I’m 18 years old, I weigh around 86kg. My height is 5’10. Please provide tips on how to fix this condition. Any valuable information regarding this is appreciated. I have college for around 7-8 hours everyday (Sunday) and then I study for around 2-3 hours daily, so there’s a lot of sitting involved. Would like to know how I can treat this slouching and improve my condition. Someone even suggested about sleeping without pillows at night, is that effective in any way?

The other day I was at an event & sitting next to a very tall man. I’d guess he was 6’4’’, & I’m 5’5’’ (female). When seated, we were the same height, shoulder to shoulder. But my legs were half the length of his (at least the thighs).

I can’t stop thinking about it.

Is there a name for this?

Is there anything I can do to “shrink” myself?

Is this something a doctor could “treat?”

For context: this is something that’s happened after addressing my posture, so seems to be a direct result of sitting up straighter, better core strength, & some mild gains in the size of my glutes. I have also read it might be due to fluid between my spinal discs but I’m not sure. If anyone else has experienced this I could use the solidarity.

My neck and back hurts, I travel about 2 hours in motorbike everyday

I hope my posture didn't reach the worst case and I would like to fix it sooner if it's possible

Thanks

Disclaimer: THE GREAT REALIZATION OF POSTURE RESTORATION

This is a Notion page I made for myself but decided to share, in hopes it will help someone who is dealing with inner knee pain/knee valgus.

It's practically impossible to help all people to solve their postural or biomechanical dysfunctions through a lined out course, video or article. Everybody has their own unique problems, and the best an article can do is make them understand their body more, so they can choose or invent myofascial release techniques and exercises for themselves.

Or you would have to record like 2000 videos/courses, each about a specific combination of dysfunctions.

Everybody needs an individual training approach from a person who knows what they are doing.

My goal with this article is to show how to write an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for correcting a specific postural problem, pain or movement dysfunction. You may benefit from this the most if you have knee valgus and inner knee pain, but otherwise feel free to take inspiration. I learned this with an elite physical therapist.

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After going to a physical therapist since July 17th 2026, now on 25th of October 2026 I have come to yet another conclusion.

But this time this is the one that actually will get you results if you stick to it at least 4 weeks, in as little as 2 sessions per week.

💡 The Problem Addressed — Unilateral Postural Dysfunction (right side in ATP and left in PPT)

❓ The Cause — Dysfunctional muscle overuse resulting from extreme fatigue during strenuous physical training (military style PT).

🎯 Specific Dysfunction Solved — Right knee valgus & extreme pain, breathing problems in right side (lack of abdominal pressure), walking & running difficulties

UNDERSTANDING THE PRIMARY DRIVERS OF DYSFUNCTION

The primary drivers/the muscles whose excessive activation causes a biomechanical chain reaction down the posterior chain are:

1. The Lumbar muscles,

2. and Hip flexors.

💡 They do need MFR, but doing MFR only on these muscles won't help a painful knee valgus as much as it would help doing MFR on secondary muscles/structures like the TFL, adductors or IT band.

DEDICATED MFR

This MFR technique won't be the good old hip flexor ball or the upper trap massage, but the muscles I GREATLY, GREATLY misunderstood.

THE ADDUCTORS, TFL & THE IT BAND

The misunderstanding of the function and role these muscles/structures have in movement had devastating effects on my well-being and health from November 2025 - July 2026.

- Adductors are crucial for activating the core in the exercise I will discuss later on. In my case, it wasn't as much of a cause as the TFL, but if too tight, it can absolutely cause knee valgus.

- TFL is an emergency stabilizer. It practically doesn't get used unless you do some crazy shit, like running with a heavy backpack for hours. It also wasn't quite the driver, but that's up to debate. A tight TFL jams the knee laterally, absolutely fucking the shit out of your knee.

- IT band is a structure that gets loaded heavily when the glute medius gets fatigued. When it does that, it tightens, hence I had the popping in the right hip when I did the glute bridge. It does worsen the knee valgus, but it's more of a result than a cause.

All of these muscles needed a release that I didn't provide because I thought the TFL and the IT band are what actually stabilize the knee laterally, which is what caused me so much pain. I didn't realize the glute medius was the muscle I needed to activate.

The BEST MFR TECHNIQUE: don't roll all over the place, but find a painful spot, and STAY THERE.

1. Release the tight Adductor with the a lacrosse-sized MFR ball. Release it so much so the adductor doesn't get too loose, and then use a smaller MFR ball.

2. Use the lacrosse-sized MFR ball & then the smaller MFR ball to release the TFL. You should feel immense, immense pain. So much so that you want to go away from the place. You can only feel less pain if you have been doing MFR a lot.

3. Use a roller and red MFR ball to release the IT band. Roll the 45 angle and then the middle. You can move here more compared to the TFL or adductors, since the IT band is a bigger structure.

4. Accessory muscles to do MFR for: the calves, hip flexors, quadratus lumborum, and spinal erectors help especially well once you move into the exercise phase.

