Image: discovery
Dr. Gregory G Markarian is an orthopedic surgeon from Chicago specializing in the treatment of shoulder, knee and all sports-related injuries and is the founder of Alignmed® Brazil. Dr. Markarian has also served as a physician for professional and amateur sports teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, US Women’s Professional Volleyball League, University of Miami, Dade County Public Schools, Chicago Enforcers, Naperville Youth Football and Academia Benet, who returned it. in a deep connoisseur of sports injuries.
Regarding its partnership with Neymar Jr. InstituteI exclusively interviewed Dr. Gregory G Markarian. On this occasion, the interviewee discussed various important aspects for health within the sports context.
How and when did the idea of partnership with Instituto Neymar Jr come about?
R: I had the idea of closing this partnership because, for me, any kind of business should have an added social concern and our product aims to help people feel better and look better, achieving the best possible posture through physiotherapy unconscious, which requires space through neuroband® technology. In my opinion, partnering with Instituto Neymar was the best decision to make. They are dedicated to helping children and their families: 10,000 are fed every day, they look after children from babies to 18 and provide a first-class education and an amazing childhood to children who would otherwise live a life in poverty, full of limitations. . For me, the institute is an undisputed and obvious choice because of its excellent alignment with the ideals of Alignmed®.
What is the significance of this partnership for the Institute and for people’s spine health?
R: The partnership is very important and is the main pillar of our message in Brazil. We want to help people by reaching the widest possible range. We believe that our ideals are in line with those of the Instituto Neymar Jr because our product has already helped more than a million people around the world. We are sure that the Institute is a great platform to help us promote better spine health through better posture and unconscious physiotherapy, the main benefits of our t-shirt.
What is the postural blouse? What are the benefits?
R: The posture brace is essentially a product that has a design that activates the scapula so that it is placed in its normal anatomical position and remains in that position. This is possible using bands called neurobands®, a technology that follows the same concept as the kinesio tapes used by athletes to treat injuries. The difference is that these straps are sewn into the shirt and placed directly over the major muscles that control the position of the scapula and its movement.
– When the scapula moves into its anatomical position, a series of events occur within the body: the shoulder becomes perfectly aligned and, as a result, the cervical spine, thoracic spine and lumbar spine also align and the person achieves and maintains the position his. The best possible attitude.
– The benefits for users were published in scientific studies in the United States, which show that people had a lower incidence of fatigue, reaching the order of 20% and 13% more energy. Other benefits are that muscle function, particularly of the rotator cuff, improved by 15% in people who wore the T-shirt with this technology, compared to people who wore regular compression garments or did not wear a T-shirt. Professional athletes, especially baseball players, could see their pitches increase in velocity and blood circulation in the arms and lower arms improved by 3.3% due to this jersey’s ability to stretch the muscle of pectoralis minor, which essentially compresses an artery. When this muscle stretches, there is less pressure on the artery, which results in more blood flow to the arm. All these results have been published in scientific studies.
– Another benefit was presented in a biomechanical study conducted in Vail, Colorado, at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, which shows that when proper arm positioning occurs, the shoulder position also improves in several aspects, often preventing people with pain in the region, you should go to surgery. Therefore, with long-term and frequent use of the shirt, the occurrence of shoulder surgeries can be avoided – the shirt works as a subconscious physiotherapy that provides more energy, reduces the risk of injuries and can allow a faster recovery after shoulder surgery. or even avoid it, apart from the obvious benefits for the spine.
– Not to mention the post-operative benefits of breast implant surgery in women, where in the United States many surgeons prescribe bras after breast reconstruction. And the Susan Komen Foundation, an American breast cancer organization, recognized the shirt and gave Alignmed® permission to use its logo because of the many benefits it offers to women’s health.
What specific audience is the product for?
R: This product is for anyone interested in improving their performance and avoiding pain. If we were to define a niche, this would be the best definition, but the discomfort of posture applies to everyone. For example: elderly people who walk stooped benefit a lot because the t-shirts provide them with balance. And if they don’t have permanent deformities, for example, if they have flexible kyphosis, they can also balance better and walk better with or without aids, reducing the risk of falling. Even for the elderly, one more benefit is avoiding aspiration when sitting down to eat. Basic things like these bring great benefits to the older population, but the typical target audience for the t-shirts are people who want to improve their performance or who want to eliminate back pain of mechanical origin.
How did you develop the technique to create the postural blouse?
R: “Necessity is the mother of invention” – this is a popular saying in the United States. Bill Schultz, founder of Alignmed®, was about to undergo surgery. He had an L4 and 5 spondylolisthesis and a nerve root compression. He was about to undergo a spinal fusion and was presented with a strappy shirt. While dressing, he felt that the pain in his back went away, so much so that he did not need surgical intervention. He then set up a “think tank”, or laboratory of ideas formed by a group of specialists, to develop the product. He bought the patents and began doing tests together with this orthopedic institute, first at the University of Southern California and later with the Kerlan Jobe Institute. At least 500 prototypes were developed before the final one hit the market. The original product had Velcro straps. Newer versions have straps that are sewn into the shirt, obviating the need for belts. Therefore, we can say that the product was created because our founder suffered from a very severe back problem and did not want to undergo surgery, but had no other choice because he was in too much pain. But when he started his first experiments with the velcro shirt and the pain went away, it was like a light bulb went off in his head and he bought the patents and started developing the product together with think tanks, first at the University of California Southern and Kerlin Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and Steadman Philippon in Vail, Colorado.
How was it and what was the importance of the congress that took place on the last day on 16.11.22 at Instituto Neymar Jr?
R: The congress was very important, as it was the official presentation of Alignmed® Brasil and we could not have chosen a better place. Instituto Neymar Jr is the pinnacle of social service and assistance in Brazil and provides people who do not have access to education, values, health care, well-being and food so that they can fulfill their dreams. Alignmed® is an admirer of this initiative and, like the Institute, we too have a mission to help people. We help our clients deal with their pain and improve their everyday performance, whether they are a player on a soccer field, an executive in an office, a student at school, or a grandmother who just wants to walk safely. We can help people fight for their goals and we couldn’t have chosen a better place to launch our product in Brazil.
What page or pages can people go to to learn more about this project?
R: People can access our website (alignmedbrasil.com.br), our Instagram (@alignmedbrasil), our YouTube page (@alignmedbrasil5861), our Facebook (facebook.com/AlignMedBrasil/) and our profile TikTok, @alignmedbrasil_
