As stated in the last article, it truly is “a never-ending cycle of slouch!”. You may feel like a prize plum at first; so exposed and awkward! Breaking the habit of a lifetime takes work, and it will take practice to get these movements feeling and looking normal. Don’t forget to follow up with a latissimus dorsi stretch. You can also stand with your feet together if you don’t need to counterbalance against the band. A rounded thoracic spine lengthens and weakens the scapular retractor muscles that attach to it, (rhomboids and mid trapezius), reducing the capacity for scapular retraction whilst also encouraging protraction of the shoulders. Hold and breathe and focus on extending your Thoracic spine as you keep your abs engaged so you don’t hyperextend your low back. Feel your back working to pull your chest up to the bar. That means you really need to focus on rolling out and loosening up your chest and lats. If you don’t feel the muscles between your shoulder blades and even down the sides of your back working and instead feel your neck, walk your feet closer to the wall. Back Extension with Rotation – Strengthen the muscles throughout your back and along your spine with this exercise. With the roller in your mid-back, cross your hands over your chest and, keeping your butt on the ground, extend your back over the roller, relaxing back over the roller. seconds. To do the Standing Chest Stretch, you can use a doorway, wall or pole. Engage your lats by pulling your shoulder blades down your back. Make sure to keep your back flat and draw your shoulder blades down and back as you pull the band down to you. Don’t simply try to get up higher by hyperextending your low back. You can do the Inverted Row off a bar of using a Suspension Trainer. Do not let the band pull you or let your elbows bend as you fly your arms open. However, thoracic back pain may have undetected causes such as slipped disks, infections, tumors and even referred pain from other areas like the lungs. You can also make this a static stretch by simply holding the pose for 15-20 seconds at the top of the bridge. It is a great way to also strengthen your back to improve your Pull Ups. Thanks! It activates your lower traps and rhomboids while working to reverse the flexion you sit in all day at your desk. When you can do it freely without any pain and a straight line throughout your arms and your back, then congratulations! Keeping your back firmly against the wall and your core tight, slide the back of your hands up the wall as far as possible. I dedicate myself to writing valuable articles that improve people’s lives, so please show some support and help keep this website going! Thoracic spine pain is more likely to have serious implications than neck or lower back pain. repetitions, 20. Hold for 5-10 SECONDS and return. It can help open everything up after sitting hunched over a computer for long hours. Thank you for this. CrossFit, Children's Fitness, Olympic Weightlifting. sat at a table or desk), that is, minus the maximum effort contraction of course. This can be used to find proper form in many strength exercises too, such as pull-ups. Squeeze your glutes and press your hips into the ground. Make sure to squeeze your glutes at the top and extend your hips. Roll on the foam roller until you find it (you will feel the lump as you rise up). The Roller Thoracic Extension is a great move to roll out your back as you work on your extension. This exercise can be progressed by extending the arms overhead or leaning over the edge of the table and extending beyond the height of the table. The 2018 study Effects of thoracic posture correction exercises on scapular position found a significant decrease in the kyphosis angle after exercise. With your body in a nice straight line and your chest pressed out, row your chest up to the handles, driving your elbows down and back. They also contribute to lateral flexion and rotation. Include these in your workouts, warm ups or even throughout the day at your desk. So these moves will address many of the areas of tightness that perpetuate your forward flexion. Engage your abs and glutes to keep your body in a nice straight line as you lean back. Thoracic spine mobilising exercises Got the hump? almost always adapt to this hunched upper back position by developing other As you hang over with your hands on the wall, try to extend your back with your arms straight and your biceps by your ears. Redefining Strength shall not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions within this website. There are many different internally rotating the arms throughout the day (e.g. To perform Wall Angel, simply s tand tall with your back and arms pressed against a wall. Then keeping your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, fly your arms open and out to the side. Drive your chest through your arms and feel a nice stretch through your lats and triceps. Hold on any tight spots as you go and make sure to rock forward and backward as you make your