For Practitioners
Incorporate BackTone into your treatment program and extend your training into your clients’ daily routine. Regularly review how your client uses their BackTone so that you can track postural progress. If you are accustomed to taping, try “Tape first – then BackTone”
Some practitioners tape their clients initially as a way of determining whether postural adjustment will assist them. Then they use BackTone to help their clients turn the desired posture into a habit. Remember it takes at least 3 weeks to change a habit, and who can tolerate taping for that period of time. Using BackTone will enable you to incorporate daily training sessions over a sufficient period of time to change the HABIT of slouching.
At Home
Wearing BackTone at home allows you to experiment with postures and movements freely. Avoid tasks that involve a lot of bending, twisting or reaching in the early stages – as it is harder to maintain good posture during those movements.
At Work
You can use your BackTone to learn how to do specific work tasks with better posture. You should wear it at home initially – until you have noticed some changes. Then, trial it at work for about 5 minutes at a time – and continue with your home use. Gradually increase your work useage as you learn more.
For Sports
Many sportspeople use BackTone to enhance their technique and strength. However you need to follow a particular strategy. First wear your BackTone around the home. This will teach you not only what good posture FEELS like, but how to quickly and easily adopt good posture without having to think of a set of instructions. Then think about how to incorporate the newly learned posture into your sporting techniques and practise with the new posture.
Consider wearing BackTone to help retrain specific movements or components of a technique – such as a backswing or during the swing-through.
Some of the sportspeople who have used BackTone to help them include:
Swimmers, Golfers, Tennis Players, Cricketers, Footballers, Skaters, Cyclists, Runners, Squash Players
How to fit Backtone
When fitting your BackTone, remember that you want the waist belt right down low on your waist and to stay there. So don’t be tempted to put it on and start adjusting the shoulder straps first. You’ve got to get the waist belt in position before you do anything else. So here’s what you do:
1. Before you put your BackTone on, shorten the Centre Back strap as short as possible. You can extend it if you need the extra length for your height.
2. Also before you put your BackTone on, loosen the shoulder straps by lifting the shoulder buckles and pulling the webbing underneath – on both shoulders.
3. Next, put your BackTone on – just like you would a back pack. Fasten the waist buckle, push the belt right down low on your waist and then tighten it by pulling the loose end. Not quite so tight that you can’t breathe – but quite firm so it stays in place as you move around.
3. NOW start adjusting the length of the shoulder straps for the posture you’re working on today. Just pull down on the ends to tighten them and lift up the buckles and pull the bottom strap down to loosen. You can test the beeping by curling down and straightening up again. You put one hand on the top of your Breastbone and one hand on your waist. Bring your hands closer together to make BackTone beep and take them apart to turn it off.
4. If you find your BackTone is not beeping consistently when you slouch, the centre back strap may be too long for you. You can easily shorten the Centre back strap by moving the slide buckle down.
If that’s the case, loosen the shoulder straps and take your BackTone off. Then shorten the Centre back strap by sliding the buckle down and re-fit it, following the previous steps.
You’ll find that Backtone has additional adjustment capacity in the shoulder straps, waist and centre back.
Once you’ve fitted your BackTone, simply go about your everyday tasks and forget about it. Then take it off after about 20 minutes so that you can practise incorporating the newly learned movements into other everyday activities.
Useful Downloads
1. Self Assessment Form
You can use this form to keep a record of how your posture and symptoms progress. Fill it out before you start wearing BackTone. In fact, print and fill it out nowl; then again after you have been wearing your BackTone for a few weeks.
Click here to Download Self Assessment pdf.
2. How to Set up Your Work Station
Print this simple A4 chart to help you work out how to set up your workstation.
Click here to Download Work Station Setup pdf.
3. Download a brochure
Click here to Download A4 brochure pdf.