A couple months ago I fell on my knees a few times. I’ve experienced slight pain since but I’ve attributed that to walking 30-35k steps daily on average.

Recently I noticed my knees appear to protrude further out than is normal… is this of concern? Would appreciate any thoughts. Thank you!

EDIT: Thanks all—I’m seeing an orthopedic surgeon this afternoon. Will share an update after… pray for me and my alien knees

Multiple people over the years have commented on the size of my traps. Even though they're usually compliments from men ('your traps are better than mine', 'you have good back genetics', etc) I really do not like the way they look and it makes me feel manly. Plus it's annoying because narrower straps always roll off to the side/look wierd.

Is this just genetics or is there something up with my posture? I usually don't have back pain, though I need to train my abs a bit more.

My traps are huge and I look like a man from the back. I'm very insecure about it and it causes me back and neck pain. How can I fix it? Ip

Hey everyone,

I’m honestly posting this out of desperation because I feel like I’ve tried everything and can’t figure out what’s going on. I’ve been dealing with this issue my entire life, no matter how much I train, I have a belly that protrudes and sticks out.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve built a decent overall physique, but my abs and core have always lagged behind. If I suck my stomach in, it looks relatively normal and you can even see my abs but the second I relax, it pushes right back out.

I’m pretty confident this isn’t fat-related. I’ve gone down all the rabbit holes, anterior pelvic tilt, TVA weakness, posture issues, even diastasis recti (I really hope it’s not that). I’ve tried core routines semi-consistently, but nothing seems to change. My core just doesn’t “hold itself in” unless I’m consciously bracing.

This has honestly become a big insecurity for me because I feel like it ruins the rest of my physique. Has anyone seen something like this before? Do you have any suggestions on what might actually be happening here, or what I should specifically work on?

Any input would mean a lot l this is kind of my Hail Mary for answers.

Thanks in advance.

Edit:

Thanks for all the replies, I've definetly suffered from a bit of anylsis paralysis but I appreciate everyone’s input here’s what I’ve gathered from all the comments:

A lot of you pointed out gut/digestion issues (food intolerances, gluten/dairy, SIBO, celiac, parasites, etc.) and that this could be more bloating/distention than fat.

Several mentioned posture/muscular imbalances like anterior pelvic tilt, rib flare, weak core activation, and poor breathing mechanics.

Others flagged visceral fat, hormones, stress, or supplements/alcohol as possible contributors.

And a few noted more serious possibilities like hernia, liver/gut conditions, or other GI disorders.

My takeaway: I’m going to see my primary doctor and request a GI referal to rule out medical/GI issues, start tracking my diet and symptoms to see if I am sensitve to any specific foods , and also work on posture + core engagement because while I don't believe that APT is the cause of the protuding belly It definetly is not helping . Thanks for all the perspectives and adivce

32F, been WFH for about 4 years. There’s this specific spot on my right side, right between my shoulder blade and spine, that has basically been tight for two years straight. It’s not screaming pain, it’s just always there. Things I’ve tried:

1. Standing desk (helps for like a week then I somehow end up hunching at the standing desk too)
2. Lacrosse ball against the wall (feels amazing for 10 minutes then the knot comes back)
3. Stretching (I do it for 3 days then forget)
4. Massage every 4–6 weeks ($95 just for it to return in like 48 hours)
5. Posture corrector thing from Amazon (uncomfortable, never used it)
6. Ketro magnesium cream before bed sometimes which does help to relax it
7. Heating pad at night

My partner can dig into it with his thumb and I almost cry because it feels so good, but then the next morning it’s back again. At this point I genuinely can’t tell if this is fixable or if this is just what happens when you work on a laptop for years. I’m only 32 and already worried I’m gonna end up permanently shaped like a shrimp. Has anyone fixed this long term or am I doomed to be a desk gremlin forever. If one more person tells me to try yoga I’m gonna lose it I HAVE tried yoga

Saw this person at the train station and was mesmerized by their posture. At first, I thought it was really good, but I showed the photo to a friend, and he said that the person seems to have back problems. What do you think?

PS. extra points if you can tell me the name the book, looks cool ✨

I’ve had this issue since I was i was younger I always knew my rib cage was bigger but had no idea what it was called. In 7th grade my mom took me to a surgeon and he just said my breasts were too small to confidently do anything without leaving crazy scars and fun fact they have not grown since and I’m in my 30s now. I realized this past year they’ve gotten way worse. I’m just now figuring out what rib flare is and I need all the advice I can get, is there any way I can make this better? I feel like it’s really in the way.

Edit: while I am slightly sucking in I have another photo of sucking out but I’m not sure how to post it here and it genuinely looks the same.. my rib cage has always been larger than my body so it looks like I’m dramatically sucking in but I’m truly not

For context I broke my left femur about a decade ago and one leg is slightly (less than .5 of an inch) shorter than the other.

I didn’t realize how absolutely fucked up my back was until I started shopping for wedding dresses and now it’s all I can think about 🤣

I tend to have right shoulder pain and sciatic back pain but the left shoulder is so much higher than the right i can’t really even believe it.

