so I got a body braid for christmas, right? I had a lot of trouble finding firsthand accounts of using it when I was researching it, so I wanna make sure I post this somewhere findable. (for that reason, @spoonie-living would you kindly reblog this when you have the spoons so it’s a little more out there? no rush <3 )
on days I don’t use my body braid, I tend to get pretty bad neck pressure that can then progress to head pressure. this symptom was present prior to obtaining it, and there was very little I could do to prevent it (even just outright laying down wasn’t a guarantee). on days I do wear the body braid, I don’t tend to have any neck problems unless I take it off relatively early in the day, even if I’m otherwise doing everything the same. my hip also doesn’t slide out of its socket when I’m wearing the body braid, and the proprioceptive input persists after taking it off, in a similar manner to the phantom sensation of jumping on a trampoline persists when you lay down to sleep. it puts equal pressure on both sides, which makes me feel emotionally better about it as my spine is a little crooked. it also seems to help to some degree with POTS, as I find standing upright much less uncomfortable with it on than I do with it off.
there are occasional consequences to prolonged wear, for example today my left shoulder felt a little strained after playing computer games for a while so I took it off. also sometimes kind of uncomfortable, especially on my armpits and feet. plus obviously I gotta take it off to go to the bathroom or whatever. it does not provide particularly good support for my ankle, which sometimes aches after taking it off. if you struggle with tight clothing for any reason you may only be able to wear it for short periods, or not at all, as it is very much structured to provide compression support. the fact that something finally alleviates my joint pain does make that pain more noticeable when it’s there, which is technically both a good thing and a bad thing? it means I actually have the option to not be in pain, but it also means my pain is more bothersome when I do feel it.
useful data: I’m wearing a regular sized braid with the one set of extender straps that comes included with the core braid at max length in order to use a 4-cross configuration on my legs. I’m 5′5″ and ~110lbs, so if you’re any larger than me and want to use the 4-cross configuration you may want to go ahead and get an extra set of extenders at the same time. it stays put really well while crossing my legs, sitting down on the couch, etc. (the 2-cross configuration they recommend as a start for legs, even when properly tightened, tends to have a lot more slack when it comes to repeated position changes, and I don’t like readjusting it every 20 minutes.)
overall very good for my joints, even the ones I didn’t expect it to fix (neck).
Delighted to see a review of this product! More on the Body Braid here.
Source: https://blog.spoonieliving.com/post/640242019530358784
