r/thoracicbackpain

I’ve had nagging neck and lower back pain for like 3 years now, mostly desk-job + phone goblin posture. It got really bad last week when I bent over to tie my shoes and legit had to brace on the wall like I’m 80, which kinda freaked me out.

I’ve done the usual YouTube posture workouts, random IG stretches, even bought a posture brace that’s now living in a drawer. Some stuff helps for a day or two, then I’m back to the same hunched position by lunch. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but it feels like I’m just band-aiding it instead of fixing the cause.

Late last night I was googling options and saw a clinic talking about “precision injections, home exercise programming, and lifestyle coaching for neck and llower back pain” and it got me wondering if seeing a sports med / pain clinic is the next logical step or just expensive fluff.

Has anyone here gone from self-guided posture fixes to working with a sports medicine or pain specialist? Did it actually change your posture long term or was it just temporary relief? What should I look for or avoid if I book with a clinic?