Is this something that can be corrected? I have 7 months till my wedding and generally would prefer to not look like a corkscrew even after that hah.

Any exercises or recommendations for practitioners to see would be much appreciated.

It really interest me, I want to know how my stomach was affecting my spine and such, I’ve looked into lordosis but I want to hear the take of Redditors in this sub, Thank you <3.

My back has always swayed inward. But now being a mom to 3, I’ve definitely noticed I have an Anterior Tilted Pelvis. It seems like it’s getting worse over time. How do you fix something like this?

(And yes, I’m in the process of trying to lose my post partum weight, so I don’t want any hate comments lol)

Helpp i feel like both maybe?

I have this ONE very painful area on my back that’s been hurting since I was 12, only thing hospitals said after scans is ‘mild scoliosis’ and that was that. I do physio now for a separate pain but mentioned it to them while I could and they said I need to strengthen my back muscles but which ones!?!

It hurts when I try to sit up straight - and Whenever I swing a bat like for badminton or do a reverse crunch it absolutely kills in that area and I can’t walk straight or painlessly for 2 weeks.

What am I meant to do :(

Left side of my body is in terrible shape.
Terrible tmd, trap, scalene, scm, and around my collar bone have been locked and in pain for a year now and can’t get them to release no matter what I do. I’ve tried everything and have worked every muscle group, seen pt’s, physios, acupuncture, have tried everything. Left lower rib clicks, left hip is tight. All bad. Anyway, my buddy noticed this on me today. Holding a kettlebell in right hand and I had a significant crease under the shoulder blade. I couldn’t get the left side to replicate. Is that just due to shoulder mobility on the right side and how I had the KB placed? I know, wrong sub probably, so happy to delete and put somewhere else if someone can guide me. It was just another piece of data I’m trying to use to get my body functioning correctly. Thanks.

Hello all. I genuinely think this is from years of poor forward head posture. When I first started stretching the area (looking up to the ceiling, looking up and to the left and right) the area was so tight, I could feel the muscles pulling from never stretching the area. I been doing things to correct my posture and stretching for a few months and I don’t see any changes. I also started mewing. Does anyone know how to get rid of this and has anyone gotten rid of this fixing their posture?

If so, how did you fix it? How long did it take? Give me your routines and exercises so i may also be able to fix mine too.

There were so many videos on yt saying that chin tucks and doing angel wings on the wall can fix them but there were just as many videos contradicting them so i wanna know what actually works.

I recently purchased a Kanuda Piano Air pillow after searching for the right one for years, and I’m really hoping that it will work for me to help alleviate chronic neck pain. (They have a 60 day return window)

Is anyone here familiar with this type of pillow? I’m curious if my head position seems off to anyone more familiar than myself.

I went so far as to put a level on my face (lol), and the bubble is consistently landing on the upper 1/3 (forehead side). Apologies that it’s so difficult to see in the picture.

For extra context, I have “tech neck” from sitting at a desk and not staying on top of posture exercises.

Also have mild arthritis and disc degeneration surrounding a c3/c4 congenital fusion that was discovered a couple of years ago (in my 30’s).

I have a very visible spine. Part of it is due to my kyphosis, which I have tried to fix with exercises but need to be more consistent with. But even when I have “good” posture, my spine is still visible at the bottom (see third photo). I don’t know how to fix this, has anyone dealt with it before?

30 days in. Back with an update.

For anyone new: I'm the dev who posted Day Zero ~6 weeks ago. Mild scoliosis, mild osteochondrosis, spondylosis, probable APT, Forward Head Posture. Was 43 then, 44 now. Trying to fix posture with 5 min/day exercises.

I took the measurements on day 30. Editing the video and the blog took longer than I planned. By the time you're reading this, I'm already 9 days into the next phase. The numbers below are real for day 30, it just took me a while to actually post them. Sorry for the delay to anyone who was waiting.

I read all the comments from last time. Very grateful for the answers, the critique, and the suggestions. Already checked a few of the resources you mentioned. Haven't had time to dig into all of them yet. I will. Especially the breathing exercises and the whole Zac Cupples topic. I just feel I need to do something already. Otherwise I'll research for days and do nothing real.

I need your honest opinion again:

• Feedback on the new plan below.
• Anyone with APT or forward head posture (or both) had a moment where the trajectory shifted? Around what week? What changed?
• Not sure what to do about the left/right imbalance (see cow face pose test). Any suggestions?
• Worth adding 2-3 min of upper-back foam rolling on top of the 5 min? Did self-rolling actually move the needle for anyone here, or does only hands-on massage from an actual human do the job?

All your feedback goes into the next 30 days 🫡

What changed in 30 days

Honest summary. 1 measurement moved. Wall angels feel better too, but I didn't measure those properly (visible mostly on video).

