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Gravity affects us all. It pulls us down. We bend and compress at the joints; especially the spine. It has a significant influence on our posture, pulling us down and forward.
The PostureJac is an active training and support device for people of all ages. It is for people who want to protect or correct their posture to keep their center of gravity where it should be. It is used by athletes, trainers, musicians, and health care professionals, as well as those who are in desperate need of relief from pain related to poor body alignment. Our best defense against gravity is to allow it to flow through us, rather than to us.
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE POSTUREJAC?
There are many products that treat bad posture by pulling the shoulders back, and exercise programs that help people correct poor posture or forward head posture. Why do we need one more?
Postural restraining devices are like casts. Have you ever noticed what the muscles look like after a cast comes off? The PostureJac has a different approach to functional body alignment. Using it as little as 5 minutes a day can correct your faulty perception of normal posture position. Stretching tight structures and strengthening weak ones, the PostureJac corrects and strengthens postural support systems to make good posture feel normal and comfortable. You want to be there!
Some of the exercise programs advertised are very impressive and they may be effective in correcting poor posture or maintaining good posture. Many people need an external device to assist them. Among the devices, there is no equal to the PostureJac.
Please read on about the unique features of the PostureJac.
Learn how it helps the body develop a kinaesthetic awareness that makes good posture feel normal.
Discover how improving your posture improves your performance; especially for high performance athletes.
Do you have good posture? The PostureJac can help you preserve it to avoid getting bent over, often called kyphosis, hunchback, dowagers hump.
Do you suffer from chronic pain in the neck and shoulder region, myofascial pain, tension headaches, fibromyalgia, tingling in the extremities, sciatica, joint pain or dysfunctions? This is often caused by poor alignment. Explore how the MyoPressers can bring relief to myofascial pain without taking medication by putting pressure on the trigger points, while the PostureJac corrects the structural source of the pain.
The PostureJac is being used by professionals in hospitals and clinics to treat patients across North America.
There is a growing recognition that good posture is about more than appearance and preventing neck, shoulder and back pain. It is also more than preventing headaches and structural problems.
"Many symptoms, including pain, may be moderated or eliminated by improved posture." See full quote on improved posture.
"When we see a disturbance in standing function, we can be certain of finding general malfunctions within the whole human system." Thomas Hanna
"Postural dysfunction is one of the leading causes, if not the number one cause, of back pain in America. When you maintain the normal curvature of the spine, you will have improved back health." Dawn-Marie Ickes, MPT
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What is the PostureJac?
 The PostureJac was created by Dr. Howard Makofsky PT, DHSc, OCS, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, with over 30 years of clinical experience.
It is an orthopaedic support and exercise device. MyoPresserrs are accessories that are an added bonus. They attach inside the straps to be positioned over painful trigger points that cause chronic myofascial pain; those troublesome muscle contraction knots in the shoulder region.
An exercise sheet is provided that outlines a series of exercises, as seen on the Exercises page and Video site, designed to Stretch what's tight, strengthen what's weak, and mobilize what's stiff. Using the PostureJac as little as five minutes a day promotes proper alignment; stretching, strengthening and mobilizing appropriate muscle groups. This reduces tension in the neck, back and shoulders. As a result, the effects of stress on your body can be lessened and a straighter alignment becomes your new conscious normal position.
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| "Better postured individuals probably have fewer defects, enjoy better health, and live longer than those with a seriously distorted skeleton." Joseph T. Freeman, M.D., Journal of the American Medical Association, October 19, 1957. |
What Does it Do?
- It actively promotes a revival of vital postural support muscles.
- It also retrains them and changes your postural consciousness. We call it "kinaesthetic awareness". It teaches the body to feel and to recognize good posture as normal posture, and mobilizes and conditions muscles and joints to achieve and maintain it (see the How It Works page).
muscle recruitment ⇒ muscle memory ⇒ new body awareness
- It employs Dr. Makofsky's Spinal Corkscrew Principle that restores proper alignment, giving the feeling of a lift and decompression. (See more details on the How it Works page).
- It provides stability to your spine to stretch and strengthen against a correct alignment. (see examples of the exercises provided in the Exercises and Video Sections).
- It reduces spinal loading by providing the most efficient alignment to carry the upper body mass and extra loads (like water jugs or back packs)..
- It reduces back and neck strain and fatigue by properly aligning the spine to allow gravity to flow though you.
- It stretches out tight muscles and strengthens weak muscles.
- It improves your breathing, increasing lung capacity by as much as 30%. Deep breathing using the diaphragm is facilitated.
- Correct alignment improves the range of rotation of the neck.
- It improves your balance by restoring a more vertical center of gravity.
- It improves and fortifies the overall health of your back, evens the pressure on the discs, reducing the risk of damage.
