Using Posture Support: My Active Posture Shirt Review

Photo shows Donna wearing the black Active Posture 2.0 shirt with front zip. Donna is looking and smiling at the camera and has long, dark curly hair and wears glasses. The photo is cropped at her waist.
This is not a sponsored post but I was gifted the Active Posture 2.0 shirt to try. As I was impressed with the product, I have decided to write an Active Posture Shirt review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and this review has not been influenced by the company.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try an Active Posture shirt. This is a posture correcting shirt that is designed to improve poor posture by offering support and retraining the body’s muscles back into the correct position.

Read on for my Active Posture shirt review and to find out if I think using a posture support is helpful. Stick around until the end of the post and I have an exclusive 10% discount code to share with you!

If you have a health condition, please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before trying a posture correcting shirt.

Suffering From Poor Posture

My posture has admittedly suffered after years of living with chronic pain due to Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease. When you live in constant pain, you do adapt to try and minimise this pain as much as possible.

For me, this meant I often adopted a hunched over posture because I found straightening up was simply too painful. I also spent the majority of my time lying in bed or on the sofa thanks to this pain, my dysautonomia symptoms and chronic fatigue.

My health has thankfully improved following stem cell therapy and I am now much more active. Stem cell treatment has seen a dramatic improvement in my chronic pain and I no longer feel like I fit a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

Poor Posture Causing Neck Pain

That said, I can still experience localised pain. Particularly, at the base of my neck.

Neck pain has been a longstanding Fibromyalgia symptom for me. However, I have come to realise that my residual neck pain is actually a result of poor posture.

It has been a chicken and egg situation.

My Fibromyalgia caused me to experience pain, which, in turn, resulted in me adopting poor posture. And, this has caused additional neck pain.

The moment I knew I needed to do something about my posture came when I was having a Lymph massage treatment. My therapist commented about the “hump” at the base of my neck.

I immediately started looking for ways to improve my posture. The problem was, I didn’t feel able to do most recommended exercises and after years of adopting poor posture how would I even know what good posture felt like?

Donna wears the Active Posture 2.0 shirt. Photo shows the back of the shirt, displaying the Neuroband technology that helps to improve posture.
The back of the Active Posture 2.0 shirt showing the Neuroband technology

Trying Posture Clothing: The Active Posture 2.0 Shirt

Luckily for me, as was doing my research I was approached by a company called Active Posture. They had read my blog and wanted to know if I would like to try their Active Posture 2.0 Shirt.

This was perfect timing and looked like it could be a good solution for me. I was intrigued to learn if posture supports were any good and– more importantly– if a posture correcting shirt actually worked.

Zipper or no Zipper?

I opted for the Active Posture Shirt 2.0 that had a zipper down the front. As the shirt is compression wear, it looked like the zip would make it much easier to get on and off.

And, I would 100% recommend the zipper version of the product.

There are 4 bra clasps at the bottom of the shirt that help to close the fabric, making it easier to do up the zip. These are a little fiddly, so I would say that you definitely need the dexterity in your hands to do these up.

If you can put on a regular bra, you shouldn’t have any issues. Below is a video demonstrating how the shirt is put on:

The non-zipper version does make the Active Posture Shirt appear more discreet, as it looks like regular active wear. You may prefer this if you want to use the shirt for maintaining correct posture whilst training/exercising.

However, the non-zipper version of the Active Posture Shirt requires you to be able to lift your arms above your head. And, it looks a little bit trickier to get on. You can view how to put on the non-zipper version here.

Being compression wear, the shirt is tight fitting. So you would also need the strength in your arms to be able to pull the shirt down once it was over your head.

Choosing The Correct Size Of Active Posture Shirt

For the shirt to work, it must be fitted correctly. The product is tight fitting and the NeuroBands need to be on the spine, shoulders and shoulder blades.

There is a size guide on the Active Posture website. I usually wear a UK size 12 and chose a medium sized Active Posture Shirt.

I felt an immediate effect from putting on the shirt, which determined it was the correct size for me.

Two images showing a before and after. Left shows Donna standing wearing a regular t-shirt. Her shoulders and neck are slumped forward. The right image shows Donna wearing the Active Posture 2.0 shirt. Her shoulders are noticeably pulled back and her spine is more upright.
Left: My posture before I started wearing the Active Posture shirt. Right: My posture after immediately putting on the Active Posture shirt.

First Impressions of the Active Posture 2.0 Shirt

I have to admit, as I was completely new to it, I wasn’t sure how well posture correcting clothing worked. I was amazed to see the immediate difference wearing the shirt made to my posture (pictured above).

