The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that 70-90 per cent of us will experience lower back pain at some point in our lives. There are various causes, including injury and disease, but bad posture is an increasingly common factor as the population spends more and more time slouched at desks and hunched over mobile devices.

Sit up right (in both senses) and you have a good chance of preventing pain not only in the back but also other areas including neck and shoulders. How do you change an unconscious habit, probably years in the making, though? Slouched, sedentary lifestyles have given rise to posture monitors that help users retrain their bodies.

I tested two devices that beep or vibrate when the wearer slouches: BackTone, a harness developed by Australian occupational therapist Lorraine Josey; and Upright GO 2, a small device that sticks to the middle of your upper back, and works in conjunction with an app. Half the size and with longer USB-charged battery life than the original Upright GO, this second iteration became available last month.

Both devices had me sitting upright while they were on, as well as being mindful of my posture at other times.

VERDICT