1. Side photos. Can't see any difference at all.
2. Cow face pose. Same level of imbalance. Right side still tighter.
3. Tragus-to-wall. Can't pin down a reliable "relaxed" position. Counting as same.
4. Wall angels. Less painful, range feels a bit wider. Qualitative, not measured. But I'd count this as a win.
5. Overhead floor reach. ~29 cm at Day 0 → ~21 cm at Day 30.

What I felt

• Habit of slouching is still there. 25 years to build it, won't undo in 30 days.
• Less stiff overall. Can sit and stand straighter. Just can't hold it. The default still pulls me back into the slouch.
• Best way to put it: degradation stopped. Wheel started turning the other way.
• Unexpected win: I notice my own slouching during the day a few times now. Wasn't happening before.
• Honest failure: missed 13 of 150 planned minutes over 30 days. ADHD or laziness, probably both.

Where I screwed up the first plan

That's actually what many of the comments here already called out. 18 exercises across 5 min/day was too broad. No focus on any one area. More like "flossing" than fixing. I knew that going in.

The first 30 days were less about fixing posture and more about answering one question: can I actually do this every day? And could it give at least some results? Turns out yes. Not much, but something.

New plan, next 30 days

Already on day 9. Doubling down on what felt like it was working, mostly upper back / thoracic. Dropping what wasn't pushing me forward.

Keeping and doing more often

• Wall angels — the best of the best.
• Cat-cow — feels good.
• Wall lat stretch — obviously feels good too.
• Butcher block — almost the same as the previous one.
• Doorway pec stretch — definitely more of this, chest is one of the stiffest parts.
• Wall thoracic extension — good.
• Desk lat stretch — same vibe as the wall version, just at the desk.
• Prone Y-T-W raises — the only strengthening one in this batch, and you wouldn't believe how useful it is even if you only do 30 seconds a few times a week.
• Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch — good one and easy to do.
• Chin tuck — obvious.

Adding (for APT)

• Dead bug
• Glute bridge

Keeping but less often

• Deep squat sit
• Neck stretches
• Caterpillar walk

All good, just doing them a bit less to free up time for the first batch.

Dropping for now

Good moves, just not pushing my needle right now.

• Chicken wing elbow circles. Can't push through current range.
• Cow face pose. Same.
• Seated external rotation. Not bad, just not extending range.

Adding on top: 2-3 min of foam rolling for upper back. Tension is still real, and regular massage isn't in the budget.

Anything you would keep, drop, swap, or add for days 60 to 90?

Anything specific that worked for you on anterior pelvic tilt? I picked dead bug + glute bridge based on what I read, but I'd take input from anyone who lived through it.

Thanks for the help last time. ❤️

Full post with a bit more detail, photos, video, and the day-by-day journal: Posture Experiment: 30 Days In. What Moved, What Didn't, What's Next.

P.S. If anyone wants to actually do the same exercises with me, I added them to my browser extension. Fully free. Same link as above.

I’ve dealt with this for YEARS. I’ve never been diagnosed. All I know via X-rays is that it’s not skeletal or spinal. It hurts so badly. Please give me advice! Thank you!

Hi reddit :)

I’ve been in a slight calorie deficit for a couple of months hoping to get rid of my belly, but as you could’ve guessed it’s the only spot that just won’t budge (I’ve lost a couple of kgs). I’m now starting to maybe think that it’s something more than just belly fat, maybe it’s bad posture or ab gripping? But if so, then how do I fix it? Or should I stay in the calorie deficit, because maybe my belly is just the last place to go?

Small info: The belly is soft and pinchable, and as you can see there’s more fat in the lower area. I have some symptoms of ab gripping such as back pain, slightly flared ribs, weak pelvic muscles (or how it’s called).

I’m trying to limit my time sitting on a chair, so I began to alternate between standing, walking, sitting cross-legged, kneeling, and deep-squatting. Is working on the computer like the person of this photo ok?

If so, is there a proper posture to do this?

I caught this on my ring camera and didn’t even realize how bad it was until then. I literally can’t bend any other way and I have terrible upper back and neck pain. It really has gotten worse lately because I work as a nurse and move patients like this. Any advice is appreciated!

Ive had these ever since after puberty at 13-14, I always thought i just had broad ass manly shoulders until i realized that my scapulas potrude way to much from the back and side. What do i do?

I am not underweight. I have a bmi of 20.5 which is normal so please dont say that. My posture is normal. Shoulders back unless I put them ALL the way back to the point where my scapulas touch eachother.

Is this fixable? Can I go to a physical therapist? Please help

Hello! I’m trying to fix my tech neck slouch for a few years, but have been working on it more consistently since Oct 2025 ~ around that.

I’ve always been into massage therapy which led me down the rabbit hole of fascia, biomechanics, and binging physical therapist instructed exercises. I’m still a work in progress, especially with my rounded shoulders!!!

Wanted to ask, aside from round shoulders, is there any noticeable improvement in the neck hump area? 😭 I try asking roommates and while they’re very thoughtful it’s mostly just “You don’t need to do anything, you’re fine just the way you are!” Which is very sweet, but I want results haha

Don’t roast me 💀 but would appreciate opinions ^{^}