r/Posture

hey guys i have a left aic pattern with very noticeable right shoulder lower than the left but im also looking to gym to gain muscle mass. Has anyone gone through the same? how did you manage it, or is gymming while fixing posture not possible? (don’t have any pain, just tightness here and there)

Hi! I am on a weight loss journey (not pregnant lol) and for the past year, my back has been hurting. It’s more of a “ache” if that makes sense. Little things tweak it, especially bending over. Example: cleaning my car out at the car wash with vacuum, or vacuuming at home really seem to tweak it. Walking or sitting for long periods also make it ache. I am unsure of what my next steps are, my DR said to try PT. I just wanna know if anyone sees anything wonky.
I know my posture isn’t the best!

(28 M) I went an saw a chiropractor for persistence neck pain/low ROM. He took x rays and this is what my neck looks like. He claims we can reverse it to the nice curve you want in the cervical spine but I’m scared I need something else.

I also have noticeable forward rounded shoulders and have found that despite having a strong back my shoulder still rolls forward.

I’m a young active guy and not sure what to do. Has anyone used a protocol to reverse this?

I am 41F, 122 lbs and 5’4” and have had 3 babies. It seems my belly sticks out no matter what I do. I saw a pelvic floor therapist and she said my ab separation was minimal. I feel like I am skinny fat and no matter how much weight I loose my belly sticks out. I don’t weigh that much and really don’t want to loose weight. I also checked for food sensitivities and avoid foods on my list.

I’ve been dealing with this postural issue for years. I’ve not really been able to identify what the issue is. Although I feel like I’m standing straight my body shifts to left why my head tilts right. This is also causing muscle imbalance (my main concern) which is especially prominent after a gym pump where the left shoulder and traps can be seen to be sitting higher. Please let me know what can be causing this and what can be done to fix it.

Hi all… I have had this hump with on and off pain for years. The past few days though has been hell. I have had a sinus infection and thinking maybe it made everything more inflamed that’s why? I have HORRIBLE posture due to having a large chest. I’m in the works of breast reduction now. Anyways.. this hump is killing me ESPECIALLY with a bra. Anyone else experience this pain?

I saw a few comments mentioning they had it and no real good advice. This can throw your whole body out of whack. lucky its really fast to fix and i mean super fast. When you stand do you lean more on one foot? one of your hips comes forward more then the other? ribcage flare? you walk with one foot pointed outwards? then keep reading...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x2uhhcu-LA This video explains it well. I got noticeably better in just two weeks. At the start when you "fix it" you will notice you are leaning more. Since i shifted more weight on my right foot i would "strengthen" my left hamstring from the video method.

At the start you will notice it will feel weird right after doing it because you will lean more to the side you strengthened. this is normal and you are calibrating. You might need to do it every 30 minutes at the start. Keep doing it. Your leg will also fatigue more then the other when standing. This is because its not used to the weight. Just keep going.

When you do it in the video its SO IMPORTANT to not let your ribcage flare. When you are driving your heel down the wall breathe ALL THE WAY out and and force your ribs down then lock that position for a few seconds then breathe in whilst locking that position. You might feel some back pain when inhaling...this is because your ribs are stuck and getting stretched from the inside...this is good.

2 weeks of this and your neck, back, and hips will feel so much better making your legs take the weight equally. Chuck in some chest stretches and a neck cloud if you can afford it (10 mins a day they cost $20 on amazon I use mine daily to fix my neck curve) and you will see fast gains

I'll be quick. Yes my back hurts. I have a giant gap standing against the wall. But yeah does it look bad like that? Potentially look bad? Cuz my girlfriend says it looks bad

