Your Bad Posture Could Be Hurting You. Here Are 8 Products That Can Help

Health

If you spend a lot of time on your computer or phone or sit for prolonged periods during work hours or otherwise, odds are you’ve wondered about the effect on your posture.

If so, you’re right to be concerned: It turns out that poor posture can have health consequences that are more far-reaching than you may realize.

“Often times when we think about posture we are focused on the way it makes us look… [b]ut our posture has serious implications on both our physical and mental health,” Liza Egbogah, a trained chiropractor, osteopath and myofascial release expert, told HuffPost by email. Egbogah is the clinic director of The Fix, a myofascial release and osteopathy clinic in Toronto, and designer of Dr Liza shoes, a line of ergonomic footwear.

According to Egbogah, poor posture can not only result in headaches and pain in the neck, shoulders and back, but it can also lead to constipation, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome as a result of increased pressure on the digestive system.

Bad posture can even impact your stress levels. “Spending time in poor posture also causes your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to rise,” Egbogah said, “meaning you may be feeling more depressed or anxious when you’re slouched over. However when maintaining good posture ― where you’re standing tall with your shoulders back ― your body produces more endorphins which are the natural feel good chemicals in our body.”

While spending excessive time sitting or on our devices are common causes of posture problems, it’s not so easy to curb these habits given the demands of modern work and societal reliance on technology. Still, even small changes can make a difference, and investing in certain posture-supporting products may help, as well.

For folks interested in improving their posture, Egbogah filled HuffPost in on her posture corrector recommendations. Read on for her picks.

HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently selected by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change. The experts consulted for this story do not necessarily endorse the products ahead unless otherwise noted.

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A posture support harness from PostureMedic

“[O]ur bodies were not designed to sit or be on a device for hours in a day, so I recommend a supportive posture harness that can be used midday when your supportive muscles have likely fatigued,” Dr. Liza Egbogah, a chiropractor, osteopath and myofascial release specialist, told HuffPost by email. “This [posture correcting brace] will help support good posture while still engaging your supportive muscles for most of the day.”

It’s available in sizes XS – XL.

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Or a posture-correcting brace from ComfyBrace

Based on Egbogah’s posture support harness recommendation, we selected another popular posture brace to consider. This option is designed to comfortably correct posture by supporting the mid and upper spine, thus helping relieve pain from the clavicle, shoulders, back and neck. You can start by wearing it five to ten minutes a day, and work towards wearing it for an hour or two a day.

This corrector is adjustable to fit most bodies; it’s designed to fit chests from 30 to 43 inches wide.

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An around-the-neck phone holder

“One of the biggest contributors to poor posture is looking downwards to our phone,” wrote Egbogah. “We spend so much time on phones and laptops and when we do, we’re often looking down. This puts a lot of strain on the neck and pushes our head forward into anterior head carriage (when the head moves forward out of alignment).

“A neck phone holder allows you to look straight ahead thereby preventing slouching and forward head posture,” she explained.

Based on Egbogah’s recommendation, we chose this gooseneck cell phone holder that sits around the neck and which Amazon reviewers call one of the best things they’ve ever bought. It sports silicone pads around the neck and foam padding at the chest area for added comfort, and it’s designed to be super flexible so you can bend it for your preferred view. It can also stand upright on a counter or table!

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Or a neck phone holder with 12,000 5-star ratings on Amazon

We also think this around-the-neck phone holder is a great option; it’s extra lightweight with flexible arms that can also stand upright on horizontal surfaces. “You’ll think this product is ridiculous but once you have it, it’ll save your life,” wrote one Amazon reviewer.

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Some resistance bands

“These are great portable workout tools that you can use to strengthen your stabilizers that reinforce good posture,” Egbogah said. This five-pack of latex exercise bands covers five different resistant levels that you can customize for your specific needs.

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A handheld massager

Egbogah also recommended this handheld massager to help loosen muscles that are overly tight from too much sitting.

“When we sit[,] our hips are flexed,” Egobah explained. As a result, the hip flexor muscles “tug on the spine and pull the body into a slouched posture,” she wrote. “By releasing muscles that tighten up and force you into poor posture[,] you can actually improve your posture.”

This handheld massage gun sports seven speed levels and ten interchangeable massage heads to target muscles from head to toe; its fork head is specifically designed to massage the upper back and spine, while its shovel head works on the lower back. At 40-50 decibels, it’s impressively quiet, and is long-lasting to boot, possessing a run time of up to six hours before requiring a recharge. One reviewer on Amazon called it “a personal masseuse that fits in your hand.”

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Or the Theragun Relief massage gun, which I own and love

Based on Egbogah’s massage gun suggestion, we chose another option from popular brand Therabody, whose Theragun massage guns are, in my opinion, the cream of the crop of handheld massagers. I’ve tried several of their models and personally own the Theragun Relief, which in my experience has delivered muscle-melting relief from my muscle pain and tension. It’s surprisingly (delightfully) gentle given its impressive power: It literally pounds away knots and tightness without any of the discomfort you might expect from such a powerful device. I also appreciate how lightweight and easy it is to grip, since I’m short without a long wingspan or much upper body strength.

This model lets you toggle between three intensity settings and three massage head attachments.

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Posture-supporting apparel

“If you’ve spent a lot of time with bad posture[,] it can be hard to have a good sense of what correct posture feels like. Posture supporting apparel like posture sports bras and tees help to reinforce good posture and prevent bad posture,” said Egbogah over email. “This means that as you wear posture friendly apparel your muscles and fascia will adapt to support you correctly.”

Egbogah recommended these posture shirts from AlignMed, available in men’s and women’s sizing. They’re designed to work as a wearable therapy that activates and retrains muscles as you wear them.

“I didn’t really want to pay this much, but it’s worth every penny,” wrote one Amazon reviewer. “This shirt makes me feel good. I have chronic muscle tightness in my back and find this to be a major pain reliever. Who knew my posture was the problem? I ordered just a bit smaller than I expected based on the guidelines that suggested the snugger the better. The tightness is the reason it works so well on my sore back. Don’t order too large.”

If you’re between sizes, AlignMed recommends sizing down.