As Seen on TV
Every single day without fail a patient will ask me if they should order a posture corrector brace that they have seen advertised on television or Facebook. And every single day I explain to them that not all posture devices are created equal. I do my best to educate them on which ones will help you and which ones will fail you. Before I get to the devices, I think you should know and understand what posture is, what it can do for your health and why you can’t fake it ’til you make it! Here is my take on posture braces and which posture corrector devices really work.
How do You Carry Yourself?
This is not a trick question. Your posture relates to others how you “carry yourself.” Posture, as we have discussed in depth, (link) is important for the reduction of mechanical stressors on your joints, muscles, organs, ligaments, and nerves. Posture, while mainly a mechanical component, is also related to your psychological and social-emotional well-being.
What I’m talking about is body language, your presence, the way you carry yourself, your unconscious persona. I eluded to this in a previous postural blog here, where I casually mentioned Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk. If you haven’t seen it yet, follow this link to YouTube and watch Amy Cuddy’s talk on body language. She does an amazing job of explaining some of the effects your physical body has on yourself and others. During her TedTalk, she also mentions a very important tenant of hers. That is, “tiny tweaks lead to BIG CHANGES.” This resonates well with me because that is what I’m preaching here on the One Adjustment blog. Improving your well-being requires One Adjustment Towards Health (O.A.T.H.). So let’s summarize some of what Amy was referring to while adding in my own opinions and as always applying some action steps to help you move forward in pursuit of your optimal life.
Smile and the Whole World Smiles With You. - Louis Armstrong
The great idea behind Cuddy’s talk and also this article is the facial feedback hypothesis suggested first by Charles Darwin. The hypothesis states that facial movement can physiologically influence your emotions, perceptions and other’s perceptions. A simple smile on your face tells others in an instant how you feel and how they feel about that. This small act will influence your environment accordingly.
Another similar example would be the use of a power pose. We are told that when confronted by a bear in the woods, it is best to make yourself seem big and powerful by changing our postures, raising our arms and expanding our bodies. This quickly gives the bear the perception that you are a large threat. On the other hand, curling up in a ball (powerless pose) in this situation will only increase the odds of falling victim to a bear attack.
Power Pose Posture
The power pose effectively communicates your intentions to others but also signals your intentions to the body. A power pose will cause an increase in the dominant hormone testosterone and a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson also relates that a power pose or an upright posture increases your serotonin (happiness hormone). He states that an upright posture along with the correlated serotonin release is what helps lobsters move up the hierarchy in their network. He relates posture to being an important component of our human well-being for this reason. Stand up straight is the title of rule number one in his bestselling book The 12 Rules of Life.
The power pose can be created from many different upright postures that can lead to improving your life in multiple ways. Remember your power pose can signal to a bear that you are a threat. It can also be used to signal power or dominance to your colleagues, bosses, enemies, bullies, love interests or even “the universe.” The opposite holds true when reversing the power pose and curling up in the fetal position. Interestingly enough the fetal position resembles most tech-neck postures we see in our tech-savvy society today. (If you don’t know what tech-neck is, click the link above.)
Fake it 'til You Make it
So let’s geek out for a minute. Can you fake it ’til you make it? Or do you have to fake it til you become it? Or do you have to work it until you become it? What I mean is can you fake your posture to signal dominance, power, and happiness thus increasing serotonin and testosterone? In turn, helping yourself move up the hierarchy chain with your career or your love life. Can a brace or crutch be enough to fool your body and your peers? Well, the research is really all over the place, but the short answer is no.
The Other Pencil Test
The pencil test done by Strack related that the act of holding your pencil in your mouth horizontally (smiling) increases your overall happiness. The opposite was true of holding your pencil in your mouth like a cigarette (frowning). This test activated the musculature needed to smile or frown (efferent) and gave the sensational feedback of the two.(afferent).
Other studies have reached the same conclusion in different manners while using Botox to depress the musculature. These studies showed a decrease in mood effect when trying to stimulate the efferent fibers without having an afferent effect. The loop was open and essentially not a feedback loop, but a non-feedback system. What they found was not only was the effect emotionally dulled, but the understanding of the situation was also dulled. So, it is my understanding the closed-loop circuitry is more effective when using a feedback loop.
Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy
The point of this paragraph above is to relate that faking it does not work in all situations. Taping the corners of your mouth up into a smile like the Joker will not have the same effect as holding the smile with your own muscles. However, faking it can have positive effects when you use the same motor control needed for the necessary action. So to have a positive lasting effect on the body, you have to work your muscles and allow the sensation of this to alter your physiology. There is a reason you were created with both Efferent fibers and Afferent fibers. This is a feedback loop and will have real physiological consequences, good and bad.
A postural brace or corrector that is completely passive will not have long term lasting effects on your core postural muscles or your physiological chemical counterparts. A postural device that will work is one that will require you to either use your muscles to change your posture or that will passively help to reshape your spinal curvatures back to normal. These normal and abnormal postures can be seen here in 5 Posture Types You can Change for Good.
3 Postural Devices That Fake it
Postural braces that do not make the cut are numerous and offer only passive support of the structure. Postural Braces like the ones below are not postural corrective devices. Here are 3 of the most popular braces or devices that will fail you. Don’t waste your time.
- The Neck Hammock – While it does provide cervical traction, it pulls the head forward into an anterior position. This will not help posture or neck problems long term at all. This is one of my least favorite trendy devices.
- TRUWEO Posture Corrector – Almost all corrector devices below are braces. They have no positive lasting effect on the postural frame.
- Gearari Posture Corrector– Ok, really all these postural braces are the same. No need to list all of them Just understand that a brace does not build muscle.
8 Postural Devices that Make it
Postural correction devices that do make the cut are ones in which there is active rehabilitation of the muscles and those that are passive will require daily timed exercise as related here in this article about Postural corrective exercises. Here are 8 Posture corrector devices that work and are backed by evidence.
- Intelliskin for Men – Intelliskin for Women (Link to Intelliskin website for information on why this posture corrector is the best.)
- AlignMed Posture Shirt – Haven’t tried one yet, but similar to Intelliskin
- Active Arc Bands – Cervical traction device for home and office
- Posture Pump – Cervical traction device for home
- Lumo Lift – Smartphone APP and wearable technology
- Upright GO posture – Smartphone APP and wearable technology
- Denneroll – CBP cervical traction device
- Apex Cervical Orthosis – Generic Cervical traction device
Postural Exercises
Postural corrective exercises are vital to improving your postural strength and postural endurance. Here are links to some of my favorite postural exercises for your postural type. Posture Types and Exercises
One Adjustment Action Step
1. Learn your Postural type for your lifestyle choices. 5 Posture Types You can Change for Good.
2. Order true postural corrective devices above that will help encourage a healthy posture.
3. Start daily postural exercises and good postural habits listed in our previous blog sessions below.
Until next time, I hope you are using the 12 Innate Essentials to create proper routines and good habits that will continue to have a positive compound effect on you and your life. The next few blogs will be some of the hardest as we are going to attempt to face Reality, Responsibility and Resolve head-on.
–Nick the DC
Disclaimer: The One Adjustment website and blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any type. One Adjustment uses affiliate links as a means to support the content provided at no extra cost to you. Please see disclaimer link for more details.
