Product aims to perfect posture

You don't have to tell chiropractor Tim Brown about the benefits of good posture.

The company started by Brown — a Newport Beach native who has been heavily involved in the sports medicine industry by helping, healing and training top athletes — has come out with a posture-correcting shirt for men and women that's nabbing the attention of bigtime pro athletes, actors and musicians.

IntelliSkin LLC offers six types of posture-enhancing products: the Eve Shirt for women, LC-1 Reactivator Shorts, Foundation Shirt for men, Foundation Posturecue Tank for men, Foundation Posturecue Sports Bra and the Posturecue V-Tee for men to wear under suits and business attire.

The Newport Beach-based company sells its products for $85 to $175 via the company's website, http://www.intelliskin.net, as well as in the offices of some 600 orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors and specialty trainers.

Athletes, ranging from pro surfer Kelly Slater and beach volleyball pro Misty May-Treanor to baseball player Greg Dobbs and NBA champ Derek Fisher, stand by IntelliSkin products, believing they have enhanced their performances and minimized injuries.

The products have also garnered attention from big institutions. UC Irvine has done a study with its male volleyball players using the shirts.

The company's website quotes orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Shepard, who works with UCI athletes, saying: "After the first year, for the first time in recent program history, no incidence of shoulder injury was recorded with the athletes from the men's volleyball team who wore their IntelliSkin shirts for practice, training and recovery."

Dr. James Andrews, another orthopedic surgeon, has also conducted a study, this time with baseball players. He will soon release his findings.

Such recognition is a big feat for the product and for Brown, himself the victim of various injuries during his days of football, volleyball and surfing.

"I was spending a lot of time in the training room, back in the day when hot packs and tape, and even sometimes pills, were used to treat an injury," he said. "If it was your shoulder, they focused on that."

His injuries fueled his quest for more knowledge and for better healing practices that would address athletes' needs and injuries.

But it took years and a few career paths before Brown pieced his first mockup — made from a wetsuit — in 1990. It was for a professional surfer at the time, who, Brown said, never gave it back.