way down your side. Try not to swing a ton or kick to pull yourself up. To use the Peanut to improve your Thoracic Extension, you will place the Peanut in your mid-back while lying on your back on the ground with a ball of the peanut on each side of your spine. Sit on the front edge of a chair slightly further from the table than you would normally (find the right spot for you). These are two back extension exercises. To do Back Flyes, you can use a Suspension Trainer or Dumbbells. Address the imbalance between the chest and upper back muscles. Mobility exercises will increase the available range of motion of the T-spine, but most will do nothing develop and strengthen the thoracic spine extensors to utilize that increased range of motion. Do not lose tension at the bottom. These stretches will loosen tight muscles caused by sitting in flexion for most of the day and will even start to put your spine through extension. I already use the wall slides and scapular band flyes. Thoracic Spine Foam Rolling Exercising with a foam roller can help relax tight muscles and improve flexibility and symmetry. The latter increases the load on the thoracic spine which can also be achieved by keeping your hips slightly of the floor for a greater stretch (recommended as you progress). You don’t need to have your feet really far out from the wall to feel this move working. Work all the way from your armpit to about the end of your rib cage. Feel your shoulder blades retracting and the sides of your back working to pull the band down. Use these moves to reverse your rounded posture and forward flexion and improve your Thoracic Extension. T-spine Lateral flexion (side bend) is about 25° each side, giving a combined 50° of total ROM. The 3 Not-So-Perfect Exercises for Thoracic Mobility If you’ve ever searched for posture exercises online, chances are you’ve come across these 3 moves. Redefining Strength shall not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions within this website. But you shouldn’t. That is why it is important to include Scapular Band Flyes in your routine. To do the Roller Thoracic Extension, lie back over a roller on the ground with the roller at about your mid-back. rolling around is not one of them. Then, driving through your hands and heels, bridge up, extending your hips as you raise your butt up off the ground and press your chest out. The following video explains how to change your set up to bias the upper back vs. the shoulders. Fully straighten your arms at the bottom of the Pull Up and then repeat, pulling yourself back up to the bar, leading with your chest. Press your chest out and lead with your chest to pull your chin up above the bar. to look closer or to eat, Habitually sitting or standing with suboptimal body positions, Sleeping in suboptimal body positions (e.g. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Then rotate your chest toward the ground and then up toward the ceiling, rocking on the roller to dig out the side of your back, hitting forward toward your ribs and then back toward your back. Each time you extend over, keep your butt on the ground. Coach. This is because the other two elements are thoracic rotation (twisting) and thoracic lateral flexion (bending sideways), and adequate thoracic extension is required to achieve an optimum range of motion in these other thoracic movements. The movement starts as the cervical spine (neck) straightens which then drags the thoracic spine up into extension. Keep your elbows soft, but do not bend your arms as you open to the side. BTW….the thoracic bridge sit thru also helped me relieve all the gaseous matter in my intestine (maybe it happens to me only BUT you may want to be aware and avoid any social discomfort) . To use the roller, lie on your side with the roller under one armpit. These problems include, but are not limited to, impaired function of the glenohumeral joint as well as compensations in the lumbar spine. Hold this position times/day. Begin by reaching up with straight arms, engaging your scapular retractors and depressors whilst allowing upward rotation of the scapulae (basically pulling the shoulder blades down and together slightly with arms overhead). Everything is connected, which means that tight hips could also be effecting how your spine and, even your upper body, functions. Most of us sit in flexion all day hunched over a computer screen or slouched in our car. Drive your elbows down as you feel your shoulder blades draw down and together to help you pull up to the bar. Posterior Plank – The Posterior Plank is another great activation and stretching exercise. Then with your hands on your heels, arch your hips up and away, extending your hips as you lift your glutes up off your heels and pressing your chest out. Although it looks simple enough, some level of thoracic extension and a good mind muscle relationship with the thoracic extensors is usually required to perform this stretch successfully. 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