This small, discreet $80 device improved my posture and helped reduce my back pain — here's how it works

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Your posture affects your back health, the way other people perceive you, and the way you perceive yourself. Many people, however, suffer from poor posture.
The Upright Go Posture Trainer ($79.95) is a posture-correcting device that sticks to your upper back and vibrates whenever you slouch. It's small, light, and discreet.
In combination with the app, it "trains" your back so you can improve your posture one week at a time.
As a chronic sloucher, I tried the Upright Go to see if it could get me in the habit of sitting and standing up straight. Learn more about how to set it up, how it works, and its potential drawbacks below.

If there's a refrain that would most define my life growing up, it'd be, usually hissed in public by my mother, "Stop slouching." Try as I might, slouching is a habit I haven't been able to kick, and now that I work a 9-to-5 desk job, it's even more difficult.

My mom always threatened to strap a wood plank to my back (thankfully, she never followed through), but I'd love to tell her now there are more advanced, less splinter-filled ways of correcting bad posture and training a good one.

The Upright Go ($79.95) is a small posture corrector that attaches to your back and sends vibration reminders whenever you slouch. Connected to the app, it provides a training program, real-time feedback, and statistics to gradually improve your posture — and your back health and sense of confidence along with it.

Could a device the size of my car keys really correct a lifetime of slump? I tried the Upright Go Posture Trainer to find out.

The Upright Go fits in the palm of your hand and sticks to the top of your back. It's so small, discreet, and unobtrusive that I sometimes forgot I was wearing it.

The slim, white device measures about 1" x 2," with a power button, back adhesive, and USB charging port. A stark contrast from traditional posture correctors that strap around your body, it's small enough that it's barely noticeable under your clothes, and especially if you have long hair that covers your back.

The whole package includes a carrying case, a pack of adhesives, and alcohol cleaning wipes.

Setting up and using the Upright Go is easy

First, you need to download the app (available for iOS and Android), which will walk you through set-up instructions. Once the device and app are connected via Bluetooth, you can stick the Upright Go to your upper back. The adhesive is strong and the device never fell off my back during regular walking and activity.

Every time you put on the Upright Go, you need to calibrate your personal upright posture. This process teaches the device what your "correct" posture is so it knows when to vibrate. You should calibrate it in whatever position you spend most of your day in (sitting vs. standing).

The Upright Go features two modes: Training and Tracking. In Training Mode, it vibrates every time it detects you slouching and motivates you to reach a daily time goal of straight posture. In Tracking Mode, it doesn't vibrate, but it will still track the status of your posture.

Below is what Training Mode looks like on the app. When I slouched past a certain point — the red circle — the Upright Go vibrated lightly and intermittently until I sat up to a point before the red circle again. The vibration isn't loud enough for anyone else to hear, but you'll certainly feel it. While quiet and subtle, it was definitely persistent and annoying, forcing me to sit up to make it stop.

You can also adjust the vibration pattern and intensity in the app settings. I had it on Short-Strong, but you can also do a Knock Knock or Ramp Up pattern at a Gentle intensity, or a number of other combinations.

Eventually, daily goals will increase and your training plan will evolve as your posture improves.

Don't worry: You don't have to use Training Mode all day and subject yourself to the agony of constant vibrations

In Training Mode, the goal is to have good posture for a small portion of the day. You can always switch to Tracking Mode if it's not convenient or logical (e.g. you're about to go work out or you need to bend down a lot), or switch back to Training Mode if you feel like you want more training.

Once you go into Tracking Mode, you'll be able to see how much you're really slouching, without the influence of the device. If you're anything like me, the results on Day 1 will be a wake-up call, the kind you don't really want to look in the eyes, but will serve as the proper impetus to making real change.

You also won't have to wear the device every day. The company recommends training two to four times a week to maintain improved posture. Repetition and consistency are important to forming long-lasting habits. Over time, the Upright Go training sessions are designed to move you towards straight posture as the default, not the painful inconvenience it might currently be for you.

The Upright Go may not be for you — here are some potential drawbacks of using the posture corrector

The adhesive is surprisingly strong and each can be used up to 10 times, but if you have sensitive or oily skin, the device may not stick well to your back. The frustration of fiddling with a device that keeps falling off could counteract its utility.

And while the device is small and slim, if you're wearing a close-fitting shirt, it'll bulge and show. It may attract some attention from curious eyes, but overall, I personally wasn't that self-conscious about it.

As with all tech accessories, the Upright Go does need to be recharged after about 10 hours of use, which could make it more inconvenient than an "analog" posture corrector. If you don't want to deal with another device to charge, you might be better off with a posture brace.

Since the Upright Go costs $80, two to four times more than traditional posture correctors, be prepared to commit. It's best for people who have tried cheaper, traditional alternatives and find them too restrictive, obvious, or uncomfortable.

The bottom line

The Upright Go Posture Trainer uses gentle, consistent nudges and a personalized training program to improve your posture, day by day, week by week. Over time, you'll experience the physical and non-physical benefits of better posture, including stronger back health and improved confidence.

Far from the most affordable posture-correcting option, it is the most technologically advanced and is barely noticeable as it sits on your upper back throughout the day — unless of course, you're slouching.