This going to be pretty long, so I will get straight to the point first and summarize so you don’t have to read it all. I’ve had chronic left Dorsal Scapular Nerve pain for 14 years now, since I was 15 years old (29F). I’m in pain every single day, these days laying down is the only way to get relief. I have tried the chiropractor, exercise/strength training, exercises and stretching for posture, regular physical therapy, PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) physical therapy which I’m still currently in, arch supportive shoes, myofacial release/massage, Theracane/tennis ball, ultrasound with and without stim. X-Ray and MRI are clear, the nerve itself is not the issue so nerve block is off the table. Current PRI PT identified the following problematic patterns: PEC, L AIC, B BC, and R TMCC. She believes it’s the Levator Scapulae muscle driven by the R TMCC that is compressing the nerve. Addressing and making progress with the other patterns unfortunately is not having any effect on that muscle, the R TMCC, or my pain. She believes my cross bite is causing this holding pattern. Fixing it is completely out of the question for the next few years due to cost, and the orthodontist won’t consider temporary appliances or occlusal splints/guards until the cross bite is fixed. We discussed the possibility of Acupuncture, Botox, or trigger point injections as a temporary option. She’s encouraging me to try the acupuncture first since I have a referral already, my appt is this week.

Anyone who has or had a similar issue:

1. Did Acupuncture or Botox help over ride the R TMCC/offer some relief from pain? Were you able to keep it from returning by continuing to practice the PRI work or corrective exercises during that time?

2. Has anyone been able to inhibit or relax the Levator Scapulae muscle without resorting to these types of procedures or dental work first?

3. Any recommendations on where to go from here? Am I missing something?

4. Anything else I could try for quick temporary pain relief when nothing seems to help and lying down isn’t an option?

Below are more details on the pain, specifics on what I’ve tried for treatment, PT exercises, and other conditions, issues, or things that could be important. It’s long, I tried to organize it the best I could so you can skip to specific sections you find more relevant but I definitely don’t expect anyone to ready all of it.

Description - See photos for location** **
It ONLY happens on the left side. It starts at the top of my shoulder and would continue down hugging the inside of the shoulder blade until about mid back. Pain varies from burning, throbbing, sharp/stabbing, aching, feeling like someone is taking a piece of plexy glass and is trying to separate my shoulder from the rest of my body. Sometimes a sudden sharp pulling sensation when looking downward. In addition to pain, there can also be feelings like tingling, electricity/zapping, icy cold, numbness, pins and needles which worsens further down along the shoulder blade.

Since fixing the left rib flare a couple months ago, the pain currently no longer extends down the shoulder blade. It sits in the pocket circled in the photos. Sometimes there’s an additional superficial burning sensation or, when it’s starting to get irritated, brief blips of a sensation like something is brushing up against or crawling on my skin. This area was always the epicenter of the pain, so it’s still just as excruciating as it’s always been.

Triggers
Has primarily been physical activity, especially involving the upper body. So picking things up, carrying things, lifting over head, pulling things, standing, upper body exercises, and pretty much any and all household chores, especially dishes and cooking. In these scenarios, there is usually overall muscle tension in the area, stretching the area or massage and laying down to rest (sometimes for the remainder of the day) offers relief. This is always when the sharpe pulling when looking down happens.

Seems to also get irritated by looking down or spending time stationary regardless of sitting or standing (this is not helped by taking regular breaks and stretching - details in work section). This is every single day at work. There is not usually any tension, which means I’m screwed and have no real options for relief until I’m off work and can lay down.

The Onset - September 2012
It started within a month of starting my first job at a local restaurant when I was 15. I don’t remember the first time I experienced it, I just remember thinking “Great, that shoulder is hurting again” like it was just a normal thing. I would experience it nearly every single night I worked especially if they had me do dishes or things got really chaotic. Pain and irritation continued long after my shift ended, often effecting me still at school the next morning just sitting in class. Peers/friends poked fun at me and called me “old”. Adults/family laughed in my face and either accused me of looking for excuses to be negative/being over dramatic or told me I’m not old enough to know what “real pain” is and I’ll regret complaining instead of enjoying my “pain free” years when I’m older.

Work history, Desk Setup, Daily Habits
I always worked food or retail type jobs (restaurants, department stores, coffee shops) that required being on my feet all day moving while mostly sedentary at home. Since 2021, I’ve had a desk job. When I started, I pretty much never had pain at work, unless I had been being more active outside of work (exercise). After the first round of PT, it became an all day every single day thing at work.

