I often have patients asking if they should buy a posture vest to improve their posture and prevent slumping. My simple answer is NO. It’s not because I want them to spend their money elsewhere, but because I don’t believe in the fundamental principles of how they work. While the vest may hold your upper body in a more upright position while you wear it, once you take it off, the same structural issues causing your body to slump remain. Moreover, these vests can weaken your back muscles as they are not required to work as hard.
The primary reason I advise against them is that they can cause problems. Consider that your spine lacks muscles that pull vertebrae directly backward. Although muscles run up and down your spine (extensors), there are none that pull directly back. If a vertebra is pulled or pushed forward, it can become stuck, which often leads to slumping.
A posture vest aims to pull the shoulders back, but in doing so, it must push something forward – simple mechanics. Pushing bones in the spine forward is problematic because your body cannot self-correct this. You may end up creating additional problems for your spine or transferring the issue to another part of your body.
A better way to address postural issues such as slumping is to have the vertebrae in your spine adjusted into a more stable position so your body naturally maintains an upright posture.
This is what we do with Advanced Biostructural Correction™.
