You may remember from your childhood that one relative who was always harping on your posture. Maybe this felt like nagging, but it turns out there is some foundational health benefits related to your posture.
Previous studies have divided people into categories based on posture, and what they found was that the worse posture an individual exhibited, the more their health was compromised. Their vitality and overall experience in life was lessened due to a loss in posture over time.
However, posture isn’t as simple as it might seem.
A lot of people experience discomfort when they sit up tall and exhibit “proper posture.” This is your body talking to you.
Your body will naturally compensate to avoid pain. You may also notice that your posture worsens whenever you are especially engaged with something, like this video.
So, are posture bras a viable strategy?
Well, it’s important to remember that bracing has a short window of appropriate use. For example, during heavy lifting, a back brace is one option that could help for that one-time use. However, if heavy lifting is a daily activity, you’d be better off training. The more you use the back brace, the more you become dependent on it. Your body will actually stop making muscles in those areas.
This is similar to a posture corrective device. The more you wear it, the more you’re going to rely on it because your body stops maintaining muscle in the area being supported.
Instead, address the reason your posture is compensated. Create strategies in your home or work life to prevent you from being too long in a compromising position.
Otherwise, you may experience some less-than-desirable side effects.
Watch the video above to see Dr. Amanda walk through a real life x-ray example of how poor posture can lead to strange side effects like extra bone growth.