We're in a digital age, and almost anything can be accessed instantly at your fingertips, including posture apps to help with back pain relief. Apps for posture can be particularly beneficial for individuals who are looking to relieve back, neck, and shoulder pain.
No matter what operating system you use, you can find a compatible app. There are posture apps for iPhone, posture apps for iPad, desktop, and Android platforms. If you're looking to maintain optimal spinal health, minimize pain, and stand up straighter, these apps may be right for you.
The Leading Causes of Poor Posture
Poor posture is extremely common and is mainly the result of lifestyle. Most Americans spend the majority of their day seated at a desk, looking down at their smartphones or computers, or slumped in bed or on the couch watching television. Others regularly engage in manual labor, which puts additional wear and tear on backs, shoulders, and joints.
Add that to the fact that less than a quarter of adults get the recommended amount of exercise, and significant posture problems are bound to occur. Exercise keeps your spine, muscles, and joints strong and moving. When certain areas of the body aren't working as well as they should be, other areas overcompensate, leading to poor posture.
Think about the Way You Sit
Do you sit at a desk all day? Take a minute to think about your usual position. Are you leaning in close to the computer, staring down at your keyboard, or slumped in your chair? These are all examples of poor posture that can lead to back pain, and posture apps can help.
When you get home, do you plop right down on the couch? The chances are that if so, you aren't sitting up straight with your shoulders squared and neck upright. Posture apps can help this too.
The Effects of Poor Posture
Everyone knows that poor posture leads to pain and tension. At the end of the day, your muscles are sore, you feel the need to crack your neck, and your lower back is killing you. These are all effects of poor posture. But poor posture can lead to even more negative effects on your body that you may not recognize.
Additional effects of poor posture on your body include:
- Worsening of arthritis symptoms
- Poor circulation
- Varicose veins
- Feelings of fatigue
- Low mood
- Jaw pain
- Headaches and more
While nearly 65 million adults report having experienced back pain in the recent past, a recent survey showed that only 47% reported being concerned about their posture.
Have you been experiencing any of the symptoms listed above? Your posture could be affecting your body even more than you realize. If so, it may be time to invest in a posture app. Luckily, there are tons of them out there. We've reviewed a collection of them below to take the guesswork out of finding the best posture app for you.
The Best Posture Apps
With advanced technology, many posture apps for iPhone, iPad, and other digital devices connect directly to a sensor that you wear on your body. Wearable sensors are often small and discrete. They provide information directly to the app so you can see results in real-time.
The ability to see results or reminders immediately means that apps for posture can help you make changes as soon as possible. You won't be left wondering how you did until the end of the day.
1) UPRIGHT
UPRIGHT is a posture reminder app for iPhone and Android that works by way of a wearable device and connectivity. It's a small, white, rectangular device that users place between their shoulders with an adhesive strip.
The device works by monitoring how you slouch, providing a slight vibration when it senses your shoulders are slumping. The vibrate acts as a gentle reminder to correct posture by straightening up and bringing your shoulders back to the correct position.
If you don't like the idea of a device vibrating between your shoulders, UPRIGHT can still work for you. There is an option in the app called "tracking" that turns off the feature and instead provides stats right on your smartphone.
UPRIGHT has a statistics portion on the posture reminder app that allows you to see your progress throughout the course of use. Watch your posture get better and better each day. UPRIGHT is excellent for those who work in an office, but it can be used anywhere. Use it at home, when you're driving, or out and about to see how you're going no matter where you go.
2) MacBreakZ
MacBreakZ is a posture app for desktop computers. It requires a Mac iOS to work. What is so unique about this posture app is that it doesn't only monitor the way you sit or hold your body. MacBreakZ monitors the way you use your desktop computer.
The posture app helps analyze your desk set-up and provides feedback on ways you can improve your workspace to help correct your posture. Are you twisting too far in one direction while looking at dual screens? MacBreakZ can help figure it out.
What's even more unique about this posture app is that it reminds you when it's time to take a break from the screen. Since staying seated and stationary for too long is a leading cause of poor posture and pain, this is key.
The app alerts you when it's time to take a break, and then suggests a series of stretches to help decompress areas of your body that are often strained by sitting for too long.
3) Darma Pro
Darma Pro is another posture app for iPhone and Android with a few super unique elements. It's great for those who work in an office. When you purchase the app, you're not merely getting a device and a mobile tracker.
Darma Pro comes with a smart seat cushion to use at your office. It monitors how you sit and your distribution of weight to help address posture problems. When your posture is slacking, it sends you a gentle vibration, reminding you to take breaks from sitting and even helps to monitor stress levels.
Darma Pro monitors your heart rate and your breathing rate to help you identify situations that are making your muscles tense up. Best of all, it's non-wearable, meaning that there's nothing you need to attach to your body for it to work. It's a simple seat cushion, that's really not so simple after all.
4) Lumo Lift by Lumo Body Tech
Lumo Lift is a posture app for iPad, iPhone, and Android that is smart-sensor based. It's wearable yet small and discrete. The device is designed to be placed right below your collarbone, but there are no sticky adhesives involved. Instead, a small magnet is applied to the outside of your shirt, holding the device in place.
Lumo lift acts as a posture coach but also does so much more. Another feature of the app is activity tracking. Lumo keeps track of how many steps you take each day, the distance that you walk, and how much calories you burn off. It puts together a chart that you can view on your smart device, depicting the changes that occur over time.
The device is tiny, at 1.75"x1", so no one will even know you're wearing it. When you slip back into old poor posture habits, it gently vibrates as a reminder.
5) The Perfect Posture Workout
The Perfect Posture Workout is a posture app for iPad and iPhone that costs just $0.99. That's a deal you can't beat. What separates this posture app from all the rest is that it provides training sessions. Not only do these training sessions help you to become aware of posture, but unlike the others mentioned, it gives you posture exercises to complete.
Each training session lasts just 15 minutes, and they are meant to be completed once daily for 21 days. Similar to other apps for posture, The Perfect Posture Workout delivers a vibration when you start to slump. The app provides a tracker so that you can see your improvement over the three-week workout course.
The Benefits of Posture Apps
Posture apps are the perfect solution for anyone looking to have good posture. It's often hard to do on your own, and sometimes it seems that no matter how hard you try, you still find yourself slipping back into bad habits.
The great thing about apps for improving posture is that they're virtually unnoticeable. While there are many posture correctors for sale out there, many are designed to be worn over clothing. They are bulky, drawing attention to you. That's not the case with these apps.
Seeking Chiropractic Care for Back Pain and Posture
If you're struggling with back pain, there is likely a misalignment in your spine as a result of poor posture or sleeping position. Here at ChiroCare of Florida, our expert team can assess your back, shoulder, and neck treatment needs.
Contact us to schedule an appointment today.
