Can posture braces help strengthen muscles?

Question

Lately I have been trying to correct my bad posture (curved shoulders and anterior pelvic tilt). Among all the possible solutions I found, the most common were the stretches and other exercises to strengthen some weak muscles. The problem is, those exercises are only done two or three times a day for more or less 10 - 15mins and they only seem to help naturally keep a straight posture for less than 20mins after that, the struggle once again starts (trying to remember to keep the good posture).

I came across this posture braces online (both shoulder braces and back braces) which seem to help with both keeping the shoulders and the hips straight while wearing it.

I was thinking about combining both, keep doing the exercises and wearing a brace to maintain that posture for the rest of the day.

This brings me to my question:

Will wearing a brace on a daily basis (for let's say a month) help strengthen those weak muscles and allow the me to keep that good posture even after I stop using it, or can it worsen the situation by making the body dependent and weaker?

Answer 1

It's probably bad form to just post a link as an answer, but honestly I don't think anyone could explain this better than Paul Ingraham on his blog PainScience, with the references and studies to back everything up: https://www.painscience.com/articles/posture.php and https://www.painscience.com/articles/structuralism.php

Regarding braces (this is about external braces for implants, but there's some carryover in ideas): https://www.painscience.com/biblio/external-back-braces-fail-to-relieve-pressure-on-vertebral-joints.html

Some key points:

• It's probably best not to attempt to change your posture if it's just out of principle rather than a serious medical need.
• Bracing may not do much at all, and if it does something it is more likely to cause a dependence and weakening of the muscles. It could be somewhat useful as a tactile feedback cue to correct your posture.

Answer 2

Hmm, i dont think you will see the fruits after 1 month wearing the bracers. I think to bring you body back in a correct way needs time. Stretching, toning the right muscles and wear the bracers is the antidote. Maybe a roller foem can help you to. Good luck!