I’ve had an adjustable desk since I think 2023, I stand for half the time I sit (alternating sitting for 1 hour, standing for 30 mins). My desk sits at a level that keeps my arms bent at 90 degrees in both settings when I’m doing computer work. I have a foot stool to keep my knees slightly higher than hips. I have my chair locked so it doesn’t lean backwards. I drink a lot of water, so I’m up every 40 mins-1hr walking around and stretching. I often stretch at my desk every 20 mins or so, sometimes every few minutes if I’m really uncomfortable. Per current PRI PT, I do protraction stretches (arms in front of me, I don’t remember what it’s called) sometimes including a few diaphragmatic breathing cycles focusing it into the mid back or right rib cage expansion.

Shoes (recommended by PRI PT)
I got ASICS Venture 10 shoes I wear everyday at work now and when I do my PRI exercises (can’t really afford fancy $100+ orthopedic shoes but these have some arch support, seem to meet the shoe guidelines, and were on sale). PT added an additional arch insert in my right shoe only. I noticed a difference right away, I feel more stable on my feet. She also told me to make sure to tie them tight every time I put them on, not loose enough to slip them on and off.

Other details

** **I’m right handed

My one and only major injury
When I was 18 months old, I fell while trying to climb out of my crib and broke my left forearm. At some point, it had to be “rebroken” and reset because it was healing crooked. There was no injury or impact to my shoulder area noted.

Glasses
I got glasses when I was in 3rd grade. I go to yearly exams and keep my prescription up to date (no one has said or suggested my glasses are a problem, just mentioning it in case that’s important).

Teeth
I have a confirmed cross bite. Also, my top left canine erupted starting around 11 years old creating a “fang”. This has never caused pain or issues and isn’t of concern to the dentist outside of cosmetics. I had my wisdom teeth preemptively removed at 17, other than that I have all my teeth. Only other dental work I’ve had are fillings periodically. I’ve never had braces.

Scalloped Tongue
Tongue sits in the bottom of my mouth pressed against my teeth creating a scalloped appearance. I try to rest it to the roof of my mouth (mouth closed but teeth not touching) as directed by PT but it drops back down as soon as I’m not paying attention.

TMJ
I have left TMJ pain that ONLY happens during the coldest parts of Winter (highs consistently in single digits or negatives). Other than that, there is always non painful pressure/tension felt in the left TMJ. Resting my tongue to the roof of my mouth relieves that pressure instantly. Something new that started last week, the pressure has started shifting from the TMJ to my cheek bones (both sides at the same intensity). It’s actually really painful. I don’t know what it means or why it’s happening.

Breathing
I used to be a mouth breather until I started trying to “train” myself to breathe through my nose around 2021-2022. I don’t know how, but my body actually picked it up so I do naturally breathe through my nose with a closed mouth (teeth not touching).

Hyper-Extending Elbows
Both arms/elbows have the ability to extend and twist abnormally far. I was tested in PT for (I forgot what the hyper-mobile joint disorder is called) and they determined I don’t have it, it’s exclusively my arms that can do this. If I try to hold my arms straight out like a “t”, my forearms automatically push back further than the upper arm in a very unnatural way, if that makes sense.

ADHD
At 25 (2022) I was diagnosed with ADHD and started medication for it (stimulant). This instantly dropped the majority of anxiety I thought I had and made it easier to think clearly. Additionally, I did DBT therapy for a while. (Fun fact if you aren’t aware, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that alters how the nervous system functions and regulates. It is chronically under-stimulated and easily over-stimulated. It can’t differentiate between alertness/focus and crisis/fight or flight).

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Sept 2022-Dec 2022
I was in pelvic floor physical therapy due to chronic tearing from intercourse, which initially started in 2012 and worsened by 2019. They recognized that I couldn’t sense my pelvic floor muscles but fell short by assuming it was a mental block and fear of penetration. (I was never diagnosed with anything fyi). Since they believed it was an anxiety thing, I wasn’t really taught anything about the muscular side of things outside of what she felt was relevant. It consisted of internal release sessions, work with dilators, and “belly” breathing. I progressed rapidly (basically just got accustomed to the routine of the sessions) and was discharged after 4 sessions because I could demonstrate an ability to relax, despite the actual problem not being solved. I ended up having the fenton’s procedure October 2025 done to remove the tissue that was tearing and give just a tiny bit more room to stretch.

