Originally Posted by nospam (Post 857767)

By February I start to notice my hands are cold and numb. I start to have problems opening water bottles and jars which my wife opens with ease. We go back to the neurologist and we are all thinking TOS!!! I try to wear the S3 brace to see if it helps but only a little and just too annoying. I ordered a garment from Intellishirt since alignmed never responded to my inquires regarding their postureshirt. I had ordered the wrong size, but luckily they are in Newport Beach and let me exchange that afternoon. Upon wearing the garment I immediately feel a reduction in hand pain & numbness. My grip strength returned back to normal and my headache decreased. I start researching Vascular Surgeons with TOS experience immediately.

Originally Posted by nospam (Post 859745)

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.

Originally Posted by nospam (Post 866052)

Keeping my elbows at my sides at all times has made a huge difference for me (driving, typing, sleeping, etc.). The IntelliSkin garment is also a great reminder and help keep flares at bay - www.intelliskin.net

Originally Posted by nospam (Post 858234)

I wear the POSTURECUE™ V-TEE during the day and the POSTURECUE™ TANK at night. Just be warned that you must raise your arms above your head to get these on over your shoulders. The shirt is very lightweight and just feels like an exercise shirt once you get it on. Shirt can be machine washed but hung to dry.

Originally Posted by Anne4tos (Post 865019)

The LARGE Intelliskin arrived the other day and the fit is much better. Took it for a 10 minute test drive and had no vaso-spasms in my right hand. This was an immediate symptom I got while wearing the S3.

The Eve shirt is very long. I can't emphasize that fact enough, so if you are short it may be a negative feature for you. For me, it's perfect! The S3 came above my waist and the Intelliskin comes mid-butt.

I used it this morning to clean out the refrigerator and kitchen. Two tasks which require less than ideal posture. It feels good and brings me back to neutral when I'm done bending and twisting, but 20 mins will be enough for today as I feel some muscle twitching below my scaps.

I will be keeping it as a bottle of Sriracha chili sauce exploded all over the front, so it's now white with many red dots - don't think it meets Intelliskin's return policy anymore. :)

Originally Posted by Anne4tos (Post 874335)

klm: I wear the Eve shirt, but I think I'm going to get the bra too.

The one con with the shirt is it's ugly. The way it's cut with a high neck, longish sleeves and a GIANT Intelliskin printed on the side kind of limits you from hiding it under clothes, besides a turtleneck! The bra has a scoop neck and no sleeves. The support may be better in the shirt, but I'd be able to wear the bra out of the house. It may also be a cooler option for summer.

A previous brace (Alignmed S3) did make my TOS worse by putting pressure over the clavicle and plexus. So far, I have noticed no increased symptoms when I wear the shirt and the stitching position by the clavicle is fine.

Originally Posted by Anne4tos (Post 875925)

Love it! I cleaned out my pantry the other day with Eve and we did a bang-up job. :) It keeps my right scapula stable rather than flopping all over the place.

Now that I've owned it a bit, my only complaint is that is seems to stretch out quickly. Even though I'm only wearing it an hour at a time at most, it seems to grow and lengthen on me. I'm 5"12" and it will soon be a mini dress on me if it's not washed after a few hours of use.

Originally Posted by Anne4tos (Post 876063)

I didn't realize they wanted $95 for the bra too. :eek: It's 1/2 the Eve shirt! Women get ripped off all the time with small clothing!