As you can see from the photo on the left, my regular posture isn’t great as my shoulders are rounded and my neck is jutting forwards. Wearing the shirt instantly pulled my shoulders back and put my spine into better alignment.

The two photos were taken minutes apart and I honestly couldn’t believe how obvious the difference was!

How Does The Active Posture Shirt Work?

The Active Posture Shirt works by using Neuroband technology, engineered by AlignMed. This technology uses a proprietary blend of variable elasticity to activate muscles, increase postural control and provide important biofeedback for muscle training.

In simple terms, this means the shirt is designed to gently pull your muscles into the correct position and train your body to become accustomed to better posture.

The shirt has been developed by an international team of doctors, physiotherapists and specialists. It’s approved as a medical device by the FDA.

You may argue that the same effect could be achieved using kinesiology tape. In all honesty, I had actually considered using kinesiology tape prior to acquiring the shirt.

However, this had three big downsides for me.

Firstly, there is no way I could correctly apply the tape by myself. Secondly, I have sensitive skin and often react to adhesives. Lastly, it seemed like a huge faff when I would only want to have the tape on for a short duration each day.

To me, the Active Posture Shirt is by far the easier solution and one I knew I would commit to using.

Caring For The Active Posture 2.0 Shirt

The products from Active Posture can be washed on a 30-degree delicate machine wash. However, I have personally opted to hand wash my shirt, which is the recommendation to keep the shirt in premium condition.

It is advised not to use a fabric softener, as this can inhibit the moisture wicking quality of the garment. And, you cannot tumble dry the shirt.

However, I’ve found the material it is made of is quick to dry. I only have one shirt and feel this is sufficient as I can wear it in the morning, pop it in the wash and know it’ll be good to go again the following day.

How Long To Wear Posture SUpport?

The shirt does take getting used to. It’s important to allow your body time to slowly adapt as the shirt is stimulating muscle groups that are not used to being used.

I was recommended to wear the shirt for a duration of 30minutes up to one hour either every day or every other day initially. Personally, I have been using it for 30 minutes most days.

As much as I wanted to commit to using the shirt every single day, there have been a few days I have skipped wearing it due to fluctuations in my health. On days I did not feel well (totally unrelated to the use of the shirt), I decided it was best not to wear it.

Because the shirt activates muscle groups in the back and shoulders, it is akin to exercising these muscles in my opinion. For me, I only wore the shirt on days I felt well enough to be exercising.

I have found that half an hour is a comfortable amount of time for me to wear the shirt. I am interested to see if I can extend this time period with continuous use in the coming weeks.

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How To Use Posture Support

In my mind, I feel it’s important to use the shirt in different situations. This is because I want to train my body to adopt better posture when doing different activities.

I want to improve my overall posture and I feel this is the best way to achieve that.

I have, therefore, used the Active Posture shirt when I’ve been out for a walk, sitting at my computer desk, lying resting in bed and when I’ve been simply pottering around doing household tasks.

I try to wear the shirt early in the day in the hopes that this will have a positive effect on my posture for the remainder of the day.

Does Correcting Your Posture Hurt?

 Disclaimer: I advise speaking to your doctor or health care professional before investing in a posture correcting shirt if you have a pre-existing medical condition.

Activating muscles that haven’t been used properly for a while isn’t without its discomfort. I think it’s important to assess your own situation and only wear the shirt for as long as is comfortable for you.

When wearing the shirt, you do feel your muscles being gently pulled into the correct position.

Personally, I haven’t found it painful to wear the Active Posture shirt. However, as it is a posture corrector and is stimulating various muscle groups, I have found it causes muscle fatigue.

I would describe this as a mild discomfort rather than pain. When I take the shirt off, I feel as though I have been exercising my back muscles.

The best way I could describe it is to say it is like going swimming or to the gym for the first time in a while.

If you are able to do some exercise (e.g. getting out for a walk), I would say you are probably fine to try posture support. However, if any form of exercise exacerbates your symptoms I would advise waiting until your health improves before trying a posture corrector.

If you are affected by allodynia (which is common with Fibromyalgia), I would also advise not to use this product. The shirt is like compression wear and is tight fitting, which could cause pain in this situation.

My Results of Using The Active Posture Shirt For 3 Weeks

Left: Photo of Donna before she began wearing the Active Posture shirt 2.0. Her neck is pushed forward and shoulders rounded. Right: after wearing the shirt for a few weeks, Donna stands with her shoulders back and neck straighter.
Left: My posture before I began using the Active Posture 2.0 Shirt. Right: Standing in a regular t-shirt, showing the improvement in my posture after three weeks of using the Active Posture Shirt.

