... Benefits of Increasing Thoracic Spine Mobility: Promotes proper movement patterns that will make you stronger and more efficient in the way you move. I did however get “8 steps to a Pain-Free Back”; easily one of the most worthwhile investments I’ve ever made, right up there with the Primal Blueprint! Is this what you mean? Thoracic spine extension exercises help maintain good posture and strengthen muscles that keep your spine straight. It is a great bang for your buck exercise that addresses numerous body regions with core engagement, thoracic spine extension, scapular muscle activation, shoulder mobility, and deep neck flexor muscle activation. In fact, it is downright impossible to hold a handstand without being in thoracic extension. I hope that a discussion of chiropractic will be included in tomorrow’s post. I hope your techniques will help, I don’t want to get worse with age. Mark, I’m always amazed at the wealth of information in your blog. After the hips, thoracic spine mobility is probably the most crucial aspect of mobility. Whatever your goals, we’ll keep you on track. Maybe it is because I live in the city, but whenever I go to a (nice) park..I have these uncontrollable urges,,,to be a kid again! It’s a bit more nebulous. And if you do hear about the thoracic spine from an “expert,” they’re liable to tell you the thoracic spine is meant to be immobile. As a result, a nation of chronic shoulder slumpers has developed, and when those slumpers attempt to lift heavy things, pick up groceries, and throw footballs with their immobile, underutilized thoracic spines, bigger, acute injuries arise. Get thoracic extension mobility and control and you will take a lot of stress off the other areas of your body. Here is a nice example of a simple extension mobilization for the thoracic spine. Lastly, if an athlete presents with mal-alignment (too much thoracic extension or thoracic flexion): first, identify it, then determine why this is happening prior to simply prescribing a bunch of mobility exercises. It’s bad for your lower back and your shoulders, too. Do you have trouble keeping your chest up when squatting under a bar or lifting heavy things off the ground? Because of its mobility, the thoracic spine must be used, must be moved. In sum, it is important to develop thoracic mobility in a precise way that allows healthy spinal architecture and movement and not in a wanton way that threatens your skeletal integrity or scaffolding. Benefits of Thoracic Mobility Exercises: Straight chiropracTOR’s adjust(not manipulate) to remove subluxation to allow innate to flow 100% and that is all! It goes over tons of excercises and is another great resource, and those two authors are pretty well respected. Thoracic mobility can be thought of the available movement or motion of this region of our body, and is very important for achieving good posture to ensure you don’t get pain from poor posture, and it is also essential for most sporting performances. a. Hunch your thoracic spine Can’t wait for tomorrow’s post! a. Lengthen and straighten your thoracic spine Absolutely vital work in our desk and computer age. Modern life style and certain sports can lead to stiffness and poor movement which increases the natural “kyphosis” (rounding curve) of the thoracic spine which can lead to decreased sporting performance, injury and pain. Sample Thoracic Spine Mobility Overhaul Exercise. If you recall, the increased amount of thoracic extension was one of the benefits of handstands. Every breath is a natural mobilization for the spine, provided it is done right. Scapulae – Stable It feels unnatural to sit back on the sitz bones and “stack” your body over the hips. . This is a great move to keep your shoulders healthy and even stretch your triceps. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/science/07neanderthal.html?pagewanted=2&ref=science. Each performs a different role. We need good thoracic extension to get into the proper position for the deadlift. c. Enable your shoulders to roll further back without swaying the low back, Don’t use thoracic mobility to: You’ll never know how beneficial a mobile thoracic spine can be without developing its mobility. The human spinal column is composed of five segments: the cervical spine, which extends up the neck to the base of the skull; the thoracic spine, which encompasses the shoulder and chest area; the lumbar spine, also known as the lower back; the sacrum; and, finally, the coccyx, or tail bone (the last two of which are lumped together as “Pelvic” in the graphic to the right). People simply don’t know any differently. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor frequently for the past 1.5 months and the difference is amazing. As a clarinet player, I have to sit with “correct” posture often in order to maintain proper air support, but the tension I’ve been getting in my shoulders has been telling me for a while now that something is amiss. This is a great exercise to perform to improve spinal health. Although the lumbar spine (lower back) has been shown to decrease in mobility with age, the thoracic spine loses an even greater percentage of mobility 2 . I hope Cervical Mobility is up next because I broke C2 and C3 when I was 19..(I am 37 now)along with lots of other damage..and never did have the “stabilizing” surgeries that were recommended…And you would NEVER know I ever broke my neck..but I still love my Chiropractor! Very important subject. A proper exercise program that accentuates full body movements (wonder where that could be found???) This series of six exercises, which can be used in both group and personal training settings, are designed to improve movement and enhance motor control in the thoracic spine.  