CHICAGO, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new study, AlignMed's Posture Shirt®, which is worn by professional and amateur athletes in every major sport, has proven to significantly increase major-league baseball pitchers game-day velocity, accuracy and longevity. Results from the study, by doctors from the University of Southern California Medical Center, will be presented tomorrow (3/22/13) at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in Chicago.

"This is about the best thing to happen to major league pitchers since the curveball," saidThomas Vangsness M.D. presenter of the study conducted by Tom House Ph.D, and Fred Weaver MD, who were the authors of the USC study. "The analysis indicates that Posture Shirt® can improve accuracy by almost 23 percent, speed by 1.47 miles per hour.  The actual statistics were higher, but one of the individuals was so improved he became an outlier for the study, once more, vascularity was increased, blood flow in the throwing arm was increased significantly. In a game where milliseconds and millimeters can spell the difference between a one hitter and a call to the bullpen, this is a big deal."

The study, conducted by sports medicine professionals at the University of Southern California Keck Medical Center, tested pitchers' velocity, accuracy and throwing arm physiology when wearing the AlignMed Posture Shirt compared to a typical undergarment worn by major-league pitchers. The study's results indicate the AlignMed Posture Shirt®wearing pitchers improved their overall accuracy by 23.5%. These same pitchers saw consistent velocity improvement across innings with the highest in inning 3, showing a 27.8% accuracy improvement compared to the control shirt. Remarkably, while the velocity of the pitchers wearing the AlignMed Posture Shirt® went up, their accuracy was unchanged. And when the velocity of their pitches was reduced to synch up with those wearing the test garment, the Posture Shirt® wearing-pitchers accuracy improved dramatically.

The Posture Shirt®, manufactured in the United States by AlignMed Inc. of Santa Ana Calif., is the result of 8 years of design work, as well as lab and field testing. Worn as an undershirt, underneath the uniform, the Posture Shirt's patented, complex interlacing of high-technology fibers, called Neuro-Bands™, work seamlessly with the athlete's body to optimize posture and movement in any position. The shirt also augments the body's natural neurological feedback mechanism, accelerating the time span between thought and physical movement and thereby maximizing both response time and hand-eye coordination.

"When I step on the mound I want my best stuff available," said Tommy Shirley of the Houston Astros. "That means my fastball, cutter and these days it also means my AlignMed Posture Shirt®. The shirt increases my upper body flexibility and helps me maintain my strength, which over the course of a game keeps me balanced, aligned and throwing strikes."

AlignMed Posture Shirts are worn by athletes on almost every major league baseball team, including the World Series Champion Giants.

This is the same Posture Shirt® that has also helped Los Angeles Lakers Center Dwight Howard recover from his shoulder injury. In February the National Basketball Association (NBA) approved the AlignMed® Posture Shirt® as a medical device allowing the Los Angeles Laker's Center, Dwight Howard to play in the Posture Shirt® during his recovery period healing from a torn labrum in his shoulder and back surgery 10 months ago.

The Posture Shirt® is manufactured in the United States by AlignMed Inc. of Santa Ana., Calif.  AlignMed products, all dedicated to enhancing posture, range of motion, and human performance, have been the subject of in-depth clinical studies by numerous renown medical institutions including: Duke University, University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, the Kerlan Jobe Sports Medicine Institute, Los Angeles, and the Lexington Sports Medicine Center, KY.

More information on Posture Shirt® and other innovative AlignMed Inc. products is available at: http://alignmed.com

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