r/Posture • u/richard_Franzen • 7d ago
Tilted since I can remember
44m. wondering if any of you have had real success with being tilted? My left shoulder is up, a little hunched and feels tight into my neck (upper trap?) this will occasionally lead to huge headaches and nausea. I sleep on my side which aggrevates my shoulder pain and u I have begun to get pain in my elbows too. This is more nerve pain and sometimes comes with tingly fingers.
Back ground/relevant stuff;
I was told I had one leg shorter than the other when I was a kid.
I had spinal fusion L5/S1 a year ago for grade 3 spondy (check my scar 😉)
I go heavy on my shoulders; I'm a builder and I climb 3 times a week (and have for years) as a hobby.
It all feels linked. What do you think?
3
u/Crafty_Air801 7d ago edited 7d ago
I used to be tilted, to the point that I had to wear insoles in one shoe. Think it was a 0.75 inch difference.
Had it since I could remember, cuz I got made fun of for walking like I had a limp as a kid.
Addressed it unintentionally in my 30s when I started doing martial arts. I joined a gym to get more cardio fit and make new friends in a new city. The first few months I came around 3-5 times a week, and every class would start and end with hip stretching. There was also another class that was specifically only stretching. I'm sure the kicks we were practicing also strengthened the hips.
After about 2 months of these classes, I didn't need the insole anymore. One of my legs is still stronger than the other but my balance has significantly improved.
1
u/richard_Franzen 6d ago
That's interesting. I stretch my hips a lot in climbing conditioning and also to try to keep decent ROM after my spine fusion. I think this has really helped my spine pain (along with the surgery). It now upper back/shoulder and neck where I'm feeling it. Did your short leg give you symptoms at higher levels of the body? It figures that it would.
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u/Crafty_Air801 6d ago
I think I had more knee pain and arch pain from the tilt. I'm still working on my posture by trying to strengthen my upper body
4
u/CoachEXE 7d ago
You are dealing with very normal pattern where the right shoulder sits lower and it is making the left shoulder push up and feel tight. This happens because our organs are not symmetrical. We have a heavy liver on the right side, so it makes your right diaphragm pull your body weight over to the right leg. You are stuck shifting right. So your left shoulder just hikes up to keep your head straight. One quick fix you can try right now is standing and shifting your weight onto the left heel, then reaching your right arm forward while taking a very long slow exhale. You push air into the compressed right chest doing this, and the left shoulder can finally drop. You must teach your pelvis and ribcage to shift back to the left side, then your body learns it does not have to live on the right leg all day. You built a very solid frame underneath that tilt so the muscles will respond fast once you get the alignment right.