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The 8 best products for back pain relief (Photo: Getty)
Korin Miller | Writer
I’ll never forget the first time I started having back issues. I tried to hop out of bed in the morning as usual and it was… excruciating. It took me several minutes to fully stand up straight, and I spent the day shuffling around, totally hunched over.
Sitting was incredibly painful, so I started working standing up. After driving, I’d spend several minutes awkwardly standing next to my car, trying to get fully upright again before I could start walking. At one point, my upper torso shifted to the left and locked up that way, forcing me to walk around crooked.
I finally got an MRI and discovered that I had several herniated discs. My doctor isn’t sure why —it could be something as simple as repeatedly lugging around my son’s (incredibly heavy) car seat. I’ve seen several back pain specialists and have been told that there’s nothing they can do for me, short of surgery or steroid injections, both of which I’d rather avoid.
After years of physical therapy, I finally found a solution that works for me: Biking and swimming, along with daily stretching and core strengthening at home. It requires time and energy, but I’ll happily do it if it means I can avoid back pain in the future. And so far, so good.
I know I’m not alone in my battle against back pain. According to data from the American Chiropractic Association, half of all Americans say they have back pain symptoms each year. And, with more people staying at home—and moving less—due to the pandemic, those numbers are expected to increase.
If you’re struggling with back pain, it’s a good idea to be evaluated by a specialist to try to figure out why you’re having issues, Christopher Wolf, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And, if you can figure out the source of your pain, you can work to avoid making the same mistake again, physical therapist Susan Fu, co-director of Rehabilitation Services at Providence Saint John’s Health Center’s Performance Therapy in Santa Monica, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
Once you’re evaluated by a doctor or physical therapist, they can help determine next steps. But that generally involves some form of stretching, ice and heat therapy, and strengthening, Wolf says. And, to really make it work for you, you’ll probably need to do a lot of this at home on your own. Fortunately, there are many products that can help.
Here are some tools to pick up if your back pain struggle is real.
The right posture can help. (Photo: Amazon)
Sometimes the source of back pain can be as simple as poor posture. But, when you sit and stand a certain way all the time, it’s hard to correct it. That’s why Wolf recommends investing in a posture shirt like this one from AlignMed. It helps move your shoulder blades and back into the right position so you can take extra stress off your spine.
Performance wear that cools you down, supports your muscles, even improves your form.
Form Correction
Many runners use visualization to help them run tall (“Imagine balancing an egg on your head!”), which is a hallmark of good form. This pullover (women’s shown) actually engages back and shoulder muscles to counter slouching. Elastic bands across the upper back open your chest and straighten your neck.
See full article here
Alignmed Runners World Feature
Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Schultz. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Alignmed was founded in 2008 on the idea of how do we help people who suffer from chronic upper body pain without having to have surgery or take painkillers. Designed, researched, and developed with our Founder Bill Schultz and a group of esteemed physicians, the Posture Shirt was introduced, followed by other posture apparel products that address neck, shoulder, back, and hip pain.
Not only do our products help reduce pain by retraining muscles but improve posture due to prolonged sitting, texting or computer use, among other detrimental habitual behaviors. The technology is supported by research, clinical experience, and close to a million products sold worldwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The early years were spent designing products that work using numerous types of fabrics, construction, and good old trial and error. Once we came up with our designs, we then had to protect them and file patents and trademarks, which was a long and expensive road.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
With a background in manufacturing and distribution, I jumped into medical sales and operations with the help of family and friends about 30 years ago. I’m proud to say I have helped several medical companies grow sales into the tens of millions of dollars based on creating an environment of teamwork and dedication.
What are your plans for the future?
Currently, we are looking to bring on board a strategic investment partner to launch the next phase of our products, which we believe will be game changers.
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William Fregoso (Marketing)
And might even improve your posture, NBD.
Think of building a great bra collection as an ongoing obsession project. There's no one-and-done style that works across all activities, bust sizes, and 'fits. Sometimes, that means a sleep bra so soft and weightless you legitimately forget you're wearing anything; for workouts, a stellar sports bra to minimize bounce and maximize sweat-wicking; other occasions call for that confidence-boosting, structured, perf underwire T-shirt bra. That said, TBH, bras with back support are probs my favorite to slip into, and soon to be yours, too.
Because, yes, how your boobs look is certainly a key part of the bra shopping equation! But how a bra feels, and whether it really takes some of the load off your shoulders and back, is so key. Good news: we did the heavy lifting for you to track down eight standout bras with back support, including underwire and wire-free options, ones that promise to improve your posture, front-close designs that are a snap to put on or take off, and more.
