Stretches and Exercises for Back Pain Related to Posture

Is Your Posture Causing Your Back Pain Without You Knowing?

You can exercise regularly, stretch daily, and still struggle with back, neck, or hip pain. One of the most overlooked causes of chronic pain is poor posture — specifically a kyphotic–lordotic posture, where the upper back rounds excessively while the lower back arches too much.

This posture pattern quietly changes spinal alignment, muscle activation, and how your body absorbs load. Over time, it reduces mobility, weakens your core and glutes, overloads the lower back, and creates persistent tightness and instability — even in active people.

How Poor Posture Destroys Mobility

A rounded upper back limits thoracic spine mobility, making rotation and overhead movement difficult. When the mid-back stops moving, the lower back compensates, creating “fake mobility,” instability, and pain with bending or arching.

An excessive lower back arch pulls the pelvis forward (anterior pelvic tilt posture), shortening hip flexors and inhibiting the glutes. This leads to hip pinching, reduced stride, and glute weakness. A rounded rib cage also limits breathing, reducing core stability and increasing back pain risk.

Demonstrating cat/cow/sexy dog, child pose with side reach, couch stretch, hip internal rotation, and dead bug for deep core activation.

Demonstrating one neck and upper t-spine stretch and one strength exercise for the neck with a band.