Congenital Neuroproliferictive Vestibuldynia
I was diagnosed in 2024. They had me on amitriptyline for a while (50mg). In my case the majority of the pain was confined to a small amount of tissue which I had removed October 2025 and no longer take amitriptyline. I mention this because it almost certainly altered things like walking, bending, sitting, etc to avoid pressure on the area triggering pain, especially having been born with it.

What I’ve tried

Basics
Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Icy Hot, Biofreeze, heat, ice, none of it has any effect. Sometimes massage can offer temporary relief but that’s mainly if there’s tension in the surrounding muscles. If there’s no tension, it doesn’t really do anything. Laying down is the only way to get relief.

Chiropractor - 2016
At 20, I tried going to the chiropractor. This was my first attempt to figure out what’s wrong with my shoulder. They did a bunch of adjustments along my spine over about a year before admitting none of this would help my pain and it’s probably just bad posture. I quit going and gave up on seeking treatment entirely.

Exercise/Strength Training and Stretching
I’ve tried working out many times over the years and eventually put together a decent workout plan after lots of research (2023-2024). This included dynamic stretches beforehand, activation/warm ups, compound exercises, used weights and bands, “cool down” exercises, static stretches last. I included 2-3 days for glutes giving rest days from it while trying to include upper body, abdominals/core, and cardio. I tried to do 5 days a week for 40min-1hr. I continually ran into issues with not being able to get the correct muscles to engage, or having to engage other muscles in order to engage the one I needed (ex: couldn’t engage glute without engaging front of thigh or knee), my bottom leg would burn during clam shells no matter how I adjusted, I kept hurting or pulling something in my front thigh during Bulgarian split squats, or lose balance and hurt my knee. My knees and back hurt during squats and felt nothing in my glutes. I felt no glute engagement for RDLs and just got upper back pain and often would irritate my sciatic nerve for the rest of the night. I couldn’t do quadruped exercises (ex. Donkey kicks) without completely leaning to one side. Abdominal exercises caused this awful low back pain during the exercise and afterwards this mid back pain that felt like it needed to pop but wouldn’t. My traps would burn during any upper body exercise I did and set off my shoulder pain. I eventually figured out that I was incapable of holding form and understood there were likely muscle imbalances. I also identified the fact I have no Transverse Abdominis engagement. I tried less taxing exercises to work back up to the ones before but nothing was working right. I even tried “posture correcting” exercises and Transverse Abdominis exercises (too weak for even the extreme beginner ones). Additionally, every time I got more active, my shoulder would flare really bad and I’d be in pain all the time.

Physical Therapy - March 2025-Dec 2025
Up until this point, I had no idea what was going on with my shoulder. Eventually I started realizing this may be nerve pain, it runs the exact path of the dorsal scapular nerve. My initial assumption was that it must be compressed by my trap or knots in my trap because I was a “sloucher” so they were very tight. This didn’t explain why it was left side only when the right was just as tense and had a knot in the same spot but I never had pain or discomfort on the right. I couldn’t fix it on my own, so I went to “regular” physical therapy. He agreed with my assessment and just suggested it was only the left because I am right handed so my left shoulder must be getting stuck or left in weird positions and told me to make sure I keep my shoulder back and even. They had me do the following stretches and exercises:

Stretches
Seated Upper Trapezius Stretch*
Seated Levator Scapulae Stretch*
Seated Scapulae Retraction
Standing Thoracic Rotation
Doorway Pec Stretch Abd
Thoracic Mobilization on Foam Roll
Thoracic Extension Mobilization on Foam Roll
Side-lying Open Book Thoracic Rotation
Thread the Needle

Exercises:
Standing Shoulder Row w/ Anchored Resistance
Shoulder Extension w/ Resistance- Neutral
Shoulder External Rotation & Scapular Retraction w/ Resistance
Standing Shoulder Horizonal Abd w/ Resistance
Standing Lat Pull Down w/ Resistance- Elbows Bent
Standing Shoulder Diagonal Abd w/ Resistance
Wall Angles

Transverse Abdominis Exercises:
Supine Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Posterior Pelvic Tilt w/ Hip Abduction
Supine March w/ Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Isometric Dead Bug Hold
Bird Dog

Here are some of the additional things we did during the sessions:
Myofacial release using muscle scrapper
Ultrasound (no stim)
Occasionally suctions cups were added to the scapular area/upper traps before doing exercises
Prone I-Y-Ts (if I was experiencing mid back pain)
Some of the prescribed exercises using weight machines
This manual stretch that was basically pulling my shoulder area apart and then pulling it through movement

Extreme focus was placed on retracting the scapula in every exercise. It was something very foreign to my body, I literally had never retracted my shoulders before in my life. So initially, I think I thought it was helping because it helped so much to relieve tension and get things moving. It did seem to help my shoulder during that time, but we were doing the myofacial release or ultrasound stuff every session before doing the workouts.

