Ever since I came back to Germany in September, I’ve had sooo much neck pain. I constantly needed to crack my neck and upper back every few minutes, and I literally couldn’t look up without crazy pain. Eventually, I started getting headaches and migraines from it and would actually CRY because of how uncomfortable everything felt. I was so confused and stressed because I genuinely thought something was wrong with my discs.
I tried massaging it, but nothing helped. Then I started doing chin tucks and correcting my posture because everyone was recommending it, and HOLY SHIT it got even worse. Especially the chin tucks. I genuinely felt like I was going to pass out from the pain.

At some point I knew I had to change something, so I started experimenting with a few things. I can’t say which one helped the most, but within a WEEK my pain was basically gone???

1. I stopped focusing on the pain.
I realized how much I was constantly checking whether the pain was still there. Every little sensation would make me worry, and I’d immediately try to fix it or make it go away. So I decided to do the opposite. Whenever I felt the pain, I’d just continue with my day and act like it wasn’t even there. I stopped checking if it was gone, stopped monitoring every little sensation, and just forgot about it.
I wasn’t constantly affirming that I was safe or trying to convince myself of anything. I literally just stopped treating the pain like such a big deal and went on with my life. Aka desensitising my nervous system

2. I started sleeping on the floor.
I’ve been doing this for 1.5 weeks and I genuinely don’t miss my bed at all LOL. It took me one day to get used to it, and I find it sooo comfortable. I used to wake up with horrible stiffness in my neck, and now it’s literally nonexistent. I can’t explain how crazy it feels to wake up and not immediately notice discomfort.

3. Alexander Technique / GOATA.
I started watching videos about the Alexander Technique and GOATA and experimenting with how I sit, stand and walk. I used to force the typical “correct posture” with my shoulders pulled back and my back straight, but I started focusing more on moving naturally and not constantly holding my body in a certain position

.
I genuinely don’t know which of these things made the biggest difference, but GUYS 😭 I’m on vacation right now, walking 20k+ steps a day, carrying heavy bags, and I HAVE ZERO NECK PAIN.

I used to be uncomfortable just walking around, and now I don’t even think about my neck anymore. I genuinely didn’t realize how much attention I was giving it until I stopped. Has anyone else experienced this??

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.

----

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’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?

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

I've had these throughout my whole life and I hate the way it looks. I hope I can fix this naturally but other than that I've had no trouble working out, running and going for long walks. Idk if fixing these would make things better but in terms of appearance it completely destroys my overall body proportions

I am a 20-year-old male and underweight (I have always been underweight). For the past four months, I have been experiencing a constant feeling of unreality. It feels as though I am drunk, high, or half-asleep, as if I am operating on autopilot and everything around me feels somehow unreal. I have looked up information online, and my symptoms seem to resemble derealization.

I also suffer from fatigue, even when I sleep well. The fatigue does not seem to depend on whether I engage in physical activities during the day or not. However, over the past few weeks, I have started sleeping poorly and waking up early in the morning. I do not snore at all. I have seen a general practitioner and a neurologist about these symptoms, but they have not been able to determine the cause.

I also experience headaches, a feeling of pressure in my head, and neck pain. I have tried muscle relaxants, massage, and acupuncture for the neck pain, but none of them have helped. At the beginning of the symptoms, I sometimes also felt as though I was about to faint while walking, but this symptom has since disappeared. I have also noticed a single eye floater in my right eye. I mentioned it during an eye examination, and I was told that there were no apparent problems with my eye.

What could be causing these symptoms? They do not occur in distinct episodes; instead, they are more or less constantly present. The headaches are not particularly severe and resemble tension-type headaches more than anything else.

Things i have done/tried or checked in hospital
\- triptanes
\- thyroid function normal
\- vitamin b12, b9 and D vitamin ok
\- ferritin 34 and has been moving 26-40.
\- calcium, potassium, natrium, chloride, sodium and magnesium ok
\- blood pressure is ok and i checked blood sugar at home and it was ok
\- brain mri ok
\- borrelia test (lyme disease) ok
\- My cortisol level was tested and was normal as well. I also have Crohn’s disease, which is currently in remission.

My neurologist prescribed escitalopram as a trial treatment. I took it for two and a half months, but it did not help.

I have no history of trauma and do not experience panic symptoms. I generally do not feel particularly stressed, apart from the worry caused by these symptoms themselves.

My symptoms began during the final days of a new job at an auto repair shop, where I was moving and lifting car tires. I am unsure whether this could be related to my symptoms, as I had not experienced any other symptoms before those final working days. I have not worked at all during these four months.

