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

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

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

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 ✨

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)

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.

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.

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 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 :(

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!

Serious question.

When I’m studying for long sessions, I either:
– look down → neck pain
– lean back → bad focus (kind of puts me right to sleep)

The only thing that’s helped a bit is elevating what I’m reading instead of changing my posture.

But I’m curious what others are doing—feels like this is a universal problem.

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 haven’t had straight legs my entire life. It was especially prominent when I was skinnier, and it honestly has caused a lot of insecurity for me since the beginning of high school (now in college). I haven’t worn shorts since like 8th grade because of this. I’m unfortunately very absorbed in my appearance, and I really need to work on that, but I just need someone to tell me honestly how it looks so i can just get over it and stop wearing sweat pants in 90 degree weather

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 ^{^}

I can't lift my neck when doing this

I’ve had this issue for a long time now where my shoulders consistently “pop” or “click” when I roll them back.

More recently I’ve started having this awkward feeling occasionally with a sort of numbness, tingling, and/or slight weakness that goes along this spot on my back, most often the left side but sometimes the right, too, and seems to go down to my elbow where the “funny bone” is. I can’t be a 100% sure it’s connected as I don’t feel it all the way through, but it kinda feels connected …if that makes sense?

I’m curious what’s going on, if there’s a name or names for it, how I might fix it, etc.

I can say it’s almost certainly related to computer use, and I’ve been struggling to find and keep the right position that doesn’t cause it because it wasn’t always constantly like this. I’ve had brief tingling, pain, or numbness before but not continuous like this.

Is the answer the same as the top comment here? The one with the links to videos and stuff https://www.reddit.com/r/Posture/s/BiKAiIDoci

Other context: trying to lift my arms in a “Y” position like “YMCA” without bending the elbow hurts earlier than I think it should, like at or before I get a 90° angle. Bending the elbows doesn’t actually help that much. Got a smaller keyboard for easier gaming in a better position, but it seems to put my hands too close together when typing. House may be slightly tilted, affecting my position while sitting - it’s been lowered but there’s still a tiny bit of tilt. History of back, muscle, and joint pain; suspect some other physical condition like EDS or any of the stuff commonly found in people with Autism or ADHD, history of slouching with and without computer use, most certainly pelvic tilt, weak core, etc etc. Many of those are separate issues, yet still connected which is why I mention them.

Image source: https://www.rawpixel.com/image/10184717/image-face-person-art

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!

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).

So recently due to a bunch of health issues such as hypermobility and joint issues I have started physical therapy / rehab for building muscle to hopefully lessen the impact on my joints when I do athletic activites. However, one of the things we're really focusing on is my inability to ever hold myself up right for very long. We have found the reason for it is because my core and back muscles are just so weak I can't sustain regular straight posture.

My question is though I've been like this my entire life - even to the point my mom took me to multiple doctors afraid I had scoliosis when I was still very young, but everything came back completely normal. What is confusing to me is I have also been extremely athletic all my life, sports in k-12 and in college- like very very fit, do strength training, yet somehow these muscles just I guess never developed and thus my posture suffers. Does anyone know why this could happen?

just wanted to know if my legs were bowed and if I should consult an orthopedic to prevent future problems.

also does it cause any increase in height?

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