Does a posture corrector back brace work? A certified trainer’s opinion

A posture corrector is medicine to an ailment you may have (back and/or shoulder problem).

The posture corrector if used correctly can provide a lasting cure. One of the hottest products on the market today is the compression belt which in short acts like a belt to which you pump air and it stabilizes your core.

In my opinion this is not a good option for someone to rehabilitate and heal themselves completely unless they have or had a severe injury. If your pain is caused by bad posture from sitting down at a desk, loading and unloading boxes, or any other situation that was not caused by an accident, you need to fix your problem not provide temporary relief.

See my FAQ Section for answers to common questions: Posture Corrector FAQ

Stay away from a compression belt (unless you’ve had a serious injury, degeneration, and/or require professional rehab):

If you had a serious injury and/or have suffered from extreme degeneration and are seeing a physician a compression belt may be right for you. Check out my Amazon recommendation:

A posture corrector back brace vs a compression belt:

A posture corrector will put you in the optimal spinal alignment position when you sit or stand. However it is not doing the work for you. The posture corrector straightens your body up but you must still engage your core to maintain the position. On the other hand, the compression belt has air pumped into it creating pressure to your core stabilizing your lower back. This compression is supposed to be performed by your core muscles and is called intra-abdominal pressure. If you allow a gadget to this work for you what you are doing in the long run is weakening your core muscles which will eventually cause you further damage. If you are otherwise healthy do not use a compression belt. You must fix the underlying condition.

How to fix the underlying conditions of bad posture:

Per my experience and education these are the factors that cause back pain and bad posture:

  • Tight hip flexors.
  • Tight hamstrings.
  • Weak glutes.
  • Overactive front deltoids.
  • Weak rotator cuffs.

The factors I mentioned are only a few of the possible causes for poor posture, back pain, and shoulder pain. Those however are the most common and easiest to address. When you sit down your hip flexors become tight which means they become short. Your muscles have a normal length. If they contract they contract and become shorter. When they stretch they become longer. In a seated position your hip flexors are contracted and are thus short and when maintained in this position for a long period of time become tight.

When you sit down for a long period of time you’re hamstrings (the back of your thighs) also contract and become tight. Tight hip flexors and thigh hamstrings are usually the main cause of lower back pain. Most people also have issues squatting because of bad posture and the inability to move correctly. This means you lose the ability to perform hip extension. This makes your glutes weak.

Now imagine doing this for years or decades.

The posture correction fixes:

  • Stretch and strengthen your hip flexors.
  • Stretch and strengthen your hamstrings.
  • Strengthen your glutes.
  • On your shoulders stretch your chest and front deltoids.
  • On your shoulders strengthen your rotator cuff.
  • On your shoulders stretch your traps.

This may seem like an simple thing to do but by no means is it easy. You can take a yoga class and start stretch all those tight muscles. This isn’t enough. You must also strengthen the weak muscles. You need to start lifting weights but in a specific way to re-activate de-activated muscles which are causing all the imbalances.

What is the solution to fixing your poor posture?

  1. Buy a posture corrector back brace.
  2. Use the posture corrector in conjunction with workouts designed to help you perform all the correction fixes mentioned above.
  3. Stretch before and after every workout. Dynamically before your workout and statically after.
  4. In addition to the posture corrector invest in a foam roller.

What is the best posture corrector back brace? My review of the Aptoco Posture Corrector

The Aptoco Posture Corrector is my recommendation. It is great for both men and women. It is easy to use, simple to adjust ,and made of high quality material.

What workouts can you do to eliminate muscle imbalances?

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and I highly recommend you take part in my back and bicep workouts. Although they target back and biceps my main goal is to stimulate the entire core, body, and especially the rear delts and rotator cuff muscles. I promise you that if you do that workout just on it’s own you will feel significantly better in a matter of weeks. That is a guarantee. If you do not see improvement in your posture and lower back pain I will refund you your purchase within 60 days. Just take a picture, email me your reasoning at [email protected], and as soon as I receive your product back I will issue you the refund. No questions asked!

Check out all the workouts right here: Back and biceps workout

Long term results to fix your correct your posture:

Do everything I have instructed you to do in this article and make sure you stretch and foam roll. I wrote an article on foam rolling please check it out.

Here is the link to that article: How to increase range of motion

You are now equipped with everything you need to fix your posture, alleviate back pain, and fix your shoulders. You’ll also most likely experience less headaches and potentially eliminate them all together. Thank you for visiting my website. Subscribe to the newsletter and become part of the Fitness Adaptation’s team. You get a step-by-step 5 day program to set your health and fitness the right way.

Frequently Asked Questions about Posture Corrector Braces and Belts:

Do posture correctors really work?

If you understand and accept the fact that you must work on the reason why you have bad posture then yes posture correctors are significantly beneficial to you. Do not rely on posture correctors or compression belts because they will make the conditions worse. You have to figure out what’s causing you to have bad posture and address all those issues.

Are posture braces bad for you?

If you have severe underlying conditions or had a severe accident that is limitig your range of motion then yes go ahead and use them. A compression belt may work great because of the higher pressure it provides to your abdominal section. However, if you have developed bad posture due to certain repetive movements such as sitting down at a desk for 8 hours a day, then no do not rely on a posture brace or belt. You can use them to help you while you rehabilite and restore your posture but relying on any will make your problems worse and can lead to serious injury or conditions.

Can posture be corrected?

Poor posture can be corrected by addressing all the underlying conditions. From my experience here are the most common issues that cause bad posture. First tight hip flexors, tight hamstrings, and tight calves and tight traps. Foam roll and stretch these to eliminate the tightness. Then you have weak glutes, weak core, and weak upper back muscles specifically the rotator cuff. Strengthen these muscles. Additionally release tightness with a foam roller the tight overactive muscles that are causing the weak muscles to be tight. Perform both of these suggestions and you will significantly improve your posture.

Is it bad to wear a posture corrector all day?

I wouldn’t say it’s bad to wear a posture corrector all day but you shouldn’t rely on them. If you have severe bad posture then wear them as long as you have to while you work on eliminating tightness on culprit tight muscles and strengthen culprit weak muscles. You must also stretch overactive muscles that are making the weak muscles tight.

How long does it take to fix bad posture?

How long it takes to fix bad posture depends on one how severe your issues are and two how diligent you work on taking care of the underlying causes. It can take a few weeks to a few months. You must be patient and consistent with your approach or the progress you make can be wasted and the muscles will immediately go back to their weak, tight, and inefficient status.

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