Shoulder injuries are the worst and if you recently got your shoulder injured I am sure you can agree with that.
Basically, they are painful, they make you “handicapped” and take a super long time to recover.
The shoulder is complicated joint with a lot of functionality, and there are a lot of things you can’t do with an injured shoulder.
If you are lifting weights most exercises for your upper body should be avoided.
Also, because the shoulder joints has a lot of uses in your daily life it can feel like it takes forever to recover.
For those reasons buying a compression shirt to speed up recovery can be a very good idea.
But as I elaborate on below, buying a compression shirt with built-in posture correction is an even better idea!
Of course, you should also do various stretching and strengthening exercises. Below you will 3 different suggestions on the best compression shirt for a shoulder injury.
Shoulder Injury Explained Briefly
The shoulder joint has a lot of functions and is complicated in its structure.
Because of that there are many things can go wrong and a shoulder injury can be many different things.
Although you might feel pain in the bone most problems in the shoulder involve the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
If you are regularly exercising or lifting weights (which I recommend) your shoulder injury could be due to repetitive pushing movements with poor technique or posture.
Often shoulder injuries occur due to a long build-up/series of “micro-injuries” over time. That is how I injured both my shoulders.
As mentioned there are many different kinds of shoulder injuries and explaining them all here is beyond the scope of this post and probably not that useful.
What I can say is that the rotator cuff is often involved when exercising and I have made a list of exercises you can do to prevent and recover a rotator cuff injury.
For your reference, here is a long list of many different shoulder injuries with a thorough explanation.
Product Comparison Table
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| Name (Price) (see image at Amazon) | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Intelliskin Men’s Tee ($$$) |
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| Intelliskin Women’s Tee ($$$) |
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| Alignmed Men’s Zipper Shirt ($$$) |
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| Alignmed Women’s Zipper Shirt ($$$) |
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| CEP Wingtech For Men ($$) |
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| CEP Wingtech For Women ($$) |
Why Some Compressions Shirts Are Better Than Others
Compression shirts are a great for speeding up muscle recovery and can also help with injuries. But when your shoulder is injured there is one more thing to consider.
It is very likely that your shoulder or whole upper body posture suffers from the injury, and there are some special compression shirts that helps your posture by stimulating relevant muscles to either lengthen or contract.
These are in my opinion your best choice! Also, if you compare the prices they are not that much more expensive. Definitely worth the price difference in my opinion.
Why Compression Is Good For Your Shoulder Injury
Compression both reduces swelling which potentially can reduce inflammation and the buildup of excess fluid and it increases blood flow.
Inflammation and excess fluid can hinder recovery, and with increased blood flow more oxygen and nutrients are delivered speeding up the recovery.
Increased blood flow is especially potent for the shoulder as it is already a dense area that receives a limited blood flow compared to other areas in your body.
So, compression is like a double whammy as it reduces recovery hindering effects while also having recovery speed increasing effects.
Read more about so-called RICE method here.
Heavy lifting is off the table if your shoulder is injured
Why Posture Correction Is Good For Your Shoulder Injury
Poor upper body posture is a common issue because we spend most of the time sitting down focusing on things in front of us typically with a downwards angle.
Many people have what is known as rounded shoulders/hunched posture and/or forward head posture.
It is likely that a bad shoulder posture was a contributing factor to your injury in the first place and by improving your posture you reduce the risk of getting injured again in the future.
Having a good posture also makes you look better. Depending on the circumstances it can make you appear slimmer and more fit. It can even make you regain some height.
Another thing is that when a muscle, ligament or tendon is injured it normally becomes tighter. If something becomes tighter inside the shoulder your shoulder can potentially be pulled in that direction.
Furthermore, in order to avoid pain, people often end up positioning their shoulder in a bad way while it is recovering. Because the recovery takes so long it can potentially have a lasting effect on the shoulder posture.
You can check out this article for more good reasons to get a posture corrector (which is a term that includes these shirts).
Intelliskin – Posture Correcting Tee
Intelliskin is an American company and is highly regarded and used by many pro-athletes to increase their athletic performance.
The company also sells other shirts with different color schemes but these have more focus on increasing performance instead of correcting posture.
The company is founded by an expert in Kinesio taping and the products are developed with the use of clinical trials and research.
Product Features
PostureCue” Technology
PostureCue is a patented technology of Intelliskin. The founder of the company explains that this is what helps to correct posture by activating your muscles.
Technical Fabric
A blend of different fabrics including nylon, lycra, polyester, and spandex makes it both lightweight and have a compressing effect. These fabrics are commonly used in compression apparel.
The fabric is both form-fitting and moisture wicking & antimicrobial.
The shirts can be washed in a machine with cold water and gentle rotation, but they should be hung up for drying and NOT put in a tumble-drier.
A Second Skin
The shirt is a tight fit and works like a second skin!
Pros:
- Lightweight and form-fitting
- Stylish enough that you can wear by itself
- Endorsed by pro-athletes
- Retrains and strengthens “posture muscles”
- Invented by a doctor with immense experience in Kinesio Taping
- Backed by research and clinical trials
- Generally very positive feedback
Cons:
- Pricy
- Some have issues with buying the right size
- Has to be worn on your skin
Alignmed Posture Shirt 2.0 – Zipper
The company was founded by an entrepreneur who many years ago set out to find an alternative solution to a spinal surgery to fix his back pain.
Luckily he found the solution and he created his company to share his solution.
The company now has a large advisory board of professionals helping to develop the clothing with use trials and research. The shirts are both endorsed by many physiotherapist and pro-athletes.
The posture shirt 2.0 is the second generation and is equipped with a zipper in front. This makes it easy to put on and is really great if you have shoulder pain.
Product Features
Neuroband technology
The shirt has special bands build into the fabric. These bands stimulate the muscles to contract and help you keep great posture. Over time this leads to better movement patterns and muscle recruitment resulting in less tear on joints.
Compression
Compression leads to faster muscle recovery due to increased blood flow & oxygen intake.
Special Fabric
The fabric is made of 83% polyester and 17% spandex. It is form-fitting, moisture wicking & anti-microbial.
The fabric has vented panels for breathability.
Zipper
This version of the shirt comes with a zipper and so it is super easy to put on. You can also get it in a pull-over version.
Pros:
- Lightweight and form-fitting
- Looks cool
- Endorsed by pro-athletes
- breathable
- Created under the advisory of several medical doctors
- Backed by research and clinically tested
- Generally very positive feedback
Cons:
- Tight fitting could be a problem if you are not used to compression clothing
- Pricy (often seems cheaper then Intelliskin – but not a lot)
- Has to be worn on your skin
CEP Wingtech Short Sleeve Shirt
CEP is a German company with a long history of producing useful products for healthcare and sports market.
Their medical compression technology is a culmination of decades of expertise in both medicine and sports.
Product Features
Wingtech
Smart stripes on the back stimulate the muscles, improve posture, and performance. This design draws back the shoulders and pushes the chest forward.
Smart Fabric
Made of a blend of polyester and spandex the shirt is both comfortable to wear and moisture wicking.
German Quality
The shirt is lightweight but of high quality. The company has tested the shirt to last up to at least 150 washes and wears.
Pros:
- Lightweight and form-fitting
- Usually more affordable than the other products above
- The company has a very long history of creating this kind of products
Cons:
- Has to be worn on your skin
- Posture correcting effect not as advanced as the other products above
