When I started work on the 2009 Golf Gear Guide I basically begged manufacturers and marketing types to give me a heads up of sorts on some of the new gear for 09.  One of the replies I got was from Opedix, maker of Evidence Based Apparel®.  As is often the case when I stray from the Nikes, Titleists, and Callaways of the golf world, I didn’t really know much of anything about Opedix and their posture shirt.  The message in my inbox was, however, serendipitous to say the least, as I was just finishing up a course of physical therapy (brought about by years of lousy posture).  Speaking as a guy who not too long ago wondered if he’d even have a golf season in 09, the opportunity to test out a product that promises to help alleviate that source of the pain, well, that’s an offer I wasn’t about to pass up.

What is a Posture Shirt?

The way it was explained to me, the Posture Shirt is a shirt (obviously), “medically proven to promote proper body alignment, increase shoulder strength and mobility, and reduce neck, back and shoulder pain, a common quandary for many golfers”.  That all sounds well and good, but it still doesn’t answer the fundamental question; what the heck is a Posture Shirt?

At first glance, the Posture Shirt is one of those tight fitting, stretchy base-layer type shirts you can find at any sporting goods store.  Under Armour is probably the most well-known of the manufacturers, but Adidas, Nike, and countless others have jumped in to the market as well.  Most of what’s readily available is designed to keep you warm (or cool) and wick moisture away from the body.  To the best of my knowledge, Opedix is the only company making a shirt that not only does all of those things, but that is also designed to help you improve your posture.  Actually, it more or less imposes better posture upon you.

To my eyes (which are neither medically, or in a more general sense scientifically trained), it looks like the key to the Opedix Posture shirt is the elaborate system of individual panels sewn together to form the shirt.  The panels are constructed from two different materials; one slightly stretchy, the other very stretchy. The more stretchy fabric is very similar to what you would find in similar shirts, but of course, those shirts don’t offer anything like the elaborate arrangement of panels found in the posture shirt.  And while no one has explicitly told me as much, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that somebody spent a lot of time figuring out how to piece all those panels (14 of them by my count) together in such a way as to actually accomplish anything constructive.

Before I share my actual experience wearing the Posture Shirt, here’s a bit of the science behind it (shamelessly lifted right from www.opedix.com):

By touching specific neuro-receptors in the body that fire messages to the brain, and by providing additional support to the skeletal structure, this technology creates a positive anatomical change in the body. The results of better posture can actually be measured. Using a cutting edge bi-plane fluoroscopy system, the upper arm and shoulder socket have been shown to be better aligned due to wearing the Posture Shirt.

The Posture Shirt combines the science of proprioception (the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself) and targeted skeletal support technology. The body is “cued” by neuro-receptors in the skin firing messages to the brain to pull the shoulders back while the integrated support system provides a subtle pulling and support action

The result can be scientifically measured. Looking inside the body and shoulder using leading edge bi-plane fluoroscopy technology, it’s been demonstrated that the Posture Shirt has an anatomical effect by positively moving the humeral head (end of the upper arm bone) within the shoulder joint. This puts the joint in a more efficient and effective position. In a double-blind clinical study, participants shoulder strength was immediately increased an average 6% just by wearing the shirt.

So basically, whether or not I completely understand it, there does appear to be some actual science behind the Posture Shirt.

First Impressions

I didn’t waste any time trying on the Posture Shirt.  The fit was snug (which is to be expected).  The company actually recommends that if you’re unsure of which size you need, buy the smaller size, as a tighter fit is preferable to a loose one.  Much to my surprise, even though I wasn’t doing anything (other than parading around the house like a fool) in my Posture Shirt, I found that I actually felt better once I put the shirt on.  I don’t mean to imply I felt like I had just had hands laid on my by a tent evangelist, rather the feeling was more like you get after a good workout at the gym (before the next day soreness sets in). I’m trying to think of the right word…perhaps the best I can do is “stable”.  My upper body felt very stable.  As soon as I took the shirt off, I felt everything fall back into, what for me anyway, is a more natural position (which probably isn’t a good thing).

The Posture Shirt for Golf

To be sure, the Posture Shirt is not just for golf, but since I play golf, this is a golf site, and that’s how it was pitched to me, I’m going to discuss the shirt a bit in the context of golf.  I’ve only had a chance to play 18 holes of actual golf while wearing the Posture Shirt,  but I’ve also worn it several times to the driving range, and hit close to 1,000 balls with it on my back, so I feel like I have a good idea of what’s what.

Before I talk about the golf experience, I wanted to briefly mention my experience driving with the Posture Shirt.  While wearing skin tight clothing while driving a car isn’t the most natural (or necessarily comfortable) thing in the world, I immediately noticed that I was sitting much more upright in my seat.  You could argue that any perceived changes were psychosomatic, however; I don’t think the placebo affect alone would force me to reposition my rear view mirror.  I can’t necessarily testify to the medical benefits of the Posture Shirt, but I have no doubt that it does fundamentally change my posture.

