The S3 brace was useful for one thing. My postural muscles in the back were completely asleep 2 years ago. The S3 brace helped me stretch my overly tight chest muscles so I could activate the muscles in my back. Once I had done that, the S3 brace was nothing but trouble. The S3 brace is cumbersome, overly tight, and has that irritating zipper. Even though they "custom" fitted me at Alignmed in Santa Ana the S3 was never comfortable.

When I showed the S3 to the physical therapists, they did not like it (these therapists shared an office with the physician who prescribed it, not a good sign). It just pulls your shoulder back and down. Not only does it do the work for you, its posture correction is not even correct. Another therapist pointed me to Intellishirt, but I didn't try it until much later. Since insurance paid for the S3 brace, I thought maybe they would pay for Alignmed's PostureShirt...they would not.

I pulled the trigger on the Intellishirt when they released the sleeveless tank version (it was called GUN SHOW at that time). I figured this had to be more comfortable than the S3 and it was. I don't feel the stitching at all, it just feels like an exercise shirt (like Nike DriFit). The only problem I have is that neck bothers me a little. I have a thick neck (17.5") and I don't like shirts touching it (I hate turtlenecks!). The posture correction is mild but effective, you can't really feel a noticeable correction but yet your posture is improved. My therapist says this is because the shirt offers a suggestion/reminder but your muscles are doing the work.

I moved to a new therapist last year because my insurance changed. The new place is actually considering selling the Intellishirt. My therapist tried the Eve shirt for women and she liked it. The only downside was that it could be seen under the short sleeved shirt she wore that day, so it wasn't very fashionable. I'm thinking of buying one for my wife (she gets tensions headaches from bad posture when she is stressed). I just wish these weren't so expensive!

When I saw they had a V-Neck for men I jumped on it. Not only is the neck comfortable for me, the postural correction is better than the tank. Stand with your hands at your sides, keep your arms at your side and rotate your thumbs away from your body. Your posture should automatically correct. This is the effect of the Intellishirt (this is also the most effective stretch for my TOS). I don't notice any downward pressure on the shoulder or collarbone. This shirt is designed to be worn by athletes and exercised in, no one would use it if it were cumbersome.

Maybe your therapist can ask for a sample so the both of you can see it in person and try it out? $100 is a lot of money to take a leap of faith (I was desperate, so I jumped right in when my pain kept getting worse).