*6 MONTH UPDATE* An unfortunate downgrade from 4 stars to 1 - BRACE IS UNUSABLE!
- UPDATE - After 6 months of on and off usage (I would guess about 125 wearings) the main band hook-and-loop (Velcro is one brand of hook-and-loop) type closure is shot!  The 2 straps start separating as soon as they are attached. One good cough or bending over and SCRITCH!...it pops open.  I am most certainly not a big person so I am not stressing the connection in that respect. ALL hook-and loop does wear out. The hooks start to get straightened out with repeated pulls of the loop side and subsequently they stop grabbing and holding the loop.  The highest quality products have thick, stout hooks that last a very long time.  I feel that should you plan on wearing this item everyday you may be buying 2 or 3 a year.  Aside from this issue rendering the brace unwearable I still feel this is a fantastic brace.<br />*ORIGINAL POST*<br />This is not the first posture corrector I  have purchased through Amazon but it will be the last.  This is a very well engineered and constructed product and I commend the seller/manufacturer on delivering a corrector that actually works!<br />I had been going through progressive slouching, shoulder slump, and FHP (Forward Head Position)...to the layman like me that just means not looking straight ahead but down to differing degrees.  I had been told that I was looking down all the time.  In actively assessing myself I found that to be true.  This observation of slumping over and head position led me to understand why I was going through progressive upper back, shoulder, and neck pain.  Every morning and evening I was on an acetaminophen and ibuprofen regimen.<br />My previous posture corrector experience was awful.  Poorly engineered, uncomfortable, and one size fits all seems to be the norm.<br />In receiving this product box I was a bit apprehensive;  I didn't want further disappointment.  I gave this purchase a 4 star review for two reasons.  I really want to give a 5 star review because the product ACTUALLY WORKS AS ADVERTISED but there are a couple of issues. If I could give a 4.5 star review I would. For better or worse positive change occurs on Amazon through the process of accurate and honest reviews.<br />My first reason for not rating my experience as a 5 may seem petty to some but I feel it has importance.  On opening the box and removing the brace there was not a single stitch of product literature included.  In my humble opinion, basic information regarding the product itself, guarantee explanation with return/refund information, and some basic seller contact information should have been included.  There were none of the pages that can be seen on the Amazon website that are just great.  Copies of the photos and fitting instructions should also have been with the product. I was going back and forth between my computer and my bathroom mirror to assure proper fitment. When I first put this on it did not feel right and I found that I was wearing it too low by looking at the photo of the model.  For future reference, when not logged on to the computer, having package inserts would be fantastic.<br />Now to the corrector. Once I was properly fitted it was immediately obvious that this device was going to prove beneficial.  When I first strapped it on it seemed that I would only receive moderate correction.  I realized that I was not holding my shoulders, neck, and head up straight and in proper alignment before stretching and attaching the shoulder straps to the belly band.  Upon doing this correctly, a significant amount of support was felt.  By pulling pretty tight on the straps while in proper posture before attachment of the bands, my alignment is now perfect. My posture without the corrector was poor...but not as bad as I have seen with other people. In order to retain proper alignment with the corrector I had to give the straps a pretty good stretch.  I am 5'11&#34; tall and 190 pounds.  It is only reasonable that the device straps will have to be pulled tighter for a bulkier person; there is just going to be more physical resistance to correction. If you are smaller than me such tension may not be required.<br />This is where my second issue is keeping me from a 5 star review comes up.  For those of use requiring extra tension on the straps to maintain proper spinal alignment, the straps can &#34;cut&#34; into the armpits to an uncomfortable degree.  Some sort of well designed underarm cushioning would be greatly appreciated.<br />Lastly, I can only wear this brace for about 2 hours before my back muscles start aching.  I do not consider this to be a negative in any way...actually it is quite the opposite.  This lets me know the brace is working as advertised.  Those muscles in my back have been stretching and stretching over the years and are at the heart of my poor posture.  They are not enjoying being &#34;re-compressed&#34;.  Tough!  Over time muscle fibers begin to grow together.  This corrector, I feel, will facilitate just that. Take tension off the brace as soon as you begin to feel any of the aching I have described above.  Continued use after that point will cause discomfort for some time after the brace is removed.  For some people I imagine this period of initial correction may be as short as 45 minutes to an hour (perhaps even less for the elderly...I am going to get one for my 70 year old mother if she gives in to trying it. It takes time to gain new muscle memory.  The longer you use the device every day the length of time you will be able to wear it comfortably will most likely extend. In using this corrector, these aching muscles will begin to calm down over time.  The support is not just holding things in place, it is forcing the body to improve itself.  I fully believe that actual POSTURAL HEALING will take place and down the road I will only need the support as a  reminder rather than a maintainer.<br />I wear a T-shirt every day and even when tightly tucked in the corrector is virtually invisible underneath it.  From when I first put the corrector on in the morning I do not take it off until bedtime.  I simply go through comfortable cycles of tensioning the main strap and releasing it when I feel it is needed...the device is lightweight and unobtrusive.  Only the tightest or sheerest of clothing would give away it's presence.<br />Bravo Tigoof!  You really have a winner here and I highly recommend this product to anyone experiencing postural issues such as mine (slouching, Forward Head Position, and shoulder slumping) and suffering from the chronic neck and shoulder pain that I was.  As an aside, my working at the computer for any extended period of time would get to feeling fiery in the upper back. I don't do computer work now without the brace,  and no longer experience that discomfort. I HIGHLY recommend this support to long duration computer users.<br />This is a fantastic product you should feel very secure in purchasing.  The few negative things I mentioned are more than likely issues specific to me (or perhaps to other people my size or larger).  I am confident that if you order the correct size and find the just-right fit for you this corrector will prove itself to be quite an asset.  If you don't feel just that way, contact the seller.  They are fantastic to work with.  I can't wait for my few issues to be dealt with in some fashion for all future purchasers so I can I can come back and give this product a SOLID 5 STAR RATING! I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.<br />Good Day & Good Back,<br />STLaffoon
Rating: 1 stars