Getting back to golf…  The posture shirt certainly won’t make you a better golfer (at least it hasn’t done that for me).  What it seems to do for me is make me a more comfortable golfer.  I’ll be perfectly honest, playing 18 holes, or even just hitting the range while wearing a tight, form-fitting undershirt does feel a little awkward.  After a while, however, the feeling of being a human sausage passes.  And while I’ll never suggest that playing golf with the posture shirt on is more comfortable than playing without it, what I can say is that I haven’t had any back pain after any of my range sessions or after my first round of the year.  If you’re one of the lucky people out there who doesn’t deal with chronic back issues (exacerbated by golf), than realistically the Posture Shirt isn’t for you – and you should be happy about that.  If, however, like me, you experience more than your fair share of posture-related back (or hip) pain, the Opedix Posture Shirt, might just be worth a try.

At the Gym

Yeah, this is a golf website, but I also wanted to give you a quick rundown of my experience with the Posture Shirt at the gym.  While I haven’t done any scientific tests to see if I am actually 6% stronger when wearing the Posture Shirt, I do find that my right shoulder doesn’t pop and click like it usually does when I do shoulder presses.  More generally, anyone with even the most rudimentary understanding of weight training will tell you that good posture is critical in order to get the most out of your workout.  The Posture Shirt helps keep my shoulders back, and my abs engaged, which means I’m working out more efficiently than the slouching guy on the bench next to me.

As a bit of an aside, the Posture Shirt seems to retain less odor (let’s call it what it is; sweaty gym stink) than my other base layer shits which I sometimes wear to the gym.  $100 is a fair price to pay to not be the stinky guy.

Minor Gripes

As much as I’d swear to the fact that the Posture Shirt does actually work as advertised (at least that improving posture part…I won’t claim to know anything about bi-plane fluoroscopy), as is often the case, there a couple of things I wish could be better.  Let me start with the biggest issue; price.  The Opedix Posture Shirt will run you just pennies under $100 online.  That’s a hefty price, and certainly higher than any other base layer on the market.  Of course, what you’re paying for is the engineering, and no doubt plenty of it went into the product.  Whether or not the cost is worth it to you will likely depend on how desperate you are to alleviate some of your back pain (particularly in the day or two after a round of golf).  I suspect, many will elect to forgo the Posture Shirt based on price alone.  Is a shame insurance doesn’t cover it.

As I mentioned previously, the Posture Shirt fits very snugly.  I don’t have a problem with that, insomuch as I understand the tight fit is necessary for the Posture Shirt to do what it does.  That said, I found that if I don’t tuck the shirt in to my pants securely, it has a tendency to work its way up my stomach leaving me feeling like one of those chubby girls at the mall who’s unashamed to rock the muffin top.  You know what I’m talking about, right?  In fairness to the Posture Shirt, the ease at which it lifts up could be a result of the…let’s call it…the gentle curvature of my stomach, which by its very nature could promote some rolling.  Still, I don’t have to like it.  As with price, my suspicion is that the body hugging design, which although  is a necessity, will turn some potential buyers off.

Final Thoughts

I can’t go so far as to say the Posture Shirt has change my life (let’s see how I feel at the end of the golf season), but my admittedly anecdotal evidence does suggest that it’s helping.  Yes, there are other posture systems on the market, and some of them probably cost less.  The difference is that, rather than relying on some alarm, or vibration, or whatever else to remind you to stop slouching, the Opedix Posture Shirt pretty much forces you into a more back-friendly posture.

In a perfect world, the Opedix Posture Shirt would cost $70 less, and would fit just a tad bit more loosely.  If that were the case I’d probably own 5 of them and wear them to work (sitting at a desk all days is just awesome for your posture <– that’s sarcasm).  Still, I’m more than happy with the one I own.  So I guess the million dollar question, or at least the hundred dollar question is this: Accepting that the Opedix Posture Shirt does what it claims to do, would I spend $100 on it.  Truthfully, right now I probably wouldn’t.  Of course, right now, my back feels pretty good.  Should I find myself feeling like I did just a few short months ago (when I could stand up straight), however; I’d no doubt gamble that a $100 spent on a Posture Shirt could help get me right again.

High price aside, the Opedix Posture Shirt is a welcome addition to my golf wardrobe.  While I can all but guarantee I won’t be wearing it every time I play golf (that’s a lot of laundry for 1 shirt), you can bet I won’t play 36 without it.  There are few things I’d rather do than play golf  (actually, I’m hard pressed to think of  a single thing I’d rather do) so any product – and I do mean ANY PRODUCT  – that allows me to play more golf is plenty good by me.

More information about the Posture Shirt can be found at www.opedix.com.