Back braces and posture supports are a great way to help in the treatment of a forward hunch and improper posture. While braces offer a great deal of assistance, there are many things you should be aware of while wearing a back brace. Below is a description of the mistakes you should avoid while wearing a back brace.
Improper Fit
When looking into getting a back brace, the most important aspect is ensuring you are getting a brace that fits your dimensions. Unlike a shirt or other article of clothing, a back brace needs to fit well in order to work properly. An ill-fitting back brace will not provide the correct amount of support in the right location for it to be effective.
To avoid this mistake, it is important to understand how the sizing chart works of the particular brace you are looking at. For Hempvana’s back support brace, the sizing is as follows:
- S/M: Men’s waist 25″ to 36″ and women’s size 0-16
- L/XL: Men’s waist 37″ to 58″ and women’s size 18-38
The nice thing about these back supports is that they are 3-way adjustable which allows the brace to effectively be utilized on a wide variety of different body types.
Not Pairing With Strengthening Exercises
A very common misconception about back braces and posture assistance devices is that they can just cure a slouch or hunch. This ideology is really just expecting too much from a back brace. A back brace is meant to be utilized as an assistance device to make it easier to have good posture but it is not a cure for poor posture.
The best way to achieve lasting results is to pair a back brace with back and core strengthening exercises. The best way to think about fixing your posture is to imagine you were trying to straighten the leaning tower of Pisa without damaging the structure. The first step would create scaffolding and supports around the tower. The scaffolding and supports do not fix the issue, but they do allow for a straighter appearance. Once supports are in place, you can get to fixing the root of the problem which is the improper foundation on which the tower was built. In this analogy, the back brace is the scaffolding and supports while fixing the foundation is going and putting in the work to strengthen your core and back muscles.
The back brace posture support is meant to be utilized to train your body to stand with an upright posture. Once the brace comes off, weak posture muscles will resort to slouching. Building up these muscles responsible for posture allows for the brace to properly train your body to remain in an upright position.
When a back brace is worn consistently and you work to strengthen the muscles responsible for posture, you will be able to have a great lasting posture.
Not Knowing How to Put the Back Brace on Properly
Another common mistake people make is not knowing how to properly put their back brace on. The best resources for this are online tutorials that offer the specific instructions you need to properly fit your back support garment to your back.
If a back brace is not properly put on it can result in reduced effectiveness of the back brace. Many back braces function by applying tension across specific parts of your shoulder and back to promote good posture. If a back brace is insufficiently tightened, for example, this tension will not be good enough to counteract a slouch.
Not Pairing with Skin Care
There are many different ways that a back posture support brace can be worn. This includes both over and under clothing depending on which is more comfortable. A frequent mistake of those that utilize a back brace is that they do not take the necessary precautions to the skin when utilizing the brace.
A back brace is meant to be worn for the majority of the day and since the back brace is typically a tight-fitting garment, friction-related skin irritation could develop around areas that the back brace makes contact with. This in addition to the moisture trapped from some back braces is a recipe for skin irritation.
There are two ways you can avoid skin irritation while wearing a back brace:
- Select a back brace that is lightweight and breathable. By getting a brace that is able to wick moisture, you reduce the ability for trapping moisture which can soften the skin barrier and make it more susceptible to friction-related irritation.
- Ensure you are following good skincare. This includes regularly washing the surface of the skin with a non-stripping soap and applying moisturizers. If you are wearing a back brace to assist with pain, a great option that can help soothe pain while also promoting healthy hydrated skin is Hempvana Gold Pain Relief Cream. The cream contains trolamine salicylate in addition to turmeric, aloe, and hemp seed extract to provide back pain relief while also protecting the skin from potential friction-related
Not Sticking to a Schedule
The number one mistake that people make when trying out a back brace is that they do not stick to a consistent schedule and slowly stop utilizing the brace. When they stop using the brace their spines return back to a baseline of poor posture and they claim the product did not work. This is a flawed argument as a back brace is meant to be utilized in a routine and daily manner for extended periods of time.
Staying consistent while using a back brace for fixing posture is the most important factor when looking at those that are successful in fixing their back hunch.
To avoid making this mistake of forgetting to put on your back brace, you can purchase multiple so you are able to wash one while still having a spare. Another method to promote daily usage is to get your clothes ready the day before and place the brace on top of your clothes for the next day. This will ensure you will put the brace on before the start of each day.
In addition to sticking to a brace schedule, you should incorporate an exercise schedule that targets the muscles in your back and core. Improving your posture takes time, hard work, and dedication.
Getting the most out of your efforts means going all in and giving it your best shot.
Getting a Bulky Brace
Choosing the right back brace for you is about finding one that offers the best usability and support. Both of these criteria need to be met or utilizing back support will be less effective.
For instance, some back braces on the market are large but provide ample back support. The added support is nice, however, if the brace is so bulky you cannot conceal the brace and wear it in public then the effectiveness of the back brace diminishes since you are confined to only utilizing it within your home. On the same note, some back braces can be made of flimsy unsupportive materials that can easily be worn all day but are unable to provide enough support to counteract a hunched posture.
Hempvana Arrow Posture finds the perfect balance of everyday usability and support making it highly effective as posture support. The material blend of hemp allows the brace to be strong and breathable offering the best support possible in a concealable everyday usable package.
Conclusion
In summary, a posture support back brace is a great way to help with the development of good posture.
By having straps that pull the shoulders back and support the back, a back support can assist with treating hunches caused by texting, gaming, computer usage, and more. By being informed of the mistakes that people run into when trying to wear a back brace can better prepare you for a successful posture fixing journey.
Learn from others’ mistakes and you can have a better chance at achieving your desired results.