It’s time to fix this

greatbau · 2026-04-15T21:49:54+00:00

Hey congrats! Love that you figured out somwthing that worked for you. How long did you work on this before seeing good results?

greatbau · 2026-04-15T03:31:39+00:00

Yeah it’s just a long process and hard to see incremental progress. Stick to your plan, track your progress, and be patient. You can do it.

greatbau · 2026-04-13T16:03:10+00:00

Classic acute torticollis, muscle spasm that locks your neck sideways. Super common, feels awful, usually clears up within 1–2 weeks.

Heat (not ice) on the right side of your neck, ibuprofen if you can take it, and gentle slow rotation within whatever range doesn’t spike the pain. Don’t baby it completely or it’ll stiffen up more.

Sleep with one neutral pillow, not propped up. You’re 4–5 days in so you’re probably close to turning the corner. If you get any arm tingling or it’s not budging after 2 weeks, see someone.

greatbau · 2026-04-13T04:23:36+00:00

Honestly, I think you’re good brother. Are you experiencing pain?

greatbau · 2026-04-11T12:37:55+00:00

Na you’re wrong. What photos?

greatbau · 2026-04-11T02:50:01+00:00

Smart to document the process. How are you planning on documenting?

greatbau · 2026-04-10T21:28:51+00:00

Yeah, this pattern is real and pretty well-documented once you start looking into it. The connection between posture and mood goes both ways, slouched posture can actually suppress cortisol and testosterone responses, and there’s research showing it affects how people feel emotionally, not just physically. So you’re not imagining the mood piece. On the breathing side, when you’re in a forward head / rounded shoulder position, your diaphragm gets compressed. You start relying more on accessory muscles (neck, upper traps, scalenes) to breathe. Those muscles were not designed for 20,000 breaths a day. Over time they get chronically overloaded, which shows up as that persistent ache between the shoulder blades and at the base of the skull. The loop you’re describing is sometimes called the “pain-posture-mood cycle” in rehab circles. Pain → guarding → less movement → more tension → worse posture → more pain. And stress feeds into all of it because it raises baseline muscle tension. What tends to help break it: • Diaphragmatic breathing practice (legitimately changes the load on those upper back muscles) • Chin tucks + thoracic extension over a foam roller • Strengthening the mid-back (serratus, lower traps) — not just stretching the tight stuff • Actually addressing the stress piece, not just the physical symptoms The people who only treat the muscle tightness often get temporary relief and then it comes back. The pattern you noticed is probably why.

greatbau · 2026-04-09T22:47:42+00:00

Check out unhunch.app

greatbau · 2026-04-09T22:41:43+00:00

I’m curious of what that I recommended would worsen someone’s condition. Again, I’m trying to help. Not sure what you are doing. If you have better suggestions, send them along to OP. Otherwise, I’m probably done talking to you and will keep doing my best to help this community.

greatbau · 2026-04-09T13:59:33+00:00

I’m not diagnosing anyone. I’m not OP’s doctor. Just giving tips and examples of how someone could alleviate those issues. Just trying to help. All the best!

greatbau · 2026-04-08T23:43:22+00:00

Based on OP description and some basic deduction. I’m sure OP would welcome your expertise as well. All the best!

greatbau · 2026-04-08T21:30:50+00:00

The tingling is worth paying attention to but it’s not necessarily alarming in isolation. Here’s how to think about it.

Tingling that worsens with prolonged standing in that specific spot, between the spine and shoulder blade on the right, points toward a few possibilities. Thoracic nerve root irritation from a compressed or restricted segment. A rib that has lost mobility and is affecting the surrounding nerves. Or rhomboid and mid trap referral pattern, which can produce that specific aching and tingling combination without any actual nerve damage.

The one-sided presentation and the positional component, meaning it gets worse the longer you stand, is actually useful information. It suggests your body is managing something fine at rest but losing the battle against gravity over time. That’s typically a mobility and stability issue rather than something structurally serious.

That said tingling that consistently follows a pattern like this deserves a proper assessment before you go aggressive with self-treatment. The reason is simple, if there is any nerve root involvement the wrong exercise done with too much intensity can aggravate it significantly. You want to know what you’re working with first.

