In recent years, more and more posture corrector devices are being marketed and ads have probably popped up somewhere on your social media.
While the thought of getting an easy fix for poor posture habits is tempting, it is important to remember that easy fixes seldom exist.
So, do posture correctors work? In this post, we want to point out some problems associated with those devices.
Table of Contents
What is a posture corrector?
There are probably a number of different wearables and devices that claim to improve posture. This article focuses on those wearable devices that are designed to be worn over the shoulders and around the upper chest and back. They usually consist of straps or belts that the user can adjust depending on their size. There are a number of different models with slightly different designs, but their function is usually very similar.
They are advertised to have a comfortable fit so you can wear them for prolonged periods, or even throughout the whole day. Posture correctors are designed to pull back your shoulders and claim to train the user to get a good posture.
The benefit of wearing a posture corrector
Let’s start with the positive: The good thing about the posture correction devices is that they a reminder to be mindful of your posture. Slouching forward while wearing the vest is uncomfortable or even almost impossible, depending on how tightly they are adjusted to fit. This can be helpful for people who have a hard time maintaining a healthy posture and tend to slouch forward. Many people are unaware of their poor posture habits throughout the day and the device makes them recognize every time they are rounding their upper back or rolling their shoulders forward.
The drawbacks of wearing a posture corrector
The design doesn’t recognize the complexity of the human anatomy
Having good posture is about so much more than your shoulder position. Because the concept of good posture is commonly misunderstood, we have written a whole article about it. If you are interested in posture correction devices, we recommend reading it in order to better understand the complexity of the matter.
In short, a good posture is one in which you maintain a neutral spine. To maintain that position, your whole body is involved. It starts with your feet planted firmly into the ground. Your hips are strong, and your glutes engaged. Your spine is neutral, the hip position is being braced by the muscles of your core. Your shoulders are slightly externally rotated but relaxed. Your head sits centered on your body with your chin vertical to the floor. In this position your ears, hips, and knees are all aligned over your ankles.
This posture is supported by a lot of muscles all over the body. If your shoulders are being pulled back by a device, it is likely that you will not be pulled into a healthy posture with your spine neutral. It is more likely that other areas in your body will not magically regain the strength and mobility to support that posture. So, you might be pulled into an arched spinal position or compensate in other ways.
Do posture correctors weaken muscles?
Although many companies who sell posture correctors claim that their device strengthens the muscles in the back, it is hard to imagine how. Any bracing or support device helps you to maintain a certain position by doing some of the work for you. If the straps pull your shoulders back into external rotation, all of the muscles involved in that movement have to do less work. Over the long term this will make those muscles weaker rather than stronger.
Wearing a back brace and expecting to get a stronger back is the equivalent of walking with crutches and expecting to get stronger legs.
Posture correctors limit your range of motion
The spine is a very complex structure that allows movement into a lot of different directions. It allows us to bend forwards, arch backwards, and twist around. All of those movements are absolutely healthy and necessary in everyday life. A healthy posture is not about standing perfectly straight all day. It is a default position that we should be entering into automatically and be able to maintain for a while. And we should almost always try to maintain a neutral spine if we put it under load, for example by carrying something heavy.
But good posture does not mean that we should avoid moving our body how it is designed to be moved. It is actually healthy and important to bring your shoulders and your spine into different positions to maintain range of motion. Doing normal daily activities while wearing a posture corrector might become hard and unnatural. And long term it might lead to a stiff upper back and limited range of motion.
If you are sitting a lot, it will generally be very hard to maintain a perfectly upright position, because your hips and glutes don’t give your lower back any support to carry the weight. Although leaning forwards and backwards while maintaining a neutral spine is a good option, you can also listen to your body and round your back to give those muscles some rest.
Prolonged sitting is not great for you in general, so it is best to try to reduce sitting time. But if you have no choice but to sit down for long periods of time, your back will probably feel best, if you cycle through different sitting positions. A rigid upright sitting position might actually create discomfort. And an exaggerated, pulled back shoulder position will cause you to arch your back and put a lot of strain on your lower back. If the posture corrector pins your shoulders back and doesn’t allow you to bend your thoracic spine, your movement is very limited and sitting might become even more uncomfortable.
Other issues
While the problems described above are the most important to consider, there are some other disadvantages associated with the use of posture correctors. For example, general discomfort, skin irritation due to the friction, problems adjusting them to a natural shoulder position, and appearance concerns.
If you want to improve your posture, there is a better way
To really achieve a strong and healthy posture, you will probably not be able to avoid exercise. If you are unable to maintain a healthy posture with a neutral spine position for even short periods of time, you are not alone. Because of our modern lifestyle that is mostly sedentary and the use of mobile devices, many of us have developed muscular imbalances and limited range of motion somewhere in the body. These issues are years in the making, so quick fixes will not solve them.
Our advice is actionable but requires some dedication to work on the problem:
- Understand the concept of posture and what it really means
- Be mindful of your posture throughout the day and develop good habits
- Exercise for strength and mobility, working on weak links in your body that prevent you from maintaining a healthy posture
Our exercise program saves you a lot of time doing research and trial and error. We have done the work for you and put together a comprehensive routine targeting your whole body. It is likely to also hit your weakest links and help you to regain a strong and healthy posture.
Conclusion
Overall, we believe that the negative effects of wearing a posture correction device will far exceed the positives for most people. While they can help as a reminder of your posture habits in the short term, they are probably not helpful in creating any lasting improvements. They not only neglect the complexity of your body but might even be counterproductive and create more muscular weaknesses over time. Meaningful posture improvement can best be achieved with consistent, and specifically targeted exercise.