The abdominal exercises were added in to help strengthen my Transverse Abdominis. After that, I started experiencing pain in the mid-center of my upper back along spine (see picture). It was a pressure feeling, like it needed to be popped but it wouldn’t, along with a sharp pain like something was digging into or bending my spine. This was happening throughout the day at work. PT thought it was just that my muscles weren’t used to the new movement yet and gave me thoracic rotation and foam roller stretches. He also suggested I was letting my back take over too much. I started noticing I actually couldn’t do even the pelvic tilt without engaging my upper back. There wasn’t a lot of focus on these since my shoulder was the main concern so I stopped doing them (the abdominal exercises not the others). The mid back pain went away.

I had a total of 25 sessions before I was discharged and told to continue the exercises at home. I did and within a month, I could no longer do the exercises as they would immediately trigger my shoulder. At this point I started experiencing pain everyday at work no matter what I did. I noticed my posture had changed, instead of slouching I was/am almost doing some kind of “reverse slouching”? Where my upper back/shoulders are taking on that weight, like the “sit straight” kind of thing that’s bad for you and locks in place?

PCP for X-Ray and Referral - February 2026
I went back to the doctor, they did X-Rays confirming everything looked fine structurally and referred me to the Brain and Spine Clinic to look into injections.

Brain & Spine Clinic - MRI - March 2026
It initially felt promising, they ordered an MRI of the cervical spine which came back fine. But then I was told this means it can’t be nerve related because nothing’s pressing on the spinal cord (current PT thinks he may have just meant the nerve itself and the cervical spine wasn’t the problem but he seemed very insistent that it’s not nerve pain and shrugged when I asked what it was then).

Here is specifically what the MRI results concluded if it’s important at all:
IMPRESSION: 1. Mild multilevel cervical spondylosis. No significant canal compromise. No more than mild foraminal stenosis.

He told me it’s just normal age wear and tear unrelated to my pain. Nerve blocks or injections were off the table. I was told my only options are Acupuncture or more PT, and other than that they can’t help me. I chose the PT first, which is within the same clinic. He told me to call back if I want to try the Acupuncture and he’d put a referral in for it.

PRI Physical Therapy (Brain & Spine Clinic)
May 2026-Present
She identified the following patterns: PEC, L AIC, B BC, & R TMCC + Anterior Pelvic Tilt, left rib flare, and lost left diaphragm. She told me to discontinue my previous PT exercises as retraction movements were actually just putting more pressure on the nerve and it encouraged over arching of my back. So far, I’ve been given the following exercises:

Left Side-Lying (L SL) Respiration or Thoracic Expansion exercise
Stair Short Seated Balloon
Seated Right Chest Expansion
Long Sitting*
Seated Resisted Single (Left) Arm Pull Down with Balloon*
Left Sidelying Right Glute Max*
Seated Pulldown with Bent Knees (Eccentric Abdominals #2)*
Left Sidelying Hip Lift*
Left Stance in Left AF IR Position from L AIC Pattern (walking stance)*
Standing Quadratus Lumborum & Intercostal Stretch (to the right)*
Seated Supported Bilateral Posterior Mediastinum Expansion
Mandibular Lateral Trusion*
Right Apical Expansion with Left Upper Extremity Reach
90/90 Hooklying Hip Lift*
Seated Left Adductor Pullback*

These are done 3 times with 3 full diaphragmatic breathing cycles, most involving left oblique engagement and opening up right ribs. (* = my current routine at home).