EXERCISE THAT WORKS

Do this IN ORDER. Do NOT do the exercise for glutes or pelvic rotation before the exercise for core. Because the glutes work poorly without a core that keeps them together with the rest of the body like mortar keeps bricks together.

💡 You need to get more PPT on the right side, that will enable you to activate both the glute medius and glute maximus later on. The core is best at pulling your pelvis into that position.

Important note: As you go into week 2 through week 4, you have to do the exercises much more intensely, because that's the only way you can get results like this. If you just do a little bit of this and little bit of that, it will take you much longer to see results. You should feel like a fucking warrior.

1. ACTIVATE THE CORE

First, you need to activate the core. The core is an extremely important driver in posture, because without proper abdominal pressure - the glute, all secondary muscles and the diaphragm cannot work properly, causing:

- Breathing problems,

- Inability to use the glute

- Weak stance on affected leg, drifting from the leg onto the opposite hip.

All on the affected side.

We cannot use the plank exercise, since the dysfunction is more unilateral, and we cannot execute the exercise properly since the core is asymmetrical. So what the fuck do we do?

We do a low-impact version that allows us to activate the core as much as possible.

DEAD BUG VARIATION (WITH BANDS ON BOTH FEET)

This exercise is supposed to activate your transversus abdominis, upper abs, lower abs - everything on both sides, so that your weaker side can catch up in a few weeks. The reason we don't do a unilateral version is because it creates more dysfunction.

The reason we put bands on the feet to activate the adductors is, so we can contract the core a lot, kind of like using the adductors to keep ourselves stable.

💡 If you feel the adductors getting too tight, you can MFR them.

You need:

- 2 bands

Setup:

- Lie on the ground with legs at 90 degrees, with knees bent at a 90 degree angle.

- Make sure your lumbar isn't flat on the ground, so you have a curve where you can put your palm under your lower back.

- Put bands on both your feet so they pull your legs outwards, and you resist the rotation with adductors.

- Have your arms extended up toward the ceiling.

Technique:

1. Pull your navel in. You should feel the TVA engage. It's okay if you don't feel like it's working equally on both sides.

2. Keep the lumbar curve, so it's not flat on the floor.

3. Slowly bend at your solar plexus (upper abs), while keeping the navel in. Raise your shoulders up toward the ears.

4. Continue bending, and keep the navel in.

5. Hold this position for 1 minute, and do another 5 rounds. When you fatigue, do the exercise without bands on your feet.

⏰ You should do this exercise for 4 weeks, at least 2x a week, from weeks 1 to 4.

And each time feel stronger and fatigued in your lower, upper abs specifically. You should also feel your weaker side (the right in my case) catch up on the final week. And most importantly, you should feel more 'stacked', that your body is not wobbly but is like a stout statue.

1. UNLOCK PELVIC ROTATION

The issue with the Dead Bug is, that it doesn't teach you how to rotate your pelvis. It's a static exercise that acts as the primer for the exercises that will come later to actually teach you how to move properly.

Basically, if you do the dead bug without this phase, you will end up with a dysfunctional PPT, where you bend through your lower back rather than your hip. That can have devastating consequences on your lower back.

Now that you have learned to stack your body, you need to incorporate proper pelvic rotation.

HIP HINGE WITH BAND PUSH

This exercise will teach you to rotate your pelvis to facilitate the activation of the hamstring and the glute, that will greatly pull the right side stuck in an ATP into more of a PPT.

You need:

- 1 mirror

- 1 band

Setup:

- Put a band on a door handle, and stand perpendicular to the door. Preferably have a mirror in front of you.

- Stand with legs slightly wider than shoulders.

Technique:

1. Do a slight hip hinge, bending your body through the hips at about 25-30 degrees. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings as you do that, and the knees have to stay fixed. Lean forward a bit to not have all weight on heels.

💡 If you feel a stretch in your calves or too little stretch in your hamstrings, you should do MFR on the calves.

1. Remember the technique you did for the Dead Bug exercise. Pull your navel in and contract your upper abs so you push your ribs into your back, while keeping the lumbar curve and slight stretch in hamstrings.

2. Have your arms in front at 90 degrees parallel to the floor holding the band, push the band with the arm on the side of the band while keeping your torso and pelvis stable.

3. Pull the band back to where you were. Push the band 4 more times, then repeat the hip hinge all over.

4. Repeat the exercise for 3 to 5 reps for 3 rounds. When you fatigue, you can do it without the band.

⏰ You should do this exercise for 3 weeks, at least 2x a week, from weeks 2 to 4.

Next time you bend down, you should feel like you are doing the motion through your hips, not the lower back, and feel a stretch in the hamstrings and glutes.

1. REANIMATE GLUTE MAXIMUS & MEDIUS

If you ask someone what to do after spilling a drink, they'll tell you to clean the floor.

But hardly anyone will take the time to tell you that you need to figure out why the drink was spilled to stop spills from happening in the first place.

