Hit the gym without leaving your desk

Eight in 10 people suffer back pain at some point, so could the Posture Shirt 2.0 help? Jessica Salter has a hunch

Sitting hunched over my laptop for hours a day, generally in cafés rather than an ergonomically designed chair and desk, and then hoisting a heavy toddler around, I’ve reignited old shoulder problems. I’m far from alone – according to the NHS, eight in 10 people in the UK are affected by back pain at some stage in their lives, with a lot of that resulting from poor posture.

It makes sense: our heads weigh about 10-12 lbs, which feels heavier when looking at a screen. Which we do a lot.

So, I’ve turned to millennial pop star Justin Bieber for inspiration. For the past two weeks I’ve strapped myself into the same T-shirt that he and several American basketball players swear by to fix their crooked backs: the Posture Shirt 2.0

Created by a Californian clothing company – or “apparel innovators” as it calls itself – the shirt has been approved as a medical device in California, licensed by America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and sold 500,000 editions around the world.

Last month it finally became available in the UK, courtesy of a British start-up called ActivePosture. Daniel Shilemay, CEO of the company, discovered it while visiting a physiotherapist in his native Denmark. “I’ve struggled from back pain myself for years,” he says, “seeing various physios, chiropractors and trying various braces, but with no luck. Then on one visit to a physio, I saw a brochure for the Posture Shirt and I asked him if I could try it on. I immediately felt a pain relief and I was almost buzzing. I know the pain and discomfort back pain brings; I just think this could help so many people.”

Pulling it on, it looks just like a tightfitting black gym T-shirt, but it does pull my shoulders back, which is apparently down to the “patented NeuroBand technology”. The makers say that the shirt is designed not to act like a brace, but instead the variable elasticity bands mirror how the muscles contract naturally, targeting weaker areas and making wearers more aware of their posture. It means that the muscles work on their own, thereby strengthen themselves. It is, in effect, a continual tap on the shoulder reminding you to sit up straight.

You’re only supposed to wear if for an hour or two at a time (which is good; I’d envisaged having to wear the same shirt all day every day, like a Silicon Valley tech boss) otherwise you are in danger of overworking your muscles – something sports therapist Sean Mosely did to test the shirt’s efficacy. “I wore the shirt for seven hours the first time, just to see what would happen, and I could barely move for the following two days because I’d essentially over-trained.”

The company say that after six months the user won’t need to use the shirt, because they will have re-learnt the correct way to sit and stand on their own. Then you can use it ad hoc as a top-up; Mosely says he uses it after a long day of driving.

There have been studies done to back up (pardon the pun) the company’s claims. American researchers recruited 96 computer users and assessed them before and after wearing the Posture Shirt for four weeks. They found that not only was there a significant difference in forward shoulder posture, forward head posture, thoracic kyphosis, and grip strength, but because postural fatigue and muscular fatigue decreased by 21 per cent and 29 per cent respectively, the test subjects saw energy levels and productivity increase by 20 per cent and 13 per cent.

Which is impressive. But there are downsides: the cost, for a start. The shirt is not far off £100. And the fact that you have to remember to wear it. And that it’s not a solution for everyone, as Elle Rich, lead physiotherapist at Ten Health & Fitness points out. “The postural impact of today’s sedentary and desk-bound lifestyles – especially the hours spent on our phones and tablets and in front of computers – is huge. So anything that makes us more conscious and of aware of our postures can only be a good thing. But postures, and postural issues, differ from one person to another and so it might not work for everyone,” she says.

Mosely is more positive. He suggests it to his clients, but agrees with Rich that it works best as part of a multi-discipline approach that includes Pilates, stretching and, unsurprisingly, being more active generally.

My verdict? The shirt is tight – but no more so than any other Lycra gym top – and it feels like it’s pulling your shoulders back, which of course is the point. But it’s not uncomfortable – in fact, at times I wondered if I was slouching again. I’ve only done two weeks and it hasn’t magically fixed my shoulder pain yet, but it also hasn’t got worse, and I wasn’t expecting a quick back fix. Whether I’m 20 per cent more productive is another matter…

Posture Shirt 2.0, £89.95; activeposture.co.uk

TELLING IT STRAIGHT Jessica Salter at work in the Posture Shirt 2.0, as worn by Justin Bieber