What’s actually going on
Posture problems come down to alignment and muscle balance. When some muscles get tight and others get weak, your body settles into a pattern — and that pattern puts stress on the spine. The main ones I see:
- Forward head / upper cross syndrome — head drifts forward, upper back rounds.
- Hyperkyphosis — too much curve in the mid-back, so you’re hunching.
- Anterior pelvic tilt — pelvis tips forward, lower back over-arches (lower cross syndrome).
- Posterior & lateral pelvic tilt — pelvis tips back or sits unevenly.
- Uneven shoulders — often from carrying your bag on the same side, which tightens the trapezius and levator scapula.
Each of these can lead to pain somewhere downstream — neck, mid-back, or lower back.
Assess yourself first
Take off your shoes, take a photo facing forward and from the side. From behind, the spine should be straight with a level pelvis. From the side, three gentle curves. Now look — are your ears forward of your shoulders? Is one shoulder higher? Is your lower back over-arched or flat? That tells us your pattern.
What you’re going to do about it
- Identify the pattern — we confirm it in the assessment.
- Adjustment — realign the spine, take off the nerve pressure and muscle tension.
- Stretch the tight, strengthen the weak — the exact exercises for your pattern, three sets, a few times a week.
- Posture habits — desk setup, how you carry your bag, how you sit.
It didn’t happen overnight and it won’t fix overnight. Consistency, consistency, consistency.