Release yourself from habits and conditioning that keep your mind and body in stress!
What Is The PostureJac?
The PostureJac is a “4 in 1” portable exercise and support device that guides and conditions the body and mind to better balance through good posture.
It can be used to achieve the following effects related to forward head/rounded shoulders posture:
Stretch your shortened structures and mobilize stiff joints.
Strengthen and condition your weak and inactive support/core muscles.
Replace your false sense of what is normal posture with habits that restore balance and straighter and taller posture.
Eliminate painful myofascial trigger points in your neck and shoulder regions.
The patented handle design involves the body in posture correction
to increase the capacity to stretch
to provide support and stability
to mobilize over a guided, supported pathway
to engage the trunk and neck in holistic conditioning
They draw the shoulders down and back into correct alignment, promoting upward spinal stretching and stability.
The PostureJac was developed by Dr. Howard Makofsky, Professor of Physical Therapy and textbook author.
After 30 years of clinical experience as a therapist, he created the PostureJac and the exercises to bring postural change and reconditioning into daily living. Throughout this website the Spinal Lift is emphasized through a mechanism that he calls the "Spinal Corkscrew Principle":
Shoulders down, spine up!
Accelerate the Change to Conquer Old Habits!
The secret to escape from the prison of poor posture may be your own awareness. Your whole body may be locked in unhealthy habit patterns that you are not even aware of, that cause chronic pain - because they feel normal. This stress changes your body mechanics and your muscles and fascia.
The PostureJac fits comfortably around your shoulders, ready for activation by gentle pressure on the handles. Some like to wear it continually for comfort, support and pain relief and periodic activation. Others will set aside specific time periods for therapeutic exercise and conditioning. As little as five minutes a day will make a difference.
The Posture Correction Exercise series can recondition your whole body. They can be integrated into your daily mobility habits. We recommend frequent or extended, gentle use at first and then whatever suits your needs. The PostureJac is intended to make you dependant on activity for conditioning, not on a device.
Use it where poor posture habits develop - at home, the workplace, travel and recreation, or carrying heavy loads. Walk, travel, work, work out with it, wear it around the house, wear it under a backpack - the possibilities are endless. Let it guide you to the freedom of a better posture mindset, body conditioning, mechanics and pain relief.
"My PostureJac arrived just after I had finished a six-hour drive in a small rented car. Slipping on the PostureJac to give it a try, I pulled my shoulder muscles down into a relieving stretch, and automatically 'jacked' my spine up back into its normal length. Now, when I come home from long plane trips, PostureJac gets a workout before I do. Thomas Myers, Author of Anatomy Trains (Elsevier 2001, 2009), www.anatomytrains.com
"The PostureJac is an excellent device for those patients suffering from posturally-related TMD, myofascial pain, tension-type headaches, etc. It is just what the doctor ordered for the correction of forward head posture." Leonard B. Goldstein, DDS, PhD.
There are many products that try to correct posture by pulling the shoulders back, and there are effective exercise programs. Why do we need one more? Isn't this just another brace?
Braces are like casts. Their benefits are short lived. Have you ever noticed what the muscle condition looks like after a cast comes off? Activity is necessary to maintain their function.
Posture cushions and lumbar supports are helpful for positioning, but they don't provide conditioning.
Poor posture affects the whole body through the fascial system. This is a different approach to functional posture. The PostureJac and its exercises are intended to bring holistic not "regional" conditioning to your posture by developing upward mobility. There is more to posture correction than "head up", "shoulders back" or "sit up straight".
The PostureJac has been compared to training wheels on a bicycle. It helps the body develop balance, conditioning, core stability, kinaesthetic awareness and internal muscle memory for stable posture and independance from a device.
Dr. Makofsky's patented design emphasizes a spinal lifting action to regain your lost height. It engages the whole body as a posture pump. Healthy mobility and corrected alignment can benefit the spine and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Exercise programs can be effective but are easily neglected. They become part of the "should do's" in your live. It is easy to start with enthusiasm and run out of steam. The PostureJac fits in your life, not your drawer or closet. You can learn to lift where you slouch; at home, work or travel.
Professional therapy is effective but not always convenient or affordable. What you receive in treatment in a clinic is valuable but may not change your daily habits. If you are being treated by a therapist, the PostureJac makes an excellent partner, extending the benefits between treatments and decreasing the time for rehabilitation.
Check out the custom designed exercises for posture correction, shoulder and breathing problems, and building core stability. See the posture pump in action with the Piston Exercise.
"Conditioning starts in the brain, moves to the muscles, which sets the fascia and finally - for good or ill - settles in the organs." Thomas Meyers, Twitter, 2009
"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.
"Simply by standing straight, you will instantly slim your waistline by an inch or more."
"A strong, straight spine portrays youth and vigor. Slumping forward decreases your chest measurement, rounds and narrows your shoulders, and can decrease your height by as much as two inches."
"Improving your posture can help you build self-esteem, radiate confidence and capability, interview well for jobs, and improve work performance (particularly in sales or business)."
Quotes from Janice Novak, MS, Author of Posture, Get it Straight, Second Edition, 2006
"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 Harper BSc., D.C., F.C.C.S.S., PhD Candidate
The MyoPresser accessories fasten under the strap and can be positioned along the strap lines over your painful contraction knots or trigger points that cause the myofascial pain. You control the amount of pressure for a great massage, releasing the tensions that often lead to chronic headaches and myofascial pain
The chronic pain is commonly caused by poor posture/kyphosis. You can treat the trigger points while correcting the problem. One set comes with each PostureJac unit. Extra sets can be included with your purchase.
"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, New York
"The PostureJac gave me immediate relief from the pain shooting down my leg. Overall, it really is making a difference"
Eugenia Greig, Toronto
Who Needs The PostureJac?
This is a device with many applications over a wide age range. Young adolescents use it to learn better habits to avoid disability. As we ageto seniors. It is for you if you are willing actively correct or protect your posture - to look better, feel better, and function better with pain relief.
Physicians, physical and occupational therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, personal trainers, etc. prescribe it and use it in therapy. It has a wide variety of applications including orthopaedic rehabilitation - from disease, surgery and accident and soft tissue injuries, repetitive strain injury (RSI) in the home and workplace, aesthetics, recreation, travel, athletic training, mobility training and teaching correct posture. See more information on the Applications section.
Don't wait until the forward head/rounded shoulders posture syndrome is a problem. Just as we tune up our cars to avoid expensive repairs, your body will be healthier and last longer if it is conditioned. The PostureJac exercises will help maitain that from the top of the spine, through your core and down into your feet.
Those with fragile conditions should see the Contraindications page and consult with your physician before using the PostureJac for exercise.
For reducing the effects of repetitive srain injury (RSI) in the home and work place
For athletes, body builders and artists who need balanced development.
To maintain good posture while carrying backpacks and other burdens
For seniors to overcome posture decline and fatigue
For parents and otherchildworkers who lift, bend and carry
To develop good posture habits in youth in everyday life and as they pursue athletic and artistic training.
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