Earl Brien, Mika Liu, Irene Toh, Seiya Liu and David Matsumura
Objectives: The prevalence of back and neck complaints resulting from poor posture is high, and the rate of posture related back pain and healthcare costs have been increasing rapidly with the widespread use of smartphones, computers, and work-related risks. Compliance with traditional back braces and other solutions for treating this pain is low, which affects patients’ ability to perform and recover. The objective of the current study is to determine subjective compliance of an innovative posture wearable technology.
Methods: 128 Volunteers underwent subjective evaluation after wearing the FDA registered IFGfit wearable technology. After trying on the apparel, they were asked to complete a subjective questionnaire, which included questions on demographic information, back or neck complaints prior to wearing the garment, history of physical therapy, comfort level and perceived posture improvement while and after wearing the shirt.
Results: The comfort level survey results showed that 93 percent of the sample, (n=111), reported a comfort level rating of good or excellent while wearing the garment, and that 88 percent of participants, (n=108), reported that their posture had improved very much or quite a bit after wearing the apparel. Exploratory analyses showed that previous level of back pain and comfort level were not correlated, rs (126)=.133, p=.134, nor was there a correlation between previous back, neck and shoulder pain and perceived posture improvement level, rs(126)=.092, p=.304.
Conclusion: Over 90% of participants reported high comfort levels and an improvement in their posture after taking it off. The positive user response suggests that this apparel technology has the potential to alleviate and prevent posture related back pain on a large scale with high patient compliance.
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