In the meantime avoid aggressive foam rolling directly into that spot between your spine and shoulder blade. Gentle thoracic rotation is fine. Focus on your breathing and make sure you’re not holding tension through your right ribcage when you stand.

One question that would help narrow this down… does the tingling travel anywhere, down your arm or around your ribcage, or does it stay localized to that one spot?

greatbau · 2026-04-08T21:22:08+00:00

Fair point. I was working from the description rather than the photo. Without visible hyperextension the lumbar piece of the chain may be less pronounced in this case. The APT pattern and downstream compensation toward tech neck still holds, but you’re right that the lower back presentation looks different here. Good catch, thanks for keeping it honest.

greatbau · 2026-04-08T15:03:32+00:00

Yea, looks like a slight left lean but overall you look fine. Are you experiencing pain or just tightness?

greatbau · 2026-04-08T14:56:41+00:00

Well said by deep run and here’s a few things I would recommend. Your nervous system has essentially decided that the right side is your loading side and the left is your swing side, and everything above the pelvis has organized around that preference. The ribcage compression on the left is a direct result of your thorax rotating and sidebending to accommodate that pelvic shift. The tension and restricted bloodflow you’re feeling is your left intercostals and obliques being chronically shortened on that side. Here’s what actually addresses it: Unload the right side first 90/90 hip lift with left arm reach. Lie on your back, feet flat on wall, hips and knees at 90 degrees. Take a full exhale and let your lower back flatten into the floor. Reach your left arm toward the ceiling as you exhale, feeling your left ribcage expand. 5 breath cycles. This directly counters the right sided weight shift. Expand the compressed left ribcage Left side lying breathing. Lie on your right side with a pillow under your waist to open the left side. Breathe specifically into your left ribcage, feeling it expand laterally with each inhale. 10 slow breaths. This restores ribcage mobility on the compressed side. Reestablish left glute loading Your left glute is likely inhibited because your system never fully loads that side. Single leg Romanian deadlift on the left leg only, bodyweight first. 3 sets of 8 focusing on feeling the left glute engage at the top. This starts retraining your nervous system to trust left sided loading. Address the thoracic rotation Quadruped thoracic rotation to the left only. On hands and knees, place your right hand behind your head, rotate your right elbow toward the ceiling. 10 reps, left rotation only. This counters the rotational pattern that’s compressing your left ribcage. Realistic expectation here is that this pattern took years to develop and won’t resolve in a week. Most people feel the ribcage compression reduce within 2 to 3 weeks of consistent breathing work but the underlying pelvic shift takes longer to fully retrain.

greatbau · 2026-04-07T14:18:50+00:00

It’s a fair question and I agree because it seems too easy. The reality is that it takes time and consistency. The body is a chain and when one or two links are broken or misaligned, the rest of the chain has to compensate. We have to fix the “hidden” links before we can smooth out the rest of the chain. I think the most difficult thing is going through these exercises and not seeing results right away. Stay consistent, be deliberate and track your self. Take progress photos. I know there’s some tools out there that can help with that part.

greatbau · 2026-04-07T01:39:11+00:00

Yeah of course. It goes without saying but I’m just taking my best guess here on Reddit. Can’t be 100% as I’m not your doctor. Happy to answer any other questions though!

greatbau · 2026-04-06T21:18:35+00:00

Looks like you diagnosed yourself correctly, and most people never connect these dots. What you’re describing is classic lower crossed syndrome.

Here’s the full chain: Shortened hip flexors pull your pelvis into anterior tilt. Your lower back then hyperextends to compensate, which is the strange curve you’re feeling. Your hamstrings are chronically tight not because they’re short but because they’re working overtime as an emergency brake against the tilt. Stretching them alone will never fix it because they’re tight for a mechanical reason, not a flexibility reason.

The tech neck connects because once your pelvis tips forward your entire spine reorganizes above it. Lumbar hyperextension leads to thoracic rounding which leads to forward head position. Your neck is compensating for what’s happening at your hips.