- It improves your physical appearance, confidence, and performance
- Corrected posture makes you taller
- It corrects shoulder angles to restore shoulder rotation with reduced risk of injury.
- Restored alignment has a profound effect on overall health.
It's that simple! The result is alignment that is taller, lighter and stronger.
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"With the PostureJac on the patient was able to breathe much deeper. When wearing the PostureJac the patient stood at least 2" taller." Dr. Veronica Southard, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, NY Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY
How Often Do I Use It?
That varies. Because it brings stability to the spine, some will use it when they are mobile instead of a cane. Holding the handles provides stability and restores balance and allows them to stay upright longer. Others will use it for specific activities; occupational strain, working at a computer, excessive bending, lifting or craning the neck for overhead work. It is easy to integrate into many activities.
Using it for as little as five minutes a day will correct the way you perceive your posture and you will do some of the exercises when not wearing it.
Click here to see active video demonstrations and explanations
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"The PostureJac is extremely user-friendly and educates the patient in correct postural alignment. It also helps maintain proper alignment while exercising." Deborah K. White, Physical Therapist
I have tested the PostureJac, and must say that this device needs to be considered as much of an option to assist with adjustment programs, as cervical pillows and mirrored exercises. Dr. David Haper BSc., D.C., F.C.C.S.S., PhD Candidate
Click here to see the full text and other endorsements
A Remarkable PostureJac Accessory!
MyoPressers Relieve Chronic Myofascial Pain
 Millions suffer chronic pain from muscle contraction knots. or myofascial pain. Poor posture and chronic myofascial pain in the shoulder and neck region are closely linked. It is estimated that 20% of chronic headaches originate from problems in the neck and shoulders. Shoulder, arm, wrist and hand pain and numbness can result from tightness in the neck and shoulder muscles. The MyoPressers fasten under the strap and can be positioned along the strap lines over painful trigger points that cause myofascial pain. Applying pressure gives a great massage and releases the tensions that often lead to headaches and other chronic pain. If you suffer chronic pain in your upper body, the MyoPressers alone will be worth the price!
Millions of dollars spent on pain medication can be saved by correcting the problem at its roots; poor alignment and myofascial pain.
Find out more details about myofascial pain and the MyoPressers on the Myofascial Pain page. See Dr. Makofsky demonstrate the placement of additional Myopressers. Click here to see the video explanation (may require patience for download delay with Internet Explorer).
One set of MyoPressers is included with each PostureJac purchased. Additional sets may be purchased for treatment of multiple trigger points at the same time.
That PostureJac is amazing. I use it morning, noon and night. Without a doubt it is a dream machine. It took me off pain pills in 3 days after suffering for 2 weeks on pills that didn't help." Alan DeLong, The Computer Guy
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Who Needs the PostureJac?
The PostureJac is used by therapists in hospitals and clinics. It is used by athletic trainers to optimize performance for athletes and dancers. It is used by school health care providers and teachers to teach young people about proper posture and posture correction.
Ergonomics is important to prevent Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in the home and workplace. Now you can have a portable treatment device to integrate into daily activities at home, workplace, while you travel, exercise, shop or just out for a walk. In an ideal world, we would all operate with perfect ergonomics to avoid injury, but we don't. The PostureJac restores the correct normal to our kinetic self awareness.
It is of great value for a wide age range; from adolescents to the elderly, and in most conditions. With a few exceptions of very fragile conditions (see the Disclaimer page), this can be valuable for a two categories of people:
1. Those who wish to correct poor alignment and its secondary effects.
2. Those who recognize the danger due to their condition and activities and want to prrotect against these conditions.
More applictions are available on the Applications and Travel and Backpacking pages.
Correct posture during the developmental phase. It is especially critical for young people to counter negative forces such as backpacks, computer use, poor self esteem, etc.
 Postural tendancies can be passed on from one generation to the next. This mother and daughter are typical examples. They are seen here in their "normal posture" and "corrected normal". They are tall active and attractive. The 15 year old daughter spends hours at piano practice. She is a good athlete with great potential. It's in the family! Deviation from proper alignment has been an evident tendancy for four generations. Notice the increase in height with corrected posture. This is not genetic. With awareness and motivation, they can change.
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| "Observations of the striking influence of postural mechanics on function and symptomatology have led to our hypothesis that posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture. The most significant influences of posture are upon respiration, oxygenation, and sympathetic function. Ultimately, it appears that homeostasis and autonomic regulation are intimately connected with posture. The corollary of these observations is that many symptoms, including pain, may be moderated or eliminated by improved posture." John Lennon, BM, MM, C. Norman Shealy, MD, Roger K. Cady, MD, William Matta, PhD., Richard Cox, PhD, and William F. Simpson, PhD, American Journal of Pain Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 1994 |
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