Done during sessions:
Sternal releases
Ultrasound (with and without stim)
Myofacial massage

Her suggestions during the day to help with pain:
Shifting weight to left hip/leg
Letting left shoulder drop down
Sensing sit bones and left heel
Left oblique engagement
Core engagement
Avoid arching lower back
Resting tongue on roof of mouth
Tilting head slightly right every so often
Heel strike and rolling off toe when walking
Arch support shoes
Foot stool
Folded towel on left side of chair at work
360 degree breathing
Mediastinum expansion

Many of these things initially helped relieve or sometimes even prevent pain, but within a day or 2 completely stopped working. The shoes for example, the first day I had the arch support was the first day in a long time I was pain free, but by the next day it had gone back to “normal” and hasn’t worked since then.

What I can do now
I can “drop” my rib cage/inhibit rectus abdominis (not sure what to call it), I can do it when laying down and sitting
Engage just my deep core/obliques while keeping the above
Left rib flare is corrected
Engage my left obliques
Expand my right rib cage while keeping left obliques engaged
Externally rotate my left hip when walking
Sense my left heel and all points of my feet
Sense my lower back muscles and hip flexors (both are over active)
Sense my left inner thigh, mainly when walking
I think I can sense the left Levator Scapulae
I can feel when my left shoulder is trying to “lead” or “lift” me
Feeling more stable on my feet, able to use more of my lower chain for stability
Pass the HGIR test without any sternal releases before hand
Enter the “rest and digest” state

Orthodontist Consultation - August 2026
My current PT believes it’s the R TMCC that is preventing the Levator scapulae from relaxing and wanted me to look into an occlusal splint. I got a free referral from my dentist to an orthodontist so I went. They confirmed the cross bite and said it (along with bringing my upper left canine back in line) can be fixed with $7500 and a minimum of 2 years of braces or Invisalign. This is absolutely not possible anytime soon, even with a payment plan I am not in a position to safely make that kind of commitment. I told them about my chronic pain and asked about the splint or something similar, they acknowledged this COULD help but are not willing to even consider it until fixing the teeth as they see it as a waste of time. So that’s out.

Current PT said she had a feeling that might happen and doesn’t expect me to go out and get it fixed, she was hoping for the splint. She said at this point, she doesn’t have anything more that she thinks could help with my issue and did the ultrasound with stim. We are going to spend the last couple appts focusing on finishing up the remainder of the patterns since we’ve had success with that. She encouraged me to try the acupuncture first since I already have a referral. I have an appt set up for this week.

I think that’s it for now, let me know if you need any clarification on anything. I appreciate any insight you can offer!

I spent years bed bound sitting like this gentleman. My shoulders are rounded and I get incredible upper back and chest pain. Does this type of posture problem have a name?

I’m 31F 5ft 7in and a mum, so I do a lot of carrying the kids. I’ve noticed one side of my upper shoulder looks noticeably fuller than the other. It doesn’t hurt, but it looks more obvious when I’m standing straight with my shoulders back.
Could it just be from carrying them, or is it worth getting checked? Has anyone else had this? I’d really appreciate your thoughts.

Guys this is my anterior pelvic tilt, am I cooked? Also I stand 5'4 (163) 23, how much height do you think I might regain if I fix my anterior pelvic tilt?

Hi! I‘m 22 y.o. and I used to have mild scoliosis and an S-back. (I still have an S-back but try to fox my posture whenever I remember.)

I realized that my traps have always been bigger compared to the rest of my upper back (even my male friends make fun of me) yet my shoulder blades keep sticking out and I still feel like they make me look wide from the back. Most of it is genetics for sure, both my parents have wide shoulders but I wanted to ask how I can fix the posture of my shoulderblades (when I stretch my arms to the front, as seen on the picture, they look a lot better) while standing normally? I would appreciate some specific exercises, not only posture details if that‘s what‘s required. And how do I stop overloading my traps?

Btw. I don‘t train back actually… and I added some pictures while slouched and while ACTIVELY trying to push back my shoulder blades (yet they still stick out.)

thanks a lot

Hi, I'm looking for some advice on my posture and how I can improve it. When I wear dress shirts for school uniform, they tend to cover my neck, which has led to some teasing at school, I get called no neck jay😂 but I'd really appreciate any help or tips you can share. Thank you.( i know i need to work out also)