Lancet Rheumatology, 2023 (GBD)
Global low back pain burden
619M people in 2020 — projected 843M by 2050. Leading cause of years-lived-with-disability globally.
The Science
What we claim.
And what we don't.
What we claim
- BAKBŌN delivers tactile proprioceptive cues at three contact points — cervical, thoracic, and sacral — while you move.
- Short-term: users report improved postural awareness within the first session.
- Long-term: with 15 min/day of use, external cueing transfers to internal postural control.
- The device is an evolution of the wooden dowel already prescribed by physical therapists.
What we don't claim
- BAKBŌN is not a medical device and does not treat, cure, or diagnose disease.
- Long-term wearable-posture biofeedback evidence is preliminary. We won't pretend otherwise.
- Posture devices don't replace strengthening work, PT care, or clinical assessment.
- Results vary. Individual clinical judgment supersedes all marketing.
Evidence base
The literature we lean on.
Mahmoud et al., 2019
Forward head posture & neck pain
Meta-analysis of 15 studies (n=2,339): adults with neck pain carry ~4.84° greater forward head angle. Correlation with intensity r=−0.55.
Frontiers in Rehab Sciences, 2022
Proprioceptive training outcomes
Systematic review: 47% mean improvement in proprioceptive performance; 86% improvement in motor performance.
Rabin et al., 2008
Tactile cueing reduces postural sway
Light touch acts as auxiliary proprioception — reducing sway and end-point error without mechanical support.
Katzman et al.
Hyperkyphosis in adults 60+
20–40% prevalence. Linked to slower gait, falls, and excess mortality — independent of osteoporosis.
Cole & Grimshaw, 2016 · TPI
Golf & neutral spine
28.1% of golfers report low back pain after every round. Reverse-spine-angle is the #1 swing fault linked to back injury.
Patent
Shapable chassis, patent-pending.
BAKBŌN's shaped thoracic chassis is the subject of USPTO application 17/142578, filed 2021-07-08, inventors Craytor / Hanchak / Livingston. The core claim: a contoured body-worn chassis with removable proprioceptive pole segments and adjustable side-tension.
Filing
2021-07-08
Application
17/142578
Find neutral.
Train the feeling until your body holds it on its own.