Brace Yourself for a Better Quality of Life: Reasons to Invest in a Back Brace
Slouching and sitting with an improper posture is not only a bad habit but it can also be detrimental to your well being. Your entire health suffers when you don’t maintain the right posture, resulting in neck pain, back pain and spinal problems. Luckily, if you are experiencing any of these problems, you can fix your posture by investing in a quality shoulder brace and give your back a break.
What is a Shoulder Brace?
Also called posture brace or brace for back pain, this device is typically worn around your arms, covering your back to help keep your spine straight. It holds your shoulders back and stabilizes your collarbone, supporting your posture and reducing pressure on the neck and the muscles in your upper back. And since the brace also reduces forward shoulder movements and limits bending and slouching of the spine, it also helps you to get a taller and straighter spine. Being able to stand up straight improves your overall appearance.
Do Posture Braces Work?
If you experience pain in your shoulders, back and neck and have constant headaches, you could really benefit from using a posture corrector. Here are some of the benefits you may reap.
Reduced Back Pain
Bad posture is the main cause of back pain, so chances are, you will notice that your back pain will reduce or entirely disappear once you correct your posture. This brace wraps around your back, enabling you to straighten your spine. It also holds your shoulders and back in the right posture, stabilizing your collarbone. Most people who experience back pain are not able to sit down comfortably. Wearing a brace for back pain will help retrieve your muscles in their natural position and enable you to sit and function without experiencing any back pain.
Good for Rounded Shoulders
Slouching is the main cause of rounded shoulders. It strains the shoulder’s muscles, resulting in upper back pain. Posture braces offer a support strap that helps correct rounded shoulders. These devices improve the condition by pulling the shoulders back into the correct position.
Increased Muscular Strength
Poor posture tends to result in weak muscles in the lower back and abdomen. These muscles progressively weaken as you slouch and you become unable to support your spine. Posture braces help improve your core and back strength by engaging the muscles in your lower back and abdomen. With a stronger core, you will be able to stand straight easily.
Smaller Chances of Having Breathing Problems
People who have been dealing with bad posture for a long time, start experiencing breathing difficulties. This is because bad posture normally causes the muscles of the chest to weaken, reducing the space that your rib cage has to expand. In the process, you start taking more rapid and shallow breaths. Posture braces also help address these problems. When you work on straightening your spine into its natural position, you are supporting deeper breathing patterns. This, in return, improves core stability, builds up your tolerance to intensive exercises and minimizes the risk of muscle injury and fatigue.
Where to Buy Shoulder Brace?
Nowadays, you can easily find back braces online and offline. Shopping online offers you the convenience of shopping from the comfort of your home, offering you a wide variety of products to choose from. However, when shopping from a brick-and-mortar store, you have the chance to try on the brace to make sure it is the right fit for you. Still, you can always return an item you’ve bought online if it isn’t right for you.
Regardless of where you decide to shop from, there are some things you will want to keep in mind. The most important one is getting a posture brace that matches your needs. It needs to be the right size so that you don’t ruin your posture even more. You should also get one that’s made of breathable material that will keep you comfy throughout the day. High-quality braces are not only comfortable but they also last longer. And since you’ll be wearing it for long periods of time, pick a model that you can easily put on and take off. The design of the brace also goes a long way in retraining your muscles and helping them to get into the correct position.
How to Wear a Shoulder Brace?
The amount of time you should wear the brace to develop a healthy bearing habit depends from one person to another. Some brands claim that it’s possible to achieve substantial results by wearing the brace for around 10 minutes a day, while others claim that for maximum results, you need to wear the brace at least 30 minutes or longer in a day. After some time, you should be able to use the corrector less frequently. But it is important to understand that you will need to wear the brace as long as it is required to help you develop good posture habits on your own.
Fixing your posture isn’t going to happen overnight. It requires a conscious effort on your part to achieve that goal. Although back braces can help, there are other things that you can do, such as exercising. Exercise helps build and strengthen the muscles in your back and shoulders, which helps to hold your shoulders in the right position.
Furthermore, an ergonomic workstation can also help you develop proper posture. A lot of people who have desk jobs and lead a sedentary lifestyle suffer from poor posture. Some individuals even develop chronic back pain after a while. For that reason, investing in ergonomic pieces of office furniture and accessories is a smart idea. Ergonomic chairs, for example, provide excellent support for the spine, which in turn, prevents the slumping of the lower back and supports the neck. Your shoulders and arms can benefit from the support that adjustable armrests and ergonomic roller bar mouses provide. They help relieve shoulder pain as you control your cursor while staying in a neutral central position.