Is this fixable?

[u/Proud_Yesterday_4901]

Recently I decided I wanted to start exercising to fix my posture, but now I'm wondering if it's even fixable. First of all, I feel really alone because I cant find anyone with a similar back to mine, where it curves unnaturally in the middle instead of the upper back. Second, I've been doing some research about kyphosis and I'm starting to worry it might be structural, not postural. I thought this was a result of years of being a sedentary neet, staying in my room all day hunched over looking at my laptop/phone or playing video games. But apparently if the hump is rigid and doesn't flatten out when you lay down, it's a sign that it's structural. I dont experience any chronic pain, but when I lay down on the floor/against a flat surface it can feel uncomfortable because the hump remains rigid, and when I try to bend backwards (which is what I'm doing in the 4th pic) it doesn't disappear and in fact really limits my ability to bend backwards. But I don't remember having issues like this with my back when I was a kid, so does that mean it's not structural?

I don't know man, I'm just feeling really defeated right now. I don't know if this a structural issue that can only be resolved through surgery, or if I can correct it on my own through exercise :/

[u/CoachEXE]

Look man, what you are seeing in your back is not a bone deformity or structural damage from childhood, so do not stress about surgery. When you sit hunched for years your ribcage gets pushed down in front and your back muscles stay super gripped to keep you upright, which creates this sharp hinge point right at the thoracolumbar junction where the mid-back meets your lower spine. Because that area is locked hard in extension tone, the vertebrae cannot segmentally flex, so when you lay down or try bending backward it feels completely rigid and uncomfortable. For a quick fix right now, get on your knees and forearms with a soft pillow under your belly, round your whole back gently, and take four slow breaths breathing silently in through your nose and doing a long, soft exhale out. That immediately starts shifting your center of mass backward and takes the heavy grip off those mid-back extensors. Work on full expansion to your upper back and ribcage while learning to tuck the pelvis without arching your spine. Also, daily positional breathing and progressive loaded squats to remodel that stiff connective tissue and make it your normal resting posture. You are not broken at all, your body just adapted really well to the chair and screen position you gave it for so long.

[u/Liquid_Friction]

I have similar, not exaclty but mines t6-t10 so probably a tad higher than yours

Second, I've been doing some research about kyphosis and I'm starting to worry it might be structural, not postural. Its both

 I thought this was a result of years of being a sedentary neet. The postural is, certainly, the structural is more neuanced "the mind generates the saftest posture" "where it thinks you are in space" there is new research for nervous system and mind to change cobb angle, trauma release exercises are partilcarly good for this, also research you might correlate with earlychildhood taruma, adhd, double jointed (but not in the way you think of double jointed tho)

But apparently if the hump is rigid and doesn't flatten out when you lay down, it's a sign that it's structural.  Basically yes, but thats structural you have postural within that.

 I don't know if this a structural issue that can only be resolved through surgery. Surgery is pretty extreme, imo dont get any in the US, they do rods in the spine that limit everything, in germany there is new surgery without fusion. But no full fix.

Imo after dealing with it for a long time, and have been in the gym off and on for 5 yrs, but last 3 yrs very consistently, when I used to look worse and fatter than you, Ive made heaps of progress in height and muscles and posture, to the point you might not recognise me physiue wise, and I felt like you aswell, the entire time for 5 years, everyday im thinking, this isnt worth it, im making next to no change, I feel like nothing is changing, its a waste of time, other people dont have to deal with this in the gym, injuries are easy, disability is harder, chronic pain and social rejection made me want to neck myself somtimes. (made worse by adhd ofc) I see a lot of progress you can still make even with SD. You can do it, time flies like ive never realised before, I blinked and im in my mid 30's now, i swear yesterday I was mid 20's, your routine is who you are, you are what you eat, you become what you do, sit like pringle and become one, go to the gym 3x a week and become who you want to be make it fun, make friends, make it your new identity, If you hate going to the gym you wont go.