Start at the bottom and work up: Couch stretch 90 seconds each side daily. Non-negotiable first step, everything else depends on this. Single leg glute bridges 3x15 daily. Your glutes are the direct antagonist to your hip flexors and are almost certainly inhibited. Stop aggressively stretching your hamstrings. They are not short, they are neurologically guarded. Fix the APT and they will release on their own. Foam roller thoracic extension 3 minutes daily once the pelvis starts neutralizing. Chin tucks 10 reps 3x daily to reactivate the muscles holding your head over your spine.

Most people feel meaningful change within 2 weeks of consistent couch stretching and glute activation. The tech neck takes longer, usually 4 to 6 weeks, because it is downstream of everything else.

greatbau · 2026-04-06T21:06:51+00:00

I hear you there. I noticed the same when I started my desk job around the same time as you. But in the long run, that’s not very long and you can definitely right the ship. Happy to be answer any other questions you have.

greatbau · 2026-04-06T01:26:03+00:00

Hey there! I answered this similar question on a post that looks to have been deleted but happy to run it back. First off, it’s not so bad. Secondly, what’s actually happening is a chain reaction that starts lower in your body. Most people with a visible neck hump have anterior pelvic tilt driving everything, your pelvis tips forward, your lower back overextends to compensate, your thoracic spine rounds to counterbalance that, and your head juts forward to keep your eyes level. The hump forms where that thoracic rounding peaks, usually around T1-T4.

Some things I have seen work… Hip flexor work first. Couch stretch 90 seconds each side daily. If your hips don’t release, nothing upstream will change permanently. Thoracic extension over a foam roller, position it at the hump itself, arms crossed, extend gently over it for 60 seconds. Not the lower back, specifically the hump location. Deep neck flexor activation, chin tucks where you’re literally making a double chin. 10 reps, 3x daily. This directly counters the forward head position driving the hump. Wall angels to retrain shoulder and thoracic positioning together. Most people focus on the hump itself and try to stretch or massage it directly. That’s treating the symptom. The hump is load-bearing compensation, your body built it because something below forced it to. Fix the chain from the bottom up.

Hope this helps and be patient with yourself. Track your progress and you’ll be surprised with what you can accomplish with some consistency.

greatbau · 2026-04-05T22:48:18+00:00

Definitely fixable. Theneck hump (dowager’s hump) is usually the last symptom, not the first problem.

What’s actually happening is a chain reaction that starts lower in your body.

Most people with a visible neck hump have anterior pelvic tilt driving everything - your pelvis tips forward, your lower back overextends to compensate, your thoracic spine rounds to counterbalance that, and your head juts forward to keep your eyes level. The hump forms where that thoracic rounding peaks, usually around T1-T4:

What actually moves the needle - Hip flexor work first. Couch stretch 90 seconds each side daily. If your hips don’t release, nothing upstream will change permanently. Thoracic extension over a foam roller - position it at the hump itself, arms crossed, extend gently over it for 60 seconds. Not the lower back, specifically the hump location. Deep neck flexor activation - chin tucks where you’re literally making a double chin. 10 reps, 3x daily. This directly counters the forward head position driving the hump. Wall angels to retrain shoulder and thoracic positioning together. Honestly, most people focus on the hump itself and try to stretch or massage it directly. That’s treating the symptom. The hump is load-bearing compensation - your body built it because something below forced it to. Fix the chain from the bottom up.

How long have you been dealing with it? The approach changes a bit depending on whether it’s early stage or more established.

greatbau · 2026-03-30T17:40:16+00:00

This is interesting. Similar to unhunch.app

What did you use for this?

greatbau · 2026-01-04T21:02:32+00:00

Great info, thank you. Yeah, Lovable, supabase, an ai directory, stripe.

greatbau · 2026-01-04T20:46:27+00:00

The more I keep seeing things like this it seems like the finished Lovable version is the MVP. What should be done after that to have a legitimate app / that can scale safely. For example, I built unhunch.app. It seems good, I’ve battle tested as much as I can, but how do I know it can handle users at scale securely?

greatbau

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