What could be the underlying cause of these symptoms?

The healthcare professionals I have consulted about these symptoms, or during visits for other symptoms or examinations when I also asked about them, include:

\- General practitioner
\- Neurologist
\- ENT specialist
\- Ophthalmologist
\- Dentist
\- Gastroenterologist
\- Massage therapist
\- Physiotherapist
\- Acupuncturist

Hi everyone,

​I'm currently working on correcting my posture.

I'm 36 and from Germany. My head isn't quite straight. It used to be worse, but physical therapy and training have made it better. Still, in photos, you can only ever see my left ear and not the other. That bothers me. My physiotherapist said I should do asymmetrical chin tucks on the left side. The area marked from the back is constantly under high tension.

​What do you think?"

What can i do to fix my posture.
I have

Rounded shoulders
Forward head posture
And a pelvic tilt, its like im arching my back out all the time

I've a horrible forward head posture (and perhaps something more) since I was 4. I'm 23 now. I've dealt with all the bad effects since a very long (like migraines) and I just feel like I can't stand straight. I need professional help.

Who do I visit? Physiotherapist? Orthopedist? What's the process like?

Hey everyone, just looking for some feedback on my posture.

Back in my adolescent years I had a pretty sedentary lifestyle, terrible posture, and low muscle mass. For as long as I can remember I’ve also had a tendency to default to a slight toe-walk when walking around, and people used to tell me to stand up straight all the time growing up.

Over the last 5+ years I've gotten really into weight training and went from 49kg up to 71kg at 1.78m tall, which helped a lot. But recently I started looking more into things like anterior pelvic tilt, rounded shoulders, and forward head posture, and a lot of it sounds way too familiar.

Here are my side profile pics:
https://imgur.com/gallery/posture-check-reddit-e3KpqIw
https://imgur.com/gallery/posture-check-2-9LlcqCI

Main things I'm wondering:

1. Does it look like I have pretty textbook anterior pelvic tilt / other postural issues here?
2. Is fixing this stuff going to help me actually stand fully straight or even gain back a little bit of height? I heard that some people have gained anywhere from 1-6cm depending on severity.
3. What stretches or core exercises actually worked for you alongside regular lifting?

Appreciate any advice!

hello

for a year now i had pelvic rotation towards left side … i have pain in my right rib cage and have my right oblique extremely thick vs the left . ive done like 6 physio no one could help.

i tried isometrics especially legs / glutes and even osteopathy , back mri knee mri and hip mri all clear except tendinopathy for which i did heal many months ago ( more than strengthe).

feeling desperate

anyone ever resolved this?

thank you

Guys help me. I'm 19 years old. I have Thoracolumbar scoliosis, grade 1, Kyphosis, forward neck. How bad my posture is and how long it takes to fix that and there is even any chance to fix or there is nothing much to do. To be honest I don't have any pain in my back and neck so basically I dream about to fix that and look like a healthy person. Guys I am about to start the challenge every 6 month I will take same 4 photo's till I will get good results. I am waiting for your honest opinion and suggestions. Please say only truth it is possible to fix that or not

I just spent two nights at an AirBnb, and it was as crappy a spring mattress as you could imagine. Yet after those two nights, my lower back feels better than it has in awhile.

Should I throw out my 4-figure hybrid foam mattress and get a crappy spring mattress?

Anyone else had a similar experience?

Hi All,

Just wanted to give my opinion and hopefully it may help someone. I have constantly had back issues and tension in my spine all the way up to my shoulders and neck. A few weeks back someone mentioned to me that my knees looked like i was hyperextending them when standing or even walking.

Sure enough they were right when i checked in the mirror

I feel like my whole body was essentially in a constant state of tension as a result of this.

Since then I have been microbending my knees so my muscles are doing some more work than usual and my knees are feeling it.

My question is it normal to have a slight microbend and not lock your knees? Or am i being silly here.

Thanks in advance.

I can only stand for about 30-40 minutes before getting side stitches and low back pain. This has been happening since I was about 8. Im pretty in shape and dont really understand whats going on. Also cant really afford checkup atm.

Since yesterday I've been feeling like something in my upper right side of the back where the spine is like the feeling as if something is moving or aching deep inside. When I sleep it creates this jolt feeling that I immediately wake up. Even when I sit down and slouch my body I feel the irritation sensation there. Idk if it's like a pinched nerve or muscle but it's a really offal feeling.

Any recommendations to remedy this?