If you're inspired to overhaul your whole bra lineup, then be sure to shop our favorite seamless bras, airy mesh styles, bras for big busts and stay-put strapless ones. Ahead, the 8 best bras with back support that'll take a load off, literally. Trust us, your bod will thank you later.
Along with players in the NBA and NFL, trainers for the pro tennis circuit have started to inquire about Alignmed. And, in the biggest coup yet for the company, the products are registered with the FDA and were classified as physical medicine, not clothing. That distinction allows Alignmed into professional locker rooms without the need for a branding agreement with the league. FDA-registered medical products can’t be kept out of locker rooms.
A look at a new form of medicine that helps pro athletes like New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis keep his muscles aligned and his body in sync.
Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis doesn’t wear that black base layer for fun. He wears it for his health. As does teammate Eric Gordon, NFL quarterback Tony Romo and Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. The list of players making use of Alignmed posture products has grown recently, a sudden rise for a five-year-old product developed first for medicine and then for sports performance.
Duane Brooks, Pelicans trainer, tells SI.com that he has seen a marked difference in his players who wear the gear. “Eric Gordon had a major shoulder issue last year,” Brooks says. “Instead of surgery, he did rehab and played the rest of the season with the shirt on. This season he wants to wear it again. It aligns him properly.”
Founder Bill Schultz took his medical background and has spent about 10 years creating products that mimic the use of kinesio taping, but with more intensity in order to stimulate activity in the muscles while also being far easier to pull on and off than tape.
Using techniques originally developed to stimulate muscles for those recovering from surgery or for older individuals to help prevent falls, Schultz targets muscles groups and transfers loads onto muscles to stimulate them.
The garment starts with a four-way stretch fabric—not a compression material—that has Neurobands that run in line with “how the limbs attach to the torso and in the legs how the limbs attach to the core,” Schultz says, providing a controlled resistance on the muscles.
“We get a walking therapy on the muscles,” he says. “It is a workout you can wear.”
Schultz says that any trauma—from major surgery to minor in-game injuries—can imbalance joints and muscles as the healing process begins. “If you injured a knee ligament, that knee is very weak after surgery and the muscles have to get retrained,” he says. Getting the body back into symmetry is required before healing can happen. “You reduce the injury and get the joint or muscles back in place,” he says. “Now you have to sustain, you have to keep it there.”
Instead, he uses controlled resistance. “Once we get it in there, we can anchor controlled resistance and sustain it,” he says.
Tony Romo broke his collarbone. Traditional healing has most people wearing a sling until the bone heals, followed by physical therapy to get the muscles to the right length and balance. That therapy can take as long as healing the bone. Schultz says that with Romo wearing Alignmed the goal is to heal faster. Instead of wearing slings, Schultz wants Romo in “therapy over time” by helping keep his body aligned property.
“The body, an athlete, thrives on symmetry—some people call it posture,” he says. “The guys who don’t get injured as much have a symmetrical body. The number of guys hurting their hamstrings is at an all-time high. If you overwork your quads, you are going to stretch your hamstrings.”
Schultz wants athletes to be aware of those imbalances. Something as simple as sitting—such as on a long flight for a game—works only your quads. Using controlled resistance, Schultz says he can help stave off that imbalance. “Muscles love to be active,” he says. “The bands are in tension. The tension is firing the muscles.” He says the sensory system response uses that tension to tell a muscle to stretch back and forth.
The Pelicans trainer isn’t skeptical of the product at all, saying he’s seen the positive results with Davis and Gordon.
“Eric is a very picky guy,” Brooks says. “For him to say ‘Hey, I want to wear the shirt again,’ that tells me a lot. He likes the way it feels and he says he plays better in it.”
Brooks says it is the same with Davis.
As a trainer, Brooks wants his athletes with correct posture, allowing the body to move freely. He says using the shirt allows athletes to stabilize a wide range of muscles, reinforcing the work of proper exercises and therapy.
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How’s your posture? Are you currently sitting up or currently hunched over? When it comes to health issues, thinking about posture isn’t high on the list. Sitting with poor posture for a few hours a day for years is a major contributor to back pain, shoulder and neck pain, poor blood circulation, and digestion issues. Sadly, we don’t really think about this until it’s too late, especially when we’re young. Thankfully, there is Posture Apparel from Alignmed that will help you achieve better posture and reduce pain in the neck, shoulders, and back.
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Fitness Gear That’ll Keep You From Effing Up Your Workout
Posture Shirt (AlignMed, $95): The Posture Shirt™ is an innovative piece of fitness wear, anatomically constructed with panels that stimulate muscle groups and joints to keep the body upright. It corrects posture, aids mobility, increases performance, reduces recovery time, elevates balance and minimizes pain. Just think of it like auto-correct for your body.
