a carry-over effect of good posture when not being worn.
(Sources: http://www.alignmed.com/condition, Interview with Michael Hisey, M.D.) 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:

Andra Dunn
(972) 506-0202
andra@bradymediagroup.com 

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com