As I write this post, I have been using the Active Posture 2.0 Shirt for 30 mins most days over a three-week duration. The above photo shows a before and after.

I am honestly amazed at the positive difference the Active Posture Shirt has made to my posture. I am standing more upright and now hold my shoulders and neck in a much better position.

I have even commented that I feel much taller when going for my daily walks!

It’s Still A Work-In-progress

That’s not to say that I always adopt good posture, though. I can still slip back into my old ways, particularly when I am sitting.

However, I am much more aware of this and find myself adjusting my position to correct it. I now know what good posture feels like versus poor posture.

I feel like my back and shoulder muscles are getting stronger and I am finding it is less effort to adopt good posture. I am sure with continued use, this will improve even further.

The biggest positive and takeaway from using my posture correcting shirt is that my neck pain has not bothered me for the past couple of weeks.

I can’t say I am completely pain-free but it has not been anywhere near as noticeable and there have only been a few occasions where it’s gained my attention.

I am so impressed by this and I can definitely say the shirt is helping to improve my quality of life.

Would I Recommend Trying an Active Posture Shirt

My experience with the shirt has been very positive overall. I plan to continue using the shirt regularly and I’m excited to see what additional benefits it brings.

As I improve in my recovery from Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and CFS, I hope to start strength training to rebuild lost muscle mass. I feel the shirt will be a great asset for this.

The Active Posture Shirt will ensure I maintain good posture when working out, minimising injury risk.

It has to be said that I don’t believe the shirt is a replacement for chiropractic work (or similar). However, I do feel it may be a useful tool to be used alongside this.

If you have pain due to poor posture I’d always recommend seeing your doctor or health care professional before trying any self-treatments.

Where to purchase the Active Posture 2.0 Shirt?

The Active Posture 2.0 shirt can be purchased directly from activeposture.co.uk.

So long as your health allows, I would definitely recommend trying the shirt. It is an investment (at an RRP of £99.95). However, Active Posture does offer a 30-day returns policy and I also have a discount code to help bring the cost down.

From my experience, 30 days is long enough to learn if the shirt will be helpful for you or not.

Given that it is an item that will be used daily (or near daily) for an extended period of time and that it can potentially improve your quality of life, I feel it is worth the price tag.

10% Discount code

Active Posture has kindly offered readers of February Stars a 10% discount on their products. This code can even be applied to products that are on promotion.

Use the code Donna10 at checkout on ActivePosture.co.uk.

Disclosure: This is not an affiliate code.

FURTHER READING:


Have you or would you be interested in trying posture corrective clothing such as the Active Posture Shirt? Let me know in the comments below.

Donna Grant

Hello, I'm Donna. I'm a Scottish artist who lives with chronic illness. My blog began in 2013 as a means for me to share and connect with others living with chronic illness. On my blog, I have shared my journey back to better health and the diagnoses I faced along the way. I now work as an artist and sell my products in my online shop. I continue to write about chronic illness on my blog and also share helpful posts about art, business and bullet journalling.

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6 Comments

  1. Such an interesting product! I have really bad posture and tried a few different things but I don’t stick with them 😉 Maybe this is something worth trying. Thanks for the review!

  2. This is really interesting. I’ve just got One of these and had a couple of days goes. Feels something is happening. I wondered if you are still using it or if you gave up. That’s my fear! Also how well does it last. I worry if use its every day it may wear thru! Thanks

    1. Hi Jayne! It’s amazing how putting on the shirt makes an immediate difference, isn’t it? I haven’t given up with it. I’ll admit the past few weeks I have taken a break from it as my health hasn’t been so good– I only wear it if I feel well enough. But, that’s actually reaffirmed the need to use the shirt as I’ve found my posture has suffered from a few weeks of resting a lot in bed/on the sofa. The biggest advice I can give you is to make it a habit and part of your routine so it becomes second nature to use it. I only wear it for a max of 1 hour a day so I wash it once a week at most and it’s still looking good.

  3. It’s a great idea to fix your posture but I have one concern. Mostly doctors say to wear a posture corrector for not more than 20 minutes a day. So is this shirt any different from it? Won;t it harm our back if we wear it whole day.
    I so wanna try it but just little worried about this thing. Hope you can guide me.

    1. I was advised to start out with 30 minutes per day and build up by the company. If you have any concerns, you are best directing your questions to them as I’m just a user. The active posture shirt seems a lot gentler than the product you’ve tried to link drop.

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