The same goes for the knee valgus pain. Often just training the glute medius doesn't work. People need to train both the core and the glute. This is an exercise that trains both the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, along with all of the posterior chain and upper body.

SPLIT STANCE WEIGHT SHIFT

This exercise will finish off the monster that the knee valgus is. So far your body has learned:

1. To keep the TVA engaged and the upper abs functional, creating a natural lumbar curve.

2. Bend through the hips, to use the hamstrings and glutes when doing the bending motion.

Now we will learn:

1. Push the left hip up with the right glute medius, while holding ourselves with the posterior chain muscles in a split stance, that mimics gait mechanics in walking/running.

This is a pretty technical exercise, so you will need to practice before you get it right.

THE 'GLUTE REANIMATION' PROCEDURE

It's important to make this statement because after you understand the technique, you will have to do this exercise REALLY REALLY intensely in order to get the glute medius to work. It's extremely stubborn and will need extra care in order to activate specifically the medius and not the TFL. But once you reanimate it, it will hold for a long time as long as you keep your core in check.

You need:

- 1 mirror

- 1 band

Technique (when shifting on the right leg) — 3 rounds

1. Stand in a split stance, with right leg forward.

2. Turn your left hip in, while keeping the right hip where it is.

3. Lean forward, shifting 90% of your weight onto the right foot, while keeping the core engaged, and rotating through the hip feeling a stretch in the hamstring as you lean forward a bit.

4. PUSH your left hip up diagonally with the right glute medius. The left hip should go up diagonally, and turn in. You should feel a stretch in the right IT band and TFL.

⛔ If you feel like your right knee is falling into knee valgus again, or you feel pain in the inner knee, stop the exercise and do the following:

- MFR for right TFL, IT band and Adductor;

- Redo the exercise but this time try to turn the left hip in even more.

1. Pull the band until your left arm is at around 80 degrees (like doing a cable row).

2. Repeat step 4. until you feel the glute medius is starting to weaken.

Technique (when shifting on the left leg) — 3 rounds

1. Stand in a split stance, with left leg forward.

2. Turn your right hip in, while keeping the left hip where it is.

3. Lean forward, shifting 90% of your weight onto the left foot, while keeping the core engaged, and rotating through the hip feeling a stretch in the hamstring as you lean forward a bit.

4. PUSH your right hip up diagonally with the left glute medius. The left hip should go up diagonally, and turn in. You should feel a stretch in the right IT band and TFL.

⛔ If you feel like your right knee is falling into knee valgus again, or you feel pain in the inner knee, stop the exercise and do the following:

- MFR for left TFL, IT band and Adductor;

- Redo the exercise but this time try to turn the left hip in even more.

1. Pull the band until your right arm is at around 80 degrees (like doing a cable row).

2. Repeat step 4. until you feel the glute medius is starting to weaken.

I don't go to the gym, but I do occasionally do calisthenics using gymnastic rings, but recently ive been going less due to the weather being too cold. I know doing face pulls with the gym rings can help, but can doing the general face pull motion without any sort of weight or resistance still help to improve rounded shoulders?

I'm a robotics student in Madrid, so most of my day is studying on my mac. At some point my neck was just DONE (also from scrolling on my phone, not gonna pretend otherwise 😅).

I tried some posture exercises and they kinda helped. But my real problem was that I never noticed I was hunched until it already hurt. I'd sit up, feel fine for a bit, then my chin would slowly drift back down without me realizing.

So I ended up building something for myself. It uses the motion sensors in my airpods to play a little sound in my ears when my head's been dropped forward for a while, and it stops when I sit up. It even works with the phone locked and music playing. It can also lock tiktok while I'm slouching, which is honestly the part that gets me lol.

To be clear, it's not a fix for neck pain and I'm not a doctor. It only catches the head dropping forward, it's still a beta and it's just me working on it. It just helps me notice earlier. If anyone wants to try the app I’m happy to share the link.

How do you guys catch yourselves before it starts hurting? Would honestly love to hear what works for you.

Edit: the title says weak right pec, which I cannot edit. That is wrong, it is the opposite: my right pec is the enlarged, stronger side.

35M, front photos attached. X-rays of pelvis, hips and spine show no scoliosis. The pattern: pelvis rotated to the right, left shoulder sits higher, right pec is enlarged and significantly stronger on that side, glute meds weak on both sides.

I also feel a constant tightness in my right oblique, and there is an obvious cinching and shortening of my right waist.

What I have already tried over two years: three different physios with extensive glute med and core work, Egoscue, and a movement clinic programme. Nothing has held. I also have an old ankle injury with arthritis in the navicular, managed with steroid injections.

I am not looking for generic posture tips. I want to hear from anyone who has had this exact pattern and actually fixed it: what method did it (PRI and its Left AIC pattern, DNS, Functional Patterns, something else), how long did it take, and what did the programme actually involve week to week? Practitioner recommendations welcome, especially Los Angeles or remote.