We can show you how we can assist you achieve great thoracic mobility and ultimately improve your comfort and sports performance. I had been doing some yoga at home for a while and then saw somewhere that the shoulder stand and plough are not recommended because you can overstretch things. Well , it didn’t work, I’m still single. More lung volume – Improving mobility and reducing kyphosis actually increases lung capacity. Decreased thoracic mobility and poor posture can affect people in any sport but has a large role to play in swimmers, golfers, kayakers and tennis players and any other sport that requires good thoracic extension or … sales rep before getting laid off. This leads to a neck and head sitting forward (Poke neck posture) which is associated with neck pain and headaches. When you first announced Maya’s presentation at PrimalCon I almost signed up then and there (too expensive for this east coaster, though). • Seated Thoracic Manipulation • Seated Thoracic Distraction with Alligator Grip • Supine Thoracic Manipulation with flexion and extension bias • Supine Cervical Mobilization and Manipulation, Translation, Rotation, Upglide and Downglide • Scapulothoracic Manipulation • Prone Cervical Posterior to … Today is A LOT different. Problems with thoracic extension (the ability to keep your chest up) Overdeveloped pic minor, biceps or … Thus, he walked around a lot and was rarely sitting in the same place for a long period of time. These do a great exercise to incorporate a little mobility into the triceps, as well as the shoulders and thoracic spine. My shoulder has been sore along the scapular area for a few days after doing some unassisted chin-ups so I’m backing off those for a while. We would point your attention to the PostureJac, hhtp://www.posturejac.com, as a useful tool to help users develop stability and mobility. Prone Thoracic Extension (Sternal Press) This is a really simple exercises but there are two key things that you need to focus on to get the right results. Reaching our arms up vertically overhead entails extending the thoracic spine to allow upward rotation of the scapulae. These benefits will show you exactly why front squats are such an effective exercise in helping you to become a fitter, stronger and better athlete. But you left out the “how”!!! The pecs, upper traps, scap levators, and suboccipitals are overactive while the deep neck flexors, rhomboids, lower traps, and serratus muscles are inhibited. (The ligaments are not very elastic tissue, and continually overstretching them can lead to progressively more and more rounding – this is why is is not uncommon to see people in their 80s or 90s who have almost U-turns in the backs). Extend Your Thoracic Mobility Pilates Style | March - April 2020 These upper-back bends might look simple, but their benefits are BIG, from reversing slumped-over posture to reducing your risk of injury and relieving back pain. I am so excited that you have included spinal health in your blog. If you’ve ever searched for posture exercises online, chances are you’ve come across these 3 moves. First up is the Foam Roller Extension. Thoracic issues can affect 4 main things: Posture is something we have all heard of and hours spent at desk jobs, on the internet, studying and certain sports like cycling can lead to negative changes in posture. Changes in long term posture can change the way the upper and lower body move. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’ve been complimented on my posture due to some of those changes. If there are specific sports positions that require assessing such as time trial position or boat position this should be assessed as well. What about all the nerve roots and organs that are affected from the lack of movement in the spine? It used to be the sole province of specialized physical therapists and chiropractors (and even they failed to emphasize mobility), and the general citizenry have lived their lives without even considering the nuances of the various spinal vertebrae. The thoracic spine is situated between the cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (low back). (and so do Daddy and I) Or is this coming tomorrow? Mehdi also wrote a post on “how to improve your thoracic mobility” check it –> https://stronglifts.com/how-to-improve-your-thoracic-mobility/. If there is a change in their role, it causes the link of the chain up or/and below to go into dysfunction, creating compensation for the lack of mobility/stability. When performing pull-ups, try to keep your shoulder blades down near your spine rather than letting them shrug up by your ears. Long but worth it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yYJ4hEYudE. Modalities, prehab, rehab, and massage all have their place but not in principled chiropracTIC! https://stronglifts.com/how-to-improve-your-thoracic-mobility/. It is not meant to twist and bend and do all sorts of the acts that active, thoracically-immobile folks expect it to. A lot of the patients I see with chronic upper back problems usually have desk jobs. Mobility is only a portion of the equation. We’re mostly concerned with the lumbar and thoracic spine. From its name, you probably know that your thoracic spine is on located in your (drum roll please)... spine. The Barrel (or the Swiss Ball) The barrel is a specialised piece of equipment found in Pilates studios and one of its many uses is for lengthening and extending the upper spine. Costs to Use Alter-G Treadmill Gold Coast, Run@mygcphysio Gold Coast Trail Run Group, Sports Physio Massage Gold Coast | Ashmore, Burleigh | Massage | Pilates | mygcphysio.com.au. For this exercise you lay down over a foam roller, lean back to find some extension in the T-spine, then move to another segment and repeat. It’s such a great book. Some of us ride a desk until retirement. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. Loosening up the thoracic spine and then using that extra mobility to round or distort the spine further while sitting or standing is in some ways worse than being inflexible. I need an adjustment. Decreased thoracic mobility makes it harder to get under a bar, leading to wider hand placements (and too wide does not maximise power from the lower limbs). Neck pain, back pain, headaches, and arm radiculopathy usually aren’t far behind. What great posture and wide-open chests they have! I’m hoping tomorrow’s post will shed some light on it. All strokes in tennis require some degree of rotation and extension. b. Hyper-extend your thoracic ligaments creating laxity in the ligaments and hyper-mobility in the thoracic spine. . Instead, your lower back will take over work for which it’s really not designed, getting chronic pain for its troubles, and your scapula (shoulder blades) will compensate by moving away from the spine, making overhead shoulder work difficult, dangerous, and painful, and a rotator cuff injury nearly inevitable. Everything in the body is linked, remember, and you can’t remove a major player from the equation without seriously affecting the balance. I am about to move to my standup workstation. Kneeling Thoracic Extension and Lat Stretch – A great variation of the Half Wall Hang to also stretch your lats and improve your Thoracic Extension is the Kneeling Thoracic Extension and Lat Stretch. He would drive around all day and walk into several offices each day. He used to be a pharm. They so often forget that spinal dysfunction also causes major damage to the nervous system, which only effects well, you know…EVERYTHING!!! I would like to see how this relates to doing proper chin/pull ups. Also known as: Mid-back extension … Compounding this is the increasing weight of our population that adds greater loads on the less active spine. Changes in long term posture can change the way the upper and lower body move. To understand the importance of thoracic mobility we must first touch on the term Kyphosis. This drill does a great job of not only improving mobility but, more importantly, strength & control through that available motion. Sitting and standing posture will also be assessed. The benefits of good thoracic mobility include: • Improved lung capacity • Improved posture • Improved shoulder mechanics • Improved spinal rotation (extremely important in any sport requiring twisting such as golf and kayaking) ... Prone Thoracic Extension … If you'd like to add an avatar to all of your comments click here! A junk food diet reduces the am... You know that black hole of time between work and bed? This post makes me more aware of my posture during the day which is a necessity! Decreased thoracic mobility jeopardizes the shoulder’s ability to move freely; it can also create low back pain and create a forward head and neck posture (poke neck). With improved thoracic mobility, you’ll enjoy: Lack of kyphosis – The bowing of the upper back, endemic in offices across the country, is almost entirely due to poor thoracic mobility. The thoracic spine—that space above the lumbar spine and below the cervical spine—is meant to be mobile. How to do Thoracic Extensions: Techniques, Benefits, Variations Verywell - Amanda Capritto, ACE-CPT, INHC. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I see that some people with a narrow grip tend to “scrunch up” more than others. I am a huge advocator of health promotion which is why I am currently in Chiropractic College. Believe it or not, Christmas has never been my favorite holiday. As a kid, I was always partial to H... Let’s not beat around the holly bush: the holiday season just isn’t the same this year. I have had many compliments on my posture while standing. It’s hard not to slouch sitting at a computer. Knees – Stable Looking forward to your post tomorrow! The lumbar spine is built for stability. .I can’t wait to read tomorrow’s post–this is a big area of concern for me. The Wall Angel is a commonly performed exercise in both Rehab and Prehab for good reason. will prevent this problem for those stuck in a chair all day. Thoracic Spine Foam Roller Instructions While performing any of the thoracic spine foam roller exercises, always keep your abdominal muscles lightly contracted. Extension Yeah, I don’t get it either. To do this, sit in front of the barrel with the lower back well supported. Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercises for Extension. They deserve it! Thoracic extension 1. The primary osteokinematic function (movement of bones) of the thoracic spine is rotation and, to a smaller degree, extension (bending the spine backward) and lateral bending. You coul... Roasted Bone Marrow with Rosemary & Garlic, My Favorite Way to Play: Ultimate Frisbee, 5 Ways My Workouts Have Changed in My 60s. However, one component we often forget is that we also need to have thoracic extension STRENGTH. Prone Back Extensions. For contrast, look at aboriginal people who have never sat at a desk. The Thoracic spine refers to the Upper back and mid back area – which often gets really tight. Try to emphasize thoracic flexion over the stability ball and then extend into a neutral position. P.S. I’m standing while reading this at work! A stiff thoracic spine can make it difficult for an athlete to get their arms overhead, which is a requirement for overhead athletes like baseball players, swimmers and quarterbacks. Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercise for Extension Using Tennis Balls. https://www.life.edu/sites/default/files/Straighten_Up_America.pdf. What in the World are our Therapists up to? The real danger in thoracic spinal immobility lies in its seeming innocuousness. With a stiff thoracic spine the natural rounded curve increases and the ability to extend (straighten up) and rotate is decreased. A simple test is to sit slouched and lift your arms up, then re test sitting up straight and in good posture. Most importantly, each segment of the spine is designed for a certain range of motion. An immobile thoracic puts more pressure on other areas of the spine and is often the cause of lower back pain or neck ache. A physio is trained to assess all vertebra movements and posture. Interesting post — I can’t wait for tomorrow’s. If you take a deep breath in, allow the diaphragm to descend and the chest wall to expand, the thoracic spine will move into extension. I can’t wait to read what Mark has to say tomorrow! If people can instill those habits into their motor memories, it can become a natural way to build conditioning and mobility into daily activities. Yep, that middle back doesn’t like that at all. How Compensation Happens in the Neck. If you notice a difference in how far your arms lift behind your ears from one position to the next, then chances are your thoracic mobility needs improving. Mike Boyle often says, “No one has enough thoracic mobility and everyone could use more.”. Happy Mother’s Day! Only when I sit for long periods of time does my posture start to slip away from me. Spine health is critical. Nearly everyone slumps when they sit, and very few people perform the type of exercises that require full range of motion in the spine. My scapula hardly move–I’m a lifelong huncher. Greater range of motion – By finally engaging your thoracic spine in times of spinal rotation, flexion, and extension (like throwing a ball or a punch), instead of your lumbar spine, you will get stronger, faster, and more explosive in those movements. You can read a ton about it nowadays on the better fitness blogs and forums, but mainstream thoracic spine awareness is fairly recent. Although in my younger years I always walked around with my chest out, shoulders back and lats flared trying to impress the ladies. Decreased thoracic mobility and poor posture can affect people in any sport but has a large role to play in swimmers, golfers, kayakers and tennis players and any other sport that requires good thoracic extension or rotation (twisting). We have a blast! The stiffer the rib joints are where they join at the spine means less movement can occur at this joint and this can make it more difficult to take a breath when higher breathing rates and breathe volumes are required potentially less air breathed. Mark referenced Stronglifts as a resource to improve hip mobility. Men who use fish oil have bigger, better balls. It is highly mobile – or, rather, it has the potential for lots of mobility. This study found that Thoracic Kyphosis (Hunched posture) increases with age – Especially after 40 years of age. This was accomplished through the self-mobilizations performed on the three target areas. If you’re (they’re) lucky, they’ll ditch the sugar and the grains and notice an incredible difference. Thoracic Extension is Vital for Full Overhead Range of Motion . The alignment and flexibility of your thoracic spine— which … Secondly, a lot of missed lifts occur because the chest is unable to open up due to stiffness in the thoracic spine and decreased strength in upper back muscles which pushes the weight forward making the lift harder. I crashed my bike on Saturday when a freak accident jammed my chain round the bottom bracket I of course ended up on the road. (The ligaments are not very elastic tissue, and continually overstretching them can lead to progressively more and more rounding – this is why is is not uncommon to see people in their 80s or 90s who have almost U-turns in the backs). Excellent post. I can’t wait for your post on regaining spinal mobility! Once we have the appropriate range of motion, we need strength within that range to resist flexion under load. Because thoracic spine immobility is so commonplace, people don’t notice that anything is wrong. Here are a couple of nice examples. “Spine” is what we hear, not “thoracic spine” or “lumbar spine” or “cervical spine,” but it’s much more than that. They are still mobile for the moment…but I can almost see the “conformity”, *shudder*….But is it just me or does a wide swath of green grass (or sandy beach) encourage cartwheels and backflips? One new area that is becoming more researched and is linked to thoracic spine stiffness is changes to breathing.  Normal breathing requires the ribs to move like a bucket handle (they lift to the sides). Even if you don’t notice any of the symptoms leaping out at you, it never hurts to get more mobility, especially in the thoracic spine. Thanks for the reference of the book again – I will definitely buy it soon as it has sick reviews – 5 Star average – just like The Primal Blueprint! Benefits of the Quadruped Thoracic Rotation. At least with the hips, though, people can identify them and grasp the concept of hip mobility just by reading text on the computer. So, so true. And another study noted that as we age our Thoracic spines lose mobility in all directions. As you exhale deeply and relax, the thoracic spine will flex. I’ve been going through the book Magnificent Mobility by Robertson and Cressey and it’s been a great help. Words describing anatomy, anatomy that figures prominently into dynamic human movement pattern, require special care. And establishing good habits by actively maintaining and training mobility, as opposed to being content with what you have (even if it’s not optimum), is always a good move. To learn how to use these aids correctly, or if you have any further questions about thoracic spine mobility, come and visit one of our experienced physiotherapists. Keeping your core engaged (to avoid extending the lower back) and support